SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- The Drury Panthers lost two of their first three sets but battled back to defeat 18th ranked Northwest Missouri State in five sets at the DU Invitational in the O'Reilly Family Event Center on Saturday.
 
The Panthers blew out the Bearcats 25-10 in the opening set but lost the second 25-17 and the third set 25-21. Drury stayed alive with a 25-22 win in the fourth and outlasted Northwest Missouri State in the fifth 16-14.
 
Regan Dennis led both teams with 20 kills while Reba Thomsen had 38 assists and 17 digs. Paige Perry added 23 digs and Taylor Forth contributed 3.5 blocks.
 
It marked the first loss of the year for Northwest Missouri State (6-1) while the Panthers improved to 3-6. The game was Drury's fifth contest that had gone to five sets and the first one the Panthers have won.
 
"To beat a team that was undefeated and in the rankings was big for us, but more than that, to beat a team of that caliber and to do it in five sets is a big morale booster," said Drury head coach Jenifer Bahner. "Regan had a huge match for us, and she allowed us to take a little pressure off of our other hitters. Paige had some great defensive plays, and I was also really happy with Reba's play. She was going up against some good hitters and blockers, and she made some really good decisions on her set distribution."
 
Drury completed their tournament with a 2-2 record picking up a win over Colorado Mesa while taking losses to Missouri Western and seventh-ranked Northern State.
 
The Panthers return to action next weekend in the Southern Nazarene/Oklahoma Baptist Tournament. Drury plays Southern Nazarene and Northwest Oklahoma State on Friday in Bethany, Oklahoma. On Saturday, the Panthers take on Oklahoma Baptist and East Central in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
 
 
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