SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball kicks off its 2026 season this weekend by hosting the five-team Drury Invitational at O'Reilly Family Event Center. Beginning with Friday's 1 p.m. contest against Minot State, the Panthers will usher in the Kelly Richardson era with a total of four contests over the two-day event.
After lifting the lid on the new season against Minot State, the Panthers will take on Southern Nazarene (5 p.m.) to wrap up the opening day of the tournament. DU will then square off against Texas A&M International at 1 p.m. Saturday, before concluding the weekend with a 5 p.m. match-up against against Newman later that afternoon.
The complete Drury Invitational schedule is listed below:
Friday, Aug. 28
9 a.m. -- Newman vs. Minot State
11 a.m. -- Southern Nazarene vs. Texas A&M International
1 p.m. -- Drury vs. Minot State
3 p.m. -- Newman vs. Texas A&M International
5 p.m. -- Drury vs. Southern Nazarene
Saturday, Aug. 29
9 a.m. -- Minot State vs. Texas A&M International
11 a.m. -- Southern Nazarene vs. Newman
1 p.m. -- Drury vs. Texas A&M International
3 p.m. -- Minot State vs. Southern Nazarene
5 p.m. -- Drury vs. Newman
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.
SERIES AND TOURNAMENT HISTORIES
- The Panthers, who went 7-5 at O'Reilly Family Event Center in 2025, will host a home invitational for the sixth time in the last eight seasons and for the third year in a row.
- DU has gone 16-4 as the host institution of the Drury Invitational over the same span (2019-25), including a perfect 4-0 showing last year (Sept. 12-13).
- Last season Drury posted 3-0 wins over Cameron and Lane, as well as a 3-1 victory vs. East Central and a five-set decision over Northwest Missouri State to sweep the DU Invite.
- The Panthers also defeated two of this year's participants -- Southern Nazarene (3-1) and Newman (3-1) -- in the 2024 Drury Invitational.
- Drury brings a cumulative 9-2 all-time record against the 2026 Drury Invitational field into the weekend.
- The Panthers are 4-2 against Southern Nazarene, while DU brings unblemished marks against Newman (3-0), Texas A&M International (1-0) and Minot State (1-0) into this weekend's action.
OPENING STORYLINES
- Drury opens its 52nd season of varsity competition Friday, bringing a cumulative program record of 880-774-17 -- good for a .532 winning percentage -- into the new year.
- Head coach Kelly Richardson will make her debut leading the Panthers following her appointment as DU bench boss in January.
- Richardson enters the weekend two wins shy of the 100-victory plateau for her collegiate coaching career, which has included previous stops at Southwest Baptist and NCAA Division I Western Illinois.
- DU has claimed straight-sets victories in each of its last two season openers; the Panthers knocked off Union in Jackson, Tenn., last September, following a win over Southern Arkansas to open the 2024 season.
- Overall, Drury has claimed 26 victories in its previous 51 season openers on record.
- The Panthers have gone 12-4 in season debuts since 2011.
- This year marks the first time the Panthers will open at home since 2021, when DU went 4-0 to sweep the DU Invitational.
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 seven of its first nine matches last fall, matching its best start to a season since 2018.
- Junior setter Jacy Bray, who registered a career-best 31 assists in DU's GLVC Tournament matchup against Rockhurst, brings a streak of 23 consecutive double-digit assist performances into her junior season (since Sept. 12, 2025); Bray logged nine double-doubles and recorded 528 assists (4.98 per set) and 245 digs in 2025.
- Junior defensive specialist Kim Quinit enters the new year with 766 career digs, in addition to 43 service aces, to her credit.
- As a team, Drury ranks fourth in the conference in blocks with 28 through four matches.
- Sophomore middle blocker Skylar Hilton ranked fourth overall in the GLVC and 48th nationally with her 116 blocks, which represents the top season tally by a Panther rookie since Elizabeth Bunch's 116 in 2001.
- As a team, the Panthers' 246.5 blocks ranked fourth among all GLVC clubs and 44th in the nation last season.
- 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.
- 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 make the short trek to Bolivar, Mo., next weekend to participate in the SBU Invitational, beginning with a 1 p.m. contest against Arkansas-Monticello on Friday.
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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