Drury University Athletics

HAMMOND, Ind. – Behind an efficient offensive attack led by freshman Taylor Wood's career day, Drury volleyball bounced back from a pair of Friday setbacks with a sweep (25-22, 25-21, 25-19) of Saginaw Valley State Saturday to conclude play at the Midwest Region Crossover at Hammond Sportsplex.

Wood recorded career bests for kills (14) and hitting (.583) in helping the Panthers (15-6) to their 13th three-set sweep of the season. Drury hit .348 as a team -- its second-highest single-match hitting percentage of the season -- as four different DU attackers hit .333 or better in the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Drury used a 6-0 run to take control of the opening set, as three early kills by Jacy Bray paced the Panther attack that led to a 9-4 DU advantage.
• The Cardinals responded with five straight points to even things up, before DU would seize the upper hand by claiming seven of nine points for a 20-15 cushion.
• Abby Renshaw led the Drury offense with a pair of kills and one of two service aces (along with Kim Quinit) by the Panthers during the critical run. 
• SVSA won three consecutive points to trim the margin to two points, but a pair of Sydney Walker kills gave DU some breathing room, before Wood's fourth kill of the stanza handed the Panthers a 25-22 decision.
• The Panthers were forced to overcome an early three-point deficit in the second and did so behind the play of Wood (6 kills) and Gracie Kimrey (5 kills), who accounted for half of Drury's kills during a 6-1 run that turned a 10-10 deadlock into a five-point Panther edge.
• DU led by as many as six points and hit .333 as a team in the eventual 25-21 win; the Panther defense limited the Cardinals to .184 hitting in the second set.
• In the third and final set, Drury once again fell behind the Cardinals early, only to rally for a convincing 25-19 victory.
• This time it would be an 12-5 Panther run that turned the tide in DU's favor, as Chaney Barth and Skylar Hilton combined for seven kills during the stretch that handed Drury an 18-11 lead.
• Wood helped put the set -- and match -- away with two more kills down the stretch, hitting .667 for the set in the process; Hilton paced the Panthers with five kills to go along with her .625 third-set percentage.
• Drury held the Cardinals to their lowest hitting effort of the day in the third set with their collective .128 performance, while the Panthers saved their best for last with a .385 effort.

NOTABLES

• Drury improved to 2-4 all-time vs. Saginaw Valley State and 32-21 overall in its 18 trips to the Midwest Region Crossover.
• DU also notched its 10th road/neutral-site victory of the season, improving to 10-4 in such contests, which matches its best season win total since 2018.
• Hilton finished with nine kills and a pair of blocks, while hitting .500 for the day; she capped her three matches in Hammond with a team-best 31 kills (2.82 per set) and 12 blocks (1.09 per set).
• Bray registered her 15th 30-plus assist effort and 11th double-double of the season, finishing with allied 35 assists to go along with a match-high 13 digs.
• Renshaw recorded eight kills and 12 digs, while Kimrey and Barth chipped in with seven kills apiece.
• Renshaw also added three service aces to match a career high.
• Wood wrapped up her Midwest Region Crossover with 27 kills (2.45 per set) and 18 digs (1.64 per set).
• Quinit logged 26 digs (2.36 per set) on the weekend, moving her career total to 963; the junior also delivered a team-best six service aces in Hammond.

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