KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Drury volleyball dropped a straight-set decision (20-25, 15-25, 20-25) to Rockhurst in Great Lakes Valley Conference action Friday evening at Mason-Halpin Field House, as the Hawks built early leads in the first two sets of the contest, before rallying from a three-point deficit to claim the third.

Skylar Hilton and Ella Rademaker led the Panthers (8-6, 1-2 GLVC) with seven kills apiece, while Grace Gardner contributed six kills on .267 hitting for DU. But the Panthers were limited to .113 hitting on the night, while the Hawks (9-5, 2-0 GLVC) rode a 13-kill effort from Sarah Pyle to victory in their 2025 home opener.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rockhurst never trailed in the first set, using a 5-0 spurt to claim an 8-3 edge that the Hawks would not relinquish.
• RU led by six points on eight different occasions in the opening set and limited the Panthers to .139 hitting on eight attack errors in a 25-20 decision.
• The second set followed a similar pattern, as the Hawks took control with four straight points after the two clubs split the first four points of the set.
• Rockhurst stretched its lead to 13-5 on back-to-back Pyle kills, before putting the set away by claiming four of the last five points for a 25-15 win.
• The home club hit .313 in the second stanza, while holding DU to an .057 hitting percentage.
• Drury enjoyed its first lead of the match in the third, jumping out to an 11-8 lead, before the Hawks responded by winning five of the next six points to leapfrog the Panthers.
• The two clubs traded blows, with neither team leading by more than a single point until RU took control for good late in the set.
• With the score knotted at 18-18, a pair of Lexi Theis kills ignited a late 4-0 run for the Hawks.
• Rockhurst closed out the set and the victory by claiming seven of the last nine points, as Delaney Hope logged three of her eight kills over the same stretch.

NOTABLES

• The third set featured 10 ties and four lead changes.
• Jacy Bray led Drury with 15 assists, while Lauren Tyler added 13 for the Panthers.
• Kim Quinit tallied a match-high 17 digs for Drury.
• The victory for Rockhurst extended the Hawks' win streak in the series to six straight matches, dating back to 2021.

UP NEXT
Drury continues its six-match road swing with a 3 p.m., Saturday (Oct. 4) contest against William Jewell in Liberty, Mo.

For all the latest information on Drury athletics, please visit drurypanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.

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