SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball closes out its 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule with key home matchups against No. 19 Indianapolis at 6 p.m., Friday (Nov. 6) and Lewis at 3 p.m., Saturday (Nov. 7) at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
The Panthers (19-7, 8-3 GLVC) split a pair of road contests last weekend, claiming a five-set win over Missouri S&T (Oct. 30) to secure their berth in the GLVC Tournament, before sustaining a four-set loss to Maryville that stopped Drury's six-match league win streak. DU enters Friday's in sole possession of fourth place in the conference's standings, just one match behind Rockhurst for the No. 3 position and one match ahead of Lewis and Maryville.
Indianapolis (23-3, 10-1 GLVC) enters the final weekend of the season tied with UMSL for the top spot in the GLVC standings and riding an eight-match GLVC win streak. Lewis (14-12, 7-4 GLVC) has also locked up its spot in next week's conference tournament, but will be looking to improve their seed position this weekend.
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
- Drury Faculty Appreciation Night (Friday)
SERIES HISTORIES
- The Panthers enter Friday's match with a 6-16 all-time mark vs. Indianapolis.
- Drury is 3-3 against the Greyhounds at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
- In their most recent meeting with UIndy, the Panthers posted a 3-1 victory in Indianapolis (Nov. 15, 2025).
- Drury brings a 3-20 overall mark against Lewis into Saturday's match, including a 2-7 record vs. the Flyers at OFEC.
- Last year, DU notched a 3-1 road victory for its first-ever win over Lewis in Romeoville.
OPENING STORYLINES
- Drury brings a cumulative program record of 899-781-17 -- good for a .535 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 19-7 leading the Panthers, which represents the best start to a career by a Drury volleyball head coach.
- With its Oct. 27 victory over Pitt State, DU surpassed its 2025 season win total (18).
- Additionally, Richardson moved past L.A. Anderson (2000) for the top win total by a Drury first-year head coach with last Friday's victory at Missouri S&T.
- The Panthers bring an 8-2 home record into their final two matches of the season at OFEC.
- DU, which was tabbed No. 8 in the conference's preseason poll, has clinched its second straight GLVC Tournament berth.
- Drury has earned five Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week honors in 2026, which marks the top season total by the Panthers since the inception of the current GLVC weekly awards program.
- Kim Quinit helped pace a stingy Drury defense with her 66 digs (4.71 per set) in three contests last week; the junior from Conway, Ark., tallied back-to-back 20+ dig performances – her first two of the 2026 season – including a career-high 29 digs last Saturday at Maryville.
- Chaney Barth paced the Drury offense with 50 kills (3.57 per set) last week, thanks in large part to back-to-back 17-kill performances against Pittsburg State and Missouri S&T; she hit .357 with 17 more kills in Friday's five-set win over Missouri S&T and added a 16-kill performance and matched a career best with four blocks at Maryville.
- Jacy Bray fueled a Drury offense that averaged 13.93 kills per set by recording 155 of the Panthers' total 182 assists and three double-doubles last week.
- Bray, who averaged 11.07 assists per set and 51.67 per match in Drury's three contests, turned in a career-best 55 assists in DU's win over Missouri S&T Friday, adding 20 digs, two service aces and six kills in the five-set victory.
- That effort followed a 50-assist, 30-dig night in a five-set win over Pittsburg State; her 30 digs against the Gorillas also marked a career high.
- The Nixa, Mo., product also delivered her sixth consecutive double-double – and 16th of the season – at Maryville with her 48-assist, 28-dig effort.
- Gwen Kubik recorded career bests for kills (11) and blocks (5) in DU's win at Missouri S&T.
- Amelia White also matched a career best with 21 digs against Missouri S&T.
- As a team, Drury leads the GLVC in digs per set (19.80), ranking third in the nation; Bray (3.86) and Abby Renshaw (3.14) pace the Panthers in the same category.
- Drury ranks fourth in the GLVC in blocks (2.12 per set), with Hilton (1.21) and Gracie Kimrey (0.73) each ranking among the top 20 defenders in the circuit; the Panthers also rank 43rd nationally in blocks per set as a team.
- Drury has limited the opposition to a hitting percentage of .152, which ranks second in the GLVC and 50th among all NCAA Division II schools.
- Hilton ranks fifth in the GLVC and 61st nationally in hitting (.355); the Ozark, Mo., product also has a team-best 110 blocks on the year and 226 for her two-year DU career.
- Hilton's 1.21 blocks per set also rank second among all GLVC players and No. 17 nationally.
- Kimrey topped the 200-kill mark in DU's victory at Quincy (Oct. 10) and reached the 100-block milestone as a Panther at the Midwest Region Crossover (Oct. 16-17).
- Renshaw's 27 service aces are second only to White's 28 among Drury players, while her 289 digs are second on the squad as well.
- Bray stretched her streak of consecutive double-digit assist totals to 49 in a row on Tuesday (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 1,504 career assists to her credit, including 1,481 as a Panther.
- Bray paces a Panther offense that has posted the second-leading kill average (13.89 per set) and assist average (12.79 per set) in the GLVC to date.
- Bray, who leads the Panthers with her 16 double-doubles this season, ranks third in the GLVC and 18th nationally in assists (10.36 per set).
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 49 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 16 doubles, 953 assists (10.36) and 355 digs (3.86) this season to date.
- 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 541 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 compete in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 GLVC Volleyball Championship next Thursday (Nov. 12) at Williamsville High School Fieldhouse in Williamsville, Ill.
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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