SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– The Drury Panthers fought back from a 20-14 deficit in the third set to win 25-22 on their way to a 3-1 victory over Arkansas Tech on Tuesday in the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
Drury took the opening set 25-17, but the Golden Suns surged late in the second set to even the match, taking the frame 25-23. Arkansas Tech pulled in front by six in the third set, but the Panthers rolled to nine straight points to lead 23-20 and closed out the third, 25-22. Drury then rolled through the fourth, 25-13, to close out the match.
 
"(Coming back) was something we have struggled with this year," said Drury head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill. "I was really proud to see them take advantage of this opportunity to grow and mature a little more. In moments where you are down, it turns to the mental side of the game, and you have to find the confidence to make the next play.
 
"We talked about minimizing our errors at that point (in the third set)," she added. "We told them to just play clean volleyball, extend the rallies, and let them make the errors. I thought they did a job of that."
 
Kayli Duncan had a career-high 23 kills, posted a .474 hitting percentage, and added six block assists. Lauren Tyler had 38 assists, and Lexi Basler contributed 23 digs.
 
Henley Hooks led Arkansas Tech with 11 kills.
 
The Panthers improved to 5-18 and dropped the Golden Suns to 2-21. Tuesday's match was the final non-conference game of the year for Drury.
 
The Panthers return to conference play on Saturday as they travel to Southwest Baptist for a 3 p.m. match in Bolivar.
 
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