SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– The Drury Panthers trailed 11-7 in the first set but then reeled off eight straight points and that momentum propelled them to a 3-0 win over Illinois Springfield at the O'Reilly Family Event Center on Saturday.
 
After being down by four, Drury junior Stormi Tadlock picked up a kill and served four consecutive aces as part of the eight unanswered points. The Panthers went on to win the opening set 25-19 and won the second 25-22. Drury trailed late in the third set, 22-20 but won five of the six points to close out the match 25-23.
 
Tadlock finished with a team-high 15 kills, seven aces, three block assists and had a .538 hitting percentage in the game. Her seven aces were the most by a Drury player since Alex Smith had eight on Sept. 22, 2012. Kaitlin Dean added 13 kills while Lauren Tyler posted 44 assists and Lexi Basler contributed 16 digs.
 
"Starting off strong in that first set, for this team, gave us some confidence," said Drury head coach Jenifer Bahner. "With some injuries, we've had to move people around and some are having to play in a different role. That first set gave us what we needed to be confident and comfortable to be able to finish out the match.
 
"Stormi had a great game. She had 15 kills and only one error, and when we needed her late in that third set, she stepped up again."
 
Eirini Glynou had a game-high 21 kills to lead Illinois Springfield.
 
Drury raised their record to 4-18 and 2-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while the Prairie Stars dropped to 8-12 and 2-5 in the league.
 
The Panthers continue their homestand on Tuesday with a non-conference match against Arkansas Tech at 6 p.m. in the O'Reilly Family Event Center.  
 
 
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