SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball returns to O'Reilly Family Event Center this weekend to open its 21st season of Great Lakes Valley Conference play with matches against UMSL Friday evening (6 p.m.) and McKendree Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.).
The Panthers (7-4) are coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Bettye Wallace Classic in Arkadelphia, Ark., where DU topped Arkansas Tech (Sept. 19) in five sets to extend its win streak to six matches. Drury closed the tournament with a pair of four-set losses to Henderson State and Pittsburg State (Sept. 20).
UMSL (7-4) is coming off a 1-2 weekend in Florida, where the Tritons knocked off Flagler (3-1) and dropped matches to No. 1 Lynn (0-3) and Palm Beach Atlantic (1-3). McKendree (1-10) will be looking to stop a four-match slide after going 0-3 last weekend in Warrensburg at the Comfort Inn Invitational.
Fans may follow the action through the GLVC Sports Network (subscription required), where tournament games will be streamed live throughout the weekend. 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 HISTORIES
- Drury brings a 19-23 all-time record against UMSL, as well as a 12-8 ledger in GLVC-opening matches, into Friday's contest.
- The Tritons have won the last three matchups in the series, with the Panthers' last victory coming on Oct. 22, 2021 in Springfield.
- Under head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill, DU is 5-2 at home vs. UMSL, but just 6-8 overall against the Tritons.
- The Panthers have evenly split their 18 meetings with McKendree, including a 6-6 mark against the Bearcats under Bahner-Hill.
- McKendree has taken the last two meetings in the series, with DU claiming an Oct. 21, 2022 contest in Springfield for its last win over the Bearcats.
OPENING STORYLINES
- The Panthers swept the Drury Invitational (Sept. 12-13) field and bring a 4-0 mark at O'Reilly into Friday's contest.
- In her 12 seasons as head coach at Drury, Bahner-Hill (2014-present) has registered 164 career victories, which ranks second in DU history behind Barbara Cowherd's 487 wins as head coach of the Panthers (1980-99).
- With seven wins in its first nine contests, DU matched its best nine-match start to a season since 2018; the Panthers posted 7-2 opening stretches in 2021 and 2018 for their best start since winning eight of their first nine to open the 2017 season.
- Additionally, Drury's six-match win streak (Sept. 6-19) was its lengthiest since Oct. 14-22, 2022, matching the Panthers' third-longest under Bahner-Hill.
- The duo of Mailie Chretien and Kim Quinit was selected for all-tournament honors at last weekend's Bettye Wallace Classic; the all-tourney honor was the second straight accolade for Chretien, who earned All-Drury Invitational recognition the previous week.
- Chretien logged 32 kills (2.67 per set), 29 digs (2.42), three blocks and three service aces, while Quinit amassed a team-best 33 digs (3.30) in DU's three matches last weekend.
- As a team, Drury ranks third in the GLVC and 27th nationally in kills (535); the Panthers also sit third in opponent hitting (.160), service aces (76) and blocks (81.5) entering play Friday.
- Lauren Tyler's 23 service aces rank second in the GLVC and 12th nationally, while both Skylar Hilton (37) and Phoebe Riddle (35) rank among the conference's top 10 in blocks.
- Tyler became just the 10th Panther to reach the 2,000 career assist mark in last Saturday's match at Henderson State; she enters Friday's contest with 2,028 assists, 294 shy of Karen Smith (1987-89), who currently sits ninth on DU's all-time list with 2,322 assists.
- Tyler topped the 20-assist mark in all three contests last weekend at Henderson State, adding six service aces and five kills to pace an offense that averaged 13.46 kills per set.
- Quinit also reached a career milestone in Arkadelphia last Saturday, topping the 500-dig mark with her season-best 19-dig effort vs. Pittsburg State.
- Ella Rademaker paced the Panthers' attack with 45 kills (3.46 per set) in Drury's three matches last weekend; the senior transfer leads DU with 106 kills on the season.
- Rademaker, an Olathe, Kan., native, hit .311 and registered two assists, a service ace and a club-best 52.0 points for the weekend; she tallied double-digit kill totals in all three matches, surpassing her previous DU career high in each of the Panthers' final two contests of the weekend.
- Hilton led the Panthers with nine blocks, including four solo blocks, at the Bettye Wallace Classic; the freshman from Ozark, Mo., added 16 kills (1.23 per set) in Drury's three matches.
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.
- 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.
- 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), 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
Drury will embark on a lengthy road swing that will see the Panthers play six straight matches away from O'Reilly over the next three weeks, beginning with a Friday (Oct. 3) GLVC contest at Rockhurst (6 p.m.).
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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