FAYETTE, Iowa – Drury volleyball turned in strong defensive effort to sweep Upper Iowa (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) and stop a two-game slide in Great Lakes Valley Conference play Friday evening at Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
Mailie Chretien and Jacy Bray turned in double-doubles to lead the Panthers (14-9, 4-4 GLVC), who matched their 2024 season win total with their 14th victory. Chretien recorded a match-high 11 kills on .296 hitting, while Bray logged 14 assists and 13 digs to pace the DU offense.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Drury used a 12-6 first-set scoring run to overcome a two-point deficit, thanks in large part to an attack that hit .351, led by Ella Rademaker's six kills.
- Trailing 13-11, Drury used a pair of Rademaker kills and two combined blocks by Emerson Grossman and Phoebe Riddle to claim six straight points and seize the lead for good.
- Upper Iowa trimmed the margin to one point at 19-18, but the Panthers won four of the next five points and Chretien logged three kills down the stretch to seal the 25-21 win.
- In the second set, the two clubs traded blows until the Panthers won four of five points to grab a 10-7 advantage.
- The Panthers then went on a 6-1 scoring run to extend their lead to 16-10.
- The Peacocks pulled to within two points courtesy of a 7-3 spurt, but a pair of Chretien kills fueled three-straight DU points that helped salt away the 25-21 decision.
- DU limited Upper Iowa to .029 hitting in the second stanza, as Chretien and Skylar Hilton each recorded three kills.
- A pair of Rademaker kills early in the third set helped Drury overcome a 3-1 start by the Peacocks as part of a 5-1 Panthers scoring run.
- Two Lauren Tyler service aces fueled a 5-0 DU run that extended the lead to 12-6.
- The Peacocks wiped out the DU lead with an 8-2 run, but the Panthers responded by winning the next four points, including back-to-back kills by Chretien.
- UIU got no closer than two points the rest of the way, with the Panthers claiming four of the final six points to seal another 25-21 win.
NOTABLES
- Rademaker matched Chretien with 11 kills, marking her sixth-straight double-digit kill total dating back to Oct. 17.
- Chretien logged her team-leading seventh double-double of the season, and Bray notched her sixth while extending her streak of consecutive double-digit assist performances to 16 in a row (since Sept. 12).
- Drury limited UIU to a combined .054 hitting percentage in the second and third sets.
- Hilton recorded seven kills and two blocks, hiking her season total to 81 blocks, which represents the most by a Drury freshman under head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill (since 2014); her total is the best by a Panther rookie since Jessica Burns' 84 in 2007.
- Abby Renshaw added seven kills and Grossman chipped in with four kills and a career-high four blocks.
- Drury improved to 4-2 in true road contests this season and 8-6 overall away from O'Reilly Family Event Center in 2025.
UP NEXT
Drury will look to make it two wins in a row Saturday (Nov. 1) afternoon when they take on Truman State in a 3 p.m., contest in Kirksville.
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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