Drury University Athletics

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Powered by a quick start that saw the Panthers hit .469 over the first two sets, Drury volleyball notched another straight-set victory Friday evening, cruising past Illinois Springfield (25-12, 25-12, 25-21) in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

Abby Renshaw helped fuel DU's early onslaught with seven of her match-high 14 kills in the opening set. The junior hit .464 for the night, as Drury (13-4, 4-2 GLVC) trailed for just two points in the match.

Skylar Hilton delivered a standout performance as well, totaling nine kills on .444 hitting, while Jacy Bray registered her ninth double-double of the year with 36 assists and 13 digs in the victory.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Drury turned in matching .469 hitting percentages in the first two sets to run away with 25-12 decisions in each.
• After dropping the first point of the match, the Panthers responded by winning six straight to seize command of the opening set.
• Renshaw recorded three kills during the critical opening run, then added two more as part of a 4-0 spurt that put DU in front, 10-2.
• Drury stretched its advantage to as many as 13 points (22-9) as Renshaw powered the offense with seven kills.
• The Panthers followed a similar path to their second-set victory, streaking out to a 12-1 lead, with Hilton's three kills pacing the early attack.
• DU extended its cushion to 20-15 -- its largest lead of the night -- on back-to-back service aces by Amelia White, then closed out the win with the help of a pair of Gwen Kubik kills.
• Gracie Kimrey led DU with a pair of early third-stanza kills to help stake the Panthers to a 5-1 lead.
• The Prairie Stars battled back to pull even at 12 with a 6-2 run, but DU reclaimed control with three consecutive points, the last two coming via Taylor Wood kills.
• DU built a five-point advantage before the Stars trimmed the deficit to just two points (23-21) thanks to a 5-2 spurt.
• The Panthers closed out the set and the match thanks to another kill by Wood and a pair of UIS errors.

• Drury hit a conference season-best .339, while limiting UIS to .063 hitting for the match -- a season low for a GLVC opponent against the Panthers.
• Renshaw's 14 kills marked her seventh double-digit kill total of the season.
• Bray, who added four kills, an ace and a block, topped the 30-assist plateau for the 12th time this season -- and for the fifth straight match.
• White served three aces to go along with a match-high 17 digs, establishing Drury career highs in each category.
• Wood and Chaney Barth each totaled five kills, with Barth hitting .556.
• Drury improved to 15-6 all-time versus UIS and logged its first victory over the Stars at home since 2018.
• The Panthers' 11 straight-set victories mark their most in a season since 2018, when they logged 14 three-set sweeps; the sweep also give DU three straight-set wins in its last four conference matches.

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