Chretien
Jared McFarlane, GLVC Communications

Panthers Fall to Rockhurst in Quarterfinal Round of GLVC Volleyball Tournament

11/21/2025 5:01:00 PM

By: Eric Doennig, Associate AD - Media Relations

WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. – Despite battling back from a two-sets-to-none deficit to force a fifth set, Drury volleyball saw its quest for its first Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament championship come to an end in the quarterfinal round, as second-seeded Rockhurst claimed six of the final seven points of the deciding fifth set to outlast the Panthers for a 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 17-25, 15-11 decision Friday evening at Williamson High School Fieldhouse.

Drury (17-13) fought back to force a fifth set, winning a 25-21 decision in the third and a convincing 25-17 win in the fourth to keep their postseason hopes alive. DU won four straight points to take a 10-9 lead in the fifth, before Rockhurst flipped the script by winning the next four points.

Mailie Chretien delivered her 16th kill of the night to pull the Panthers to within 13-11, but the Hawks' Delaney Hope came through with a kill and a block to claim the decisive points for Rockhurst (21-9), which advanced to a semifinal round matchup against the winner of the final quarterfinal round contest between Quincy and Truman State.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Rockhurst rallied from a 15-9 deficit in the opening set with a 9-3 scoring run, as Ali Olson recorded four kills and the Hawks defense limited Drury to .170 hitting to claim a 25-23 win.
  • Drury led 19-18 on an Ella Rademaker kill, but the Hawks won seven of the final 11 points to claim the set.
  • Rademaker led all attackers with six kills in the opening set, which featured seven ties and five lead changes.
  • In the second set, Drury build a 6-1 advantage, as Rademaker came through with a service ace and a kill to stake the Panthers to an early lead.
  • But a 16-8 Rockhurst run turned the tide, and the Hawks closed out the 25-21 win by taking five of the final eight points to establish a two-sets-to-none lead.
  • Drury rebounded from an early deficit in the third, using a 7-0 scoring run to take control.
  • After Rockhurst led 5-3 early in the set, three service aces from Kim Quinit fueled what would turn into a 14-4 Drury run.
  • Rockhurst closed the margin to three points (24-21), but Skylar Hilton slammed the door shut with a kill to wrap up the 25-21 win for DU.
  • Rademaker led the Panthers with five kills and a .500 hitting percentage in the third.
  • An early 8-2 Drury run set the tone in the fourth set, as Rademaker recorded a pair of kills and two service aces to put the Panthers in front.
  • The Hawks bounced back to even the score at 13-13, but DU took over from there, using three Chretien kills to power a 12-4 run to close out the win and force a fifth set.
  • In the decisive set, Rockhurst built an early 4-1 lead, only to see the Panthers respond by winning four of the next five points to tie it up.
  • The Hawks won four of the next five to establish a 9-6 advantage, but once more the Panthers had an answer, claiming four straight points to take a 10-9 lead.
  • But an Olson kill and a Katie Vargo service ace sparked a 4-0 Hawks run that would prove too much for the Panthers to overcome.
  • Once again, Hope delivered in a big way for the Hawks, coming up with a kill to bring Rockhurst to match point (14-11), then recording a solo block for the clinching point.

NOTABLES

  • Drury made its first GLVC Tournament appearance since 2019, falling to 3-11 all-time at the conference meet.
  • Rademaker finished with a match-high 18 kills to record her 13th straight double-digit kill total and run her season total to a team-best 409 kills
  • She becomes the first Panther since 2018 to top the 400-kill plateau in a single season.
  • Rademaker concludes her collegiate career with 1,456 kills over 116 career matches, which puts her at No. 5 among all active NCAA Division II players and No. 1 on the GLVC's active list through Friday.
  • Chretien totaled 16 kills and 13 digs to notch her 12th double-double of the season.
  • Abby Renshaw produced a career-high 14 kills, hitting a team-best .257 for the Panthers.
  • Payton Mitchell finished with 17 digs, giving the senior 124 combined digs in Drury's last five matches.
  • Hilton recorded three blocks, running her freshman season total to 116.
  • Jacy Bray led the Panthers with 31 assists.
  • Lauren Tyler recorded 24 assists to hike her career total to 2,501, which ranks eighth on the Panthers' all-time list.

#OneDrury

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