SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball embarks on a six-match road swing, beginning with a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference contests in the Kansas City area this weekend.The Panthers will take on Rockhurst Friday evening (6 p.m.) at Mason-Halpin Field House in Kansas City and William Jewell Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) at Mabee Center in Liberty.
The Panthers (8-5, 1-1 GLVC) are coming off a reverse sweep of McKendree to conclude their opening weekend of GLVC play last Saturday in Springfield. Drury rallied for the victory (25-27, 16-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-11) behind a big performance from Ella Rademaker, who delivered a DU season-high 20 kills and six blocks. That effort followed a three-set loss to UMSL (13-25, 16-25, 15-25) on Friday at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
Rockhurst (8-5, 1-0 GLVC) dropped a five-set non-conference matchup with Central Missouri Tuesday evening in Warrensburg, after posting a straight-sets victory over William Jewell (1-11, 0-1 GLVC) last weekend in Liberty to open GLVC play.
Fans may follow the action through the GLVC Sports Network (subscription required). New for the 2025-26 academic year, viewing access to live broadcasts from GLVC regular season and postseason contests will be available via monthly subscription ($30) or annual subscription ($140). Single-event access can also be purchased for $15.
SERIES HISTORIES
- Drury brings a 16-51 all-time record against Rockhurst into Friday's contest.
- The Hawks have claimed the last four meetings in the series, with Drury's last victory coming on Oct. 1, 2021 in Springfield (3-2).
- Under head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill, DU is 5-12 against the Hawks.
- The Panthers hold a commanding 29-3 all-time series advantage over William Jewell, with Bahner-Hill leading DU to 15 wins in 16 meetings with the Cardinals.
- Drury has won 13 straight matchups with Jewell dating back to the 2016 season, including five wins in a row in Liberty (since 2016).
OPENING STORYLINES
- Drury enters Friday's contest 3-4 away from O'Reilly Family Event Center, including a 1-1 mark in true road matches.
- In her 12 seasons as head coach at Drury, Bahner-Hill (2014-present) has registered 165 career victories, which ranks second in DU history behind Barbara Cowherd's 487 wins as head coach of the Panthers (1980-99).
- Drury ranks third in the GLVC and 46th nationally in kills (618), while the Panthers 84 service aces as a team also rate as the third-best figure in the conference.
- The Panthers also rank fourth in the conference and 45th among all Division II clubs in total blocks (102.5).
- Lauren Tyler's 26 service aces rank second in the GLVC and 20th nationally, while both Phoebe Riddle (47) and Skylar Hilton (46) rank among the conference's top 10 in blocks.
- Tyler enters Friday's contest with 2,057 assists, 265 shy of Karen Smith (1987-89), who currently sits ninth on DU's all-time list with 2,322 assists.
- Rademaker paced the Panthers' attack with 26 kills (3.25 per set) in Drury's two matches last weekend; the senior transfer leads DU with 132 kills (2.81 per set) on the season.
- Kim Quinit recorded a season-high 23 digs in the Panthers' win over McKendree and enters Friday's match with four consecutive double-digit kill performances (since Sept. 20).
- Both Tyler and fellow setter Jacy Bray registered double-doubles in DU's victory over McKendree; Tyler totaled 24 assists and 11 digs, while Bray finished with 20 assists and 16 digs against the Bearcats.
- Riddle and Hilton each recorded career bests for blocks vs. McKendree, tallying eight and seven, respectively.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
- Drury returns 13 letterwinners from last season's 14-13 team that posted an eight-win turnaround from 2023.
- DU won six of its first eight matches last fall, matching its best start to a season since 2018.
- Mailie Chretien led the Panthers with 269 kills (2.54 per set), while fellow senior Kyla Clubb contributed 202 (2.24 per set) for last year's squad; Clubb added 46 blocks as well to rank third on the team.
- Quinit led the Panthers with her average of 4.05 digs per set as a freshman last fall, while Chretien added 3.80 per set; the duo of sophomore Jenna LaBarge and senior Payton Mitchell chipped in with averages of 2.71 and 2.55 digs per set in 2024.
- Mary Henry and Riddle also return for the Panthers, forming DU's veteran senior corps along with Chretien, Clubb and Mitchell.
- Tyler, a junior setter, paced DU in assists last season, tallying 9.17 per set to rank seventh among all GLVC performers.
- Additionally, junior Grace Gardner made 22 starts for DU last fall, totaling 136 kills, 85 digs, 73 assists and 43 blocks, while sophomores Emerson Grossman, Gracie Kimrey, Kennedy Outler and Abby Renshaw earned playing time as freshmen in 2024.
- In addition to its corps of returners, Drury welcomes eight newcomers to the mix, led by transfers Chaney Barth (Francis Marion), Bray (UT Arlington) and Rademaker (SBU).
- Freshmen Megan Howard, Alyssa Lindemann, Caroline Red, Amelia White, Hannah Williams and Hilton make up a talented and deep class of newcomers and could give Bahner-Hill additional options throughout the fall.
- Drury also turned in a strong 2024-25 year in the classroom, as 12 Panthers were named Academic All-GLVC, paced by Chretien and Mitchell, who each earned CSC Academic All-District recognition at the conclusion of the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury continues its road swing with a Thursday (Oct. 9) matchup against Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, with first serve set for 7 p.m.
For all the latest information on Drury volleyball, visit drurypanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.
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