SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball opens the stretch drive of the Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule this weekend with home matches against Truman State at 6 p.m., Friday (Oct. 23) and Upper Iowa at 3 p.m., Saturday (Oct. 24) at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
The Panthers (15-6, 5-2 GLVC) are coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Midwest Region Crossover in Hammond, Ind., that included their 13th straight-set victory of the season. Drury brings a three-match GLVC win streak into Friday's contest and is tied with Lewis for the fourth position in the conference's standings with its 5-2 league mark, just one match behind Indianapolis and Rockhurst, who share second place at 6-1.
Truman State (11-10, 4-4 GLVC) went 2-1 last weekend at the Crossover after handing Rockhurst its first GLVC loss of the season in its last conference action on Oct. 10. Upper Iowa (10-10, 3-5 GLVC) also enters the weekend riding a hot streak after posting a 3-0 showing in Hammond as part of its current four-match win streak.
Fans may follow the action through the GLVC Sports Network (subscription required), where tournament games will be streamed live throughout the weekend. Once again throughout the 2026-27 academic year, viewing access to live broadcasts from GLVC regular-season and postseason contests will be available via monthly subscription ($32) or annual subscription ($145). Single-event access can also be purchased for $15, and students of GLVC member institutions can save 10-percent on single-game PPV access, monthly subscriptions, and Full Year Access Passes by entering the promotional code "GLVC@EDU27" at checkout.
PROMOTIONS
- Kid's Night (Friday) - free admission for all kids 14-and-under
- BCFO Pink Out (Saturday) - Drury's annual Pink Out contest in support of breast cancer awareness
SERIES HISTORIES
- The Panthers are 9-17 all-time against Truman State.
- Drury is a perfect 5-0 vs. the Bulldogs at O'Reilly Family Event Center, dating back to the two clubs' first match in the facility in 2015.
- Truman claimed a five-set victory over the Panthers last November in Kirksville.
- Drury brings a 3-1 overall mark against Upper Iowa into Saturday's matchup.
- The Panthers have claimed both GLVC contests vs. the Peacocks, including a straight-set victory last October in Fayette, Iowa.
OPENING STORYLINES
- Drury brings a cumulative program record of 895-780-17 -- good for a .534 winning percentage -- into Friday's action.
- Head coach Kelly Richardson has made a strong first impression as DU's newest bench boss, entering the weekend 15-6, which represents the best start to a career by a Drury volleyball head coach.
- Richardson then racked up career coaching victory No. 100 with DU's Aug. 29 victory over Texas A&M International; she brings a 113-229 cumulative collegiate coaching record into the weekend.
- Drury is 5-2 at home this season with four wins in its last five outings at O'Reilly Family Event Center (since Aug. 29).
- DU, which was tabbed No. 8 in the conference's preseason poll, enters the weekend tied with Lewis for fourth place in the GLVC regular-season standings.
- As a team, Drury leads the GLVC in digs per set (18.25), ranking fifth in the nation; Jacy Bray (3.38) and Abby Renshaw (3.03) pace the Panthers in the same category.
- Drury ranks fourth in the GLVC in blocks (2.13 per set), with Skylar Hilton (1.09) and Gracie Kimrey (0.81) each ranking among the top 15 defenders in the circuit; the Panthers also rank 43rd nationally in blocks per set as a team.
- Bray earned Midwest Region Crossover All-Tournament honors last weekend; she paced a Drury offense that averaged 14.36 kills per set, totaling 118 assists (10.73 per set) and a pair of double-doubles over the Panthers' three matches.
- Taylor Wood turned in a strong all-around effort in Hammond as well, registering 27 kills (2.45 per set), 18 digs (1.64) and three blocks on the weekend; the freshman led the Panthers with her .358 hitting percentage, including her second double-double (10 kills, 11 digs) of the year last Friday vs. Hillsdale and a career day with 14 kills and a .583 hitting percentage in DU's straight-set victory over Saginaw Valley State to conclude the weekend.
- Drury has limited the opposition to a hitting percentage of .152, which ranks second in the GLVC and 53rd among all NCAA Division II schools.
- Hilton ranks third in the GLVC and 26th nationally in hitting (.386); the Ozark, Mo., product also has a team-best 76 blocks on the year and 192 for her two-year DU career.
- Hilton's 1.09 blocks per set also rank second among all GLVC players.
- Kimrey ranks 14th in the conference with her 0.81 blocks per set average; the redshirt sophomore also ranks 13th in the GLVC in hitting (.303).
- Kimrey topped the 200-kill mark in DU's victory at Quincy (Oct. 10); she also reached the 100-block milestone as a Panther last weekend at the Midwest Region Crossover.
- Renshaw's 2.39 kills per set trail only Hilton and Chaney Barth on the Panthers' leaderboard, while her 22 service aces are tied with Amelia White's season total to lead the team.
- Renshaw's 180 digs are second on the club this season as well.
- Kim Quinit enters Friday's contest just 37 digs away from the 1,000-dig milestone for her Drury career.
- Bray, who earned her first career GLVC Setter of the Week award on Sept. 13, stretched her streak of consecutive double-digit assist totals to 44 in a row last weekend (dating back to Sept. 12, 2025); she previously topped the 1,000-assist plateau for both her collegiate career and two-year DU career in a Sept. 25 win over William Jewell.
- Bray enters Friday's contest with 1,273 career assists to her credit, including 1,250 as a Panther.
- Bray paces a Panther offense that has posted the second-leading kill average (13.77 per set) and assist average (12.66 per set) in the GLVC to date.
- A Nixa, Mo., product, Bray handed out a career-high 51 assists as part of her 10th double-double of the season last Friday vs. Hillsdale; that effort marked the most assists by a Panther since Lauren Tyler's 51 assists at William Jewell on Nov. 4, 2023.
- Bray ranks third in the GLVC and 21st nationally in assists (10.17 per set), while her total of 722 assists ranks fourth in the conference.
PREVIEWING THE PANTHERS
- Drury returns 10 letterwinners from last season's 17-13 team that finished 7-6 in conference play to advance to the GLVC Tournament for the first time since 2019.
- DU won eight of its first nine matches, matching its best start to a season since 2017.
- Junior setter Jacy Bray brings a streak of 44 consecutive double-digit assist performances into the week (since Sept. 12, 2025); Bray logged nine double-doubles and recorded 528 assists (4.98 per set) and 245 digs in 2025 and has 11 doubles, 744 assists (10.17) and 240 digs (3.38) this season to date.
- Junior defensive specialist Kim Quinit enters the weekend with 963 career digs, in addition to 54 service aces to her credit.
- Sophomore middle blocker Skylar Hilton ranked fourth overall in the GLVC and 48th nationally with her 116 blocks last fall, which represented the top season tally by a Panther rookie since Elizabeth Bunch's 116 in 2001.
- Senior outside hitter Chaney Barth topped the 300-kill and 300-dig milestones for her career last fall in her first season with the Panthers; she enters the weekend with 478 career kills to her credit.
- Juniors Emerson Grossman, Jenna LaBarge, Kennedy Outler and Abby Renshaw have each earned significant playing time over their first two seasons in Scarlet and Gray; Grossman recorded a career-best 58 kills (1.21 per set) and 31 total blocks last season, while Renshaw racked up 176 kills (1.81 per set) and 41 blocks in 2025.
- Sophomores Caroline Red, Amelia White and Gracie Kimrey will be looking for breakthrough seasons as well.
- In addition to its corps of returners, Drury welcomes nine newcomers to the mix, led by transfers Reagan Baade, Isy Purrington, Sophia Frerking and Sydney Walker; additionally, freshmen Gwen Kubik, Lucy Hafer, Falon Stroup, Taylor Wood and Bella Asante round out the deep class of newcomers and should give Richardson additional options this fall.
- Drury also turned in a strong 2025-26 year in the classroom, as seven returning Panthers were named Academic All-GLVC, paced by Quinit and Renshaw, who each earned CSC Academic All-District recognition at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury will square off against Pittsburg State in its final non-conference matchup of the season Tuesday (Oct. 27) evening in a 6 p.m. contest at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
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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