SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Drury won their fifth-straight match defeating Arkansas Tech 3-1 on Tuesday at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
The Panthers raised their record to 16-8 while sending the Golden Suns, a team receiving votes for the NCAA-II top 25, to 16-5.
 
Drury dominated the opening set, winning 25-13, then pulled away down the stretch in the second set for a 25-21 win. Arkansas Tech earned a 25-19 win in the third, but the Panthers closed the match out with a 25-20 victory in the fourth.
 
"This week, we tried to stress the importance of starting strong," said Drury head coach Jenifer Bahner. "We have three matches this week, and the idea was – let's work really hard from the beginning to save our bodies for the conference weekend we have coming up. That was the best I've seen from us all season."
 
Drury's Taylor Forth set the tone early with six kills in the opening set, and the senior from Gilbert, Iowa, finished with a game-high 14. She also posted a .591 hitting percentage and added five block assists. Chloe Rear chipped in 41 assists in just four sets, while freshman Hannah Tadlock had eight kills and five block assists.
 
"When we had a little bit a lull, it still felt manageable and within our control," added Bahner. "I felt like, as the match progressed, our blocking picked up, too, and that was a big part of our success."
 
Haylee Paladini led Arkansas Tech with 13 kills.
 
Drury is on the road for their next match as they travel to Illinois-Springfield for a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest on Friday at 7 pm. 
 
 
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