SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball makes the trek north to Bolivar for a Thursday evening (7 p.m.) Great Lakes Valley Conference rivalry match against Southwest Baptist at Meyer Sports Center.
The Panthers (9-6, 2-2 GLVC) are coming off a road sweep of William Jewell (Oct. 4) to cap a weekend split in GLVC play. Drury dropped a straight-set decision at Rockhurst last Friday in their first conference road tilt of the season. SBU (4-11, 1-3 GLVC) also recorded a split in Kansas City last weekend, pulling out a five-set win over Jewell, before being swept in three by Rockhurst on Saturday.
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 HISTORY
- Drury brings a commanding 56-23 all-time series lead over SBU into Thursday's contest.
- The Panthers have won 10 of their 12 meetings with the Bearcats during head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill's tenure, dating back to 2014.
- DU claimed the most recent matchup in the series with a straight-set victory at O'Reilly Family Event Center on Nov. 2, 2024.
OPENING STORYLINES
- Drury enters Thursday's contest 4-5 away from O'Reilly Family Event Center, including a 2-2 mark in true road matches.
- In her 12 seasons as head coach at Drury, Bahner-Hill (2014-present) has registered 166 career victories, which ranks second in DU history behind Barbara Cowherd's 487 wins as head coach of the Panthers (1980-99).
- Drury ranks fourth in the GLVC and 54th nationally in total blocks (118.5), while the Panthers 90 service aces as a team rate fifth in the conference.
- DU leads the GLVC in both total blocks (37) and blocks per set (2.64) in conference play.
- The Panthers also rank third in the conference and 94th among all Division II clubs in opponent hitting percentage (.165).
- Lauren Tyler's 27 service aces rank second in the GLVC and 47th nationally, while both Phoebe Riddle (55) and Skylar Hilton (54) rank among the conference's top 10 in blocks.
- Riddle's 22 total blocks in GLVC play rank second among all conference players; the senior is coming off a career-best .455 hitting performance vs. William Jewell (Oct. 4) in which she recorded five kills, which marked a career high for Riddle in GLVC contests.
- Tyler enters Thursday's contest with 2,081 assists, 241 shy of Karen Smith (1987-89), who currently sits ninth on DU's all-time list with 2,322 assists.
- Ella Rademaker enters the contest with 1,196 career kills, which ranks 50th among all active Division II players; the senior transfer from SBU has logged double-digit kill totals in six of the Panthers' last eight matches, dating back to Sept. 13.
- Drury's 10 blocks Saturday at William Jewell marked a season high by a GLVC squad in a three-set match in conference play.
- As a team, the Panthers have registered at least 10 total blocks in three of their last five outings and six times overall this season.
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.
- Kim 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), Jacy 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
After enjoying a rare weekend off from competition, the Panthers will travel to Hammond, Ind., next weekend to take part in the Midwest Regional Crossover (Oct. 17-18).
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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