JACKSON, Tenn. – Drury volleyball turned in a strong start to its 2025 season Friday, splitting a pair of matches at the Union Volleyball Classic, topping host Union in three sets before dropping a tightly-contested four-set affair to Harding in the nightcap at Fred DeLay Gymnasium.

Drury turned in a dominant three-set performance to sweep Union (25-14, 25-14, 25-10) in the opener, led by a balanced attack that saw the Panthers hit .342 for the match. Ella Rademaker and Mailie Chretien paced DU with eight kills apiece, while freshman Skylar Hilton logged a strong debut with four kills and a pair of blocks.

In their second match of the day versus Harding, the Panthers (1-1) took the opening set before the Lady Bisons rebounded to pull out two-point victories in three consecutive sets to edge DU (25-18, 23-25, 25-27, 23-25). Chretien led the Panthers with 13 kills, while Lauren Tyler registered a double-double of 21 assists and 12 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Drury rallied from an early deficit in the opening set vs. Union, reeling off five straight points to turn a three-point deficit into an 11-9 advantage.
• Rademaker led the way with four kills in the first set, helping spur a stretch in which DU won 11 of 13 points to seize control for good.
• The Panthers, who hit .375 as a team in the opening set, closed out the set with an 8-1 burst.
• Drury used a 14-3 spurt in the second set to take a 2-0 lead.
• Back-to-back kills from Hilton sparked the run, as the Panthers stretched their lead to 22-11.
• DU started the third set on a high note, building a 9-3 cushion after claiming six of seven points.
• Rademaker and Grace Gardner paced the attack with three kills apiece in the third set.
• The Panthers put an exclamation point on the victory by winning 10 of the final 11 points and hitting .333 for the set.
• Against Harding, the Panthers extended their torrid start, winning the first five points of the match and seizing a 9-2 advantage after Rademaker recorded a pair of kills and three blocks to fuel the early run.
• DU stretched its lead to 13-3 thanks to a kill by Phoebe Riddle, who helped pace the Panthers' attack with three kills and three blocks in the opening stanza.
• The Panthers led by as many as 12 points, but Harding closed the gap to 24-18 before a Gardner kill closed out the set.
• The second set featured seven ties and two lead changes, with Harding taking the lead for good at 20-19 on a DU service error.
• DU built an 11-6 lead in the third set, but Harding responded with a 14-4 spurt to take a 20-15 lead.
• But Drury clawed its way back to a 23-23 tie, then earned a set point on back-to-back kills by Riddle and Chretien.
• Harding reeled off three straight points, however, to claim the pivotal set.
• In what would ultimately be the deciding set, neither team led by more than three points until Harding reeled off four straight points to claim a 21-16 lead.
• The Panthers pulled to within 24-23 thanks to kills from Abby Renshaw and Jacy Bray, but Harding's Jacey Lambert closed out the set and the match with her 11th kill of the contest.

NOTABLES

• Chretien hit .412 with six digs and a pair of service aces to go along with her game-high eight kills vs. Union.
• Hilton delivered points for the Panthers on four of her seven attacks, hitting .571.
• Tyler led all players with 10 assists in the first contest and 21 against Harding, raising her DU career total to 1,850, passing Alexis Dutt (1,827) and Cari St. Clair (1,843) to move into the No. 10 spot on the Panthers' all-time list.
• Kim Quinit finished the opener with a game-high eight digs before adding 11 more against Harding.
• DU limited Union to -.022 hitting for the match, as the hosts committed 23 errors while recording just 21 kills on the day.
• Chretien led DU with 13 kills vs. Harding and 21 for the two matches; she added five digs against the Lady Bisons.
• Rademaker tallied 10 kills in the nightcap, finishing with 18 for the day, to go along with five blocks against Harding.
• DU hit .407 and .444 in the first and second sets, respectively, but just .050 and .190 in the third and fourth sets against Harding.
• Bray turned in 12 assists and nine digs vs. Harding, coming within one dig of a double-double.
• Hilton followed her strong debut match with six kills and five blocks vs. Harding.
• Riddle finished with five kills and four blocks against Harding.
• Mary Henry totaled 10 digs vs. Harding, while Renshaw chipped in with nine kills and three blocks against the Lady Bisons.

QUOTABLE

"Our girls came out strong with high energy and confidence," Drury head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill commented. "Our offense was balanced with multiple hitters contributing, and Mailie (Chretien) and Kim (Quinit) making great defensive plays. Against Harding, our attacking was in rhythm and executing at a high level early in the match. In sets two through four, we started slowly and struggled to establish our offense. We have to be better on the first touch in serve receive. Overall, it was a competitive match, but to win those tight sets in the future, we have to create more opportunities for our offense."

UP NEXT

Drury will be back in action for the second and final day of the Union Volleyball Classic with a 9 a.m. matchup against Texas A&M-Kingsville and a 1 p.m. tilt vs. Lane College.

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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