SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball completed a perfect weekend with a pair of victories Saturday afternoon at O'Reilly Family Event Center, stretching its win streak to five-straight matches. The Panthers (6-2) turned in a straight-set win over Lane (25-13, 25-14, 25-14) to open the day, before besting East Central (25-15, 25-23, 26-28, 25-15) in four sets to complete a four-game sweep at the Drury Invitational.

Five different Panthers logged double-digit kills in DU's win over East Central, led by Phoebe Riddle's career-high 14 kills. Mailie Chretien capped a standout tournament effort with a 12-kill, 20-dig performance, and Jacy Bray added a double-double of her own in the tourney finale, tallying a career-high 31 assists to go along with 16 digs.

Drury started the day with a dominant three-set victory over Lane, as all 21 Panthers who dressed saw time on the court. Freshman Skylar Hilton led DU with eight kills and four blocks, whlie Chretien hit .545 with seven kills and five digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Leading just 10-7 midway through the opening set, DU won six straight points to spark a 12-3 run.
• Chretien accounted for four kills, and Kim Quinit served a pair of aces in the first set to power the Panthers' scoring surge.
• Lane closed the gap to 22-13 late in the stanza, before Lauren Tyler and Hilton recorded back-to-back kills and Quinit put the set on ice with a service ace for the 25-13 win.
• The Panthers and Dragons played to a 9-9 deadlock in the second before DU once again gained the upper hand, this time with a 5-0 run.
• A Mary Henry ace, followed by a pair of Grace Gardner kills led to a 14-9 advantage, as DU built a nine-point lead.
• Kyla Clubb's kill gave the Panthers a 20-11 lead, capping an 11-2 spurt en route to a 25-14 DU decision.
• Chretien, Hilton and Caroline Red led the DU attack in the second with three kills apiece, while Tyler racked up nine of her match-high 20 assists in the set.
• DU wrapped up the win with another 25-14 victory in the third, powered by .382 hitting as a team.
• Drury trailed 5-3 before a 10-1 outburst tipped the scales in the Panthers' favor.
• Megan Howard paced the Panthers with five kills on eight swings (.625), while Hilton and Emerson Grossman totaled three kills.
• The Panthers started quickly in the finale against East Central, hitting .344 in a decisive 25-15 win; DU used a 13-3 run to snap an 8-8 tie, with Hilton producing four kills.
• DU won a see-saw second set as well, riding a pair of kills by Riddle in the final three points to pull out a two-point decision (25-23); the Panthers' attack produced another strong effort, registering a .302 hitting percentage for the set.
• The home club appeared poised to put the match away in the third, despite having to climb out of an eight-point deficit; East Central built a 14-6 lead, before the Panthers chipped away.
• DU won 11 of the next 15 points to pull to within 18-17, then drew even moments later at 21-21 after a pair of Chretien kills.
• Drury forged a two-point cushion following a Jenna LaBarge service ace, but the Tigers negated three match points down the stretch, ultimately winning three-straight points after DU took a 26-25 lead.
• But Drury wiped out any thoughts of a comeback with a strong opening to the fourth set, capturing five straight points for an early 8-3 edge.
• ECU closed to within two points, but the Panthers responded with a 6-3 run, thanks to two more kills by Barth.
• DU closed out the match by winning 13 of the final 18 points.

NOTABLES

• Drury's five-match win streak marks its longest since Oct. 11-19, 2024.
• The Panthers are off to a 6-2 start for the second-straight season.
• After recording a career-best nine kills vs. Cameron on Friday, Hilton eclipsed that effort with 10 against East Central to go along with a personal-best six blocks.
• Riddle logged career-bests for kills (14) and blocks (7) against ECU.
• Chretien hit a season-high .545 with seven kills on 11 attempts against Lane, and finished the tournament with a team-leading 46 kills (3.29 per set).
• Tyler finished the day with 44 assists -- 20 vs. Land and 24 vs. ECU -- to hike her Drury career total to 1,958, which ranks 10th on the Panthers' all-time list. 
• Howard's five kills vs. Lane marked a career best, while Red notched the first three kills of her Drury career in the opening contest as well.

• Mailie Chretien – Drury
• Phoebe Riddle – Drury
• Mary Henry - Drury
• Anastasija Andelic – Cameron
• Kayla Eggiman – Cameron
• Peyton Spahn – East Central
• Faiana Halatoa – East Central
• Jayden Powell – Lane
• Ella Caffery – Northwest Missouri State
• Kasidy Mohwinkle – Northwest Missouri State

QUOTABLE
"It was a great opportunity because we've got 21 healthy kids and we were able to get all 21 of them in there, so that's always really exciting," Drury head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill commented on the victory over Lane. "I think number one, (this weekend is) about us coming together as a team, supporting each other. I felt like whoever I put on the court, they were cheering for each other and giving them information, and that helps us, because the more in-game experience they get, the more they bring to practice each day and to matches next week. I think we've got to continue to create those opportunities for our kids and put them in pressure situations and see who can step up and thrive."

UP NEXT
Drury returns to action Friday (Sept. 19) at the Bettye Wallace Invitational with a 3:30 p.m. contest against Arkansas Tech in Arkadelphia, Ark. The Panthers will also face host Henderson State (11 a.m.) and Pittsburg State (3:30 p.m.) on Saturday to conclude their trip.

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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