SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Following a successful opening weekend to the 2026 season, Drury volleyball will look to maintain its early momentum this week when they travel to Bolivar, Mo., for the SBU Invitational at Meyer Wellness Center.
Drury (3-1) logged wins in three of its first four matches of the Kelly Richardson era last weekend at the Drury Invitational, topping Minot State in four sets on Friday, before capping the weekend with a pair of straight-sets victories over Texas A&M International and Newman on Saturday.
The Panthers will open play in Bolivar Friday afternoon with a 1 p.m. matchup against Arkansas-Monticello (1-4), before facing off against Lane College (0-4) at 5 p.m. DU will meet Christian Brothers (0-3) Saturday at 1 p.m. and East Central (1-3) at 5 p.m. to conclude its weekend at SBU.
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 bring a cumulative 13-3 all-time edge against their four opponents into this weekend's action.
- DU is 7-2 against Christian Brothers, 2-0 against Lane, 3-1 vs. East Central and 1-0 against Arkansas-Monticello.
- The Panthers will be competing in the SBU Invite for the first time since 2017 (Sept. 8-9), when they went 4-0 in Bolivar with wins over Oklahoma Baptist (3-0), Adams State (3-1), Fort Lewis College (3-0) and SBU (3-1).
OPENING STORYLINES
- Drury brings a cumulative program record of 883-775-17 -- good for a .532 winning percentage -- into Friday's action.
- Head coach Kelly Richardson made a strong first impression as DU's newest bench boss, claiming a 3-1 win over Minot State in her first match at the helm last Friday before leading the Panthers to a pair of straight-set victories to close out the weekend Saturday.
- Richardson then racked up career coaching victory No. 100 with Saturday's victory over Texas A&M International and brings a 101-224 cumulative collegiate coaching record into the weekend.
- With its win over Minot State, Drury has claimed 27 victories in its 52 season openers on record.
- The Panthers have gone 13-4 in season debuts since 2011 and have opened with at least three wins in their first four contests six times over the last decade.
- After one weekend of play, Drury leads the GLVC in assists per set (13.46), digs per set (19.85) and kills per set (14.08); the Panthers rank fourth nationally in digs, while their assists average ranks 13th and their kills average ranks 24th among all NCAA Division II teams.
- Drury totaled 13.0 team blocks -- 24 BA/1 BS -- in its season-opening victory over Minot State (Aug. 28).
- Individually, Jacy Bray ranks second in the GLVC and 24th nationally in assists (10.23 per set), while her total of 133 assists rank third in the conference.
- Bray logged the top three single-match assist totals in three-set matches among all GLVC setters last weekend; she also extended her personal streak of double-digit assist totals to 27-straight contests; she tallied a career-best 43 assists in Saturday's win over Newman, marking the most by a Panther in a three-set match since Lauren Tyler's 44 vs. Illinois Springfield on Oct. 21, 2023.
- Skylar Hilton put up a team-best .443 hitting percentage over the first four matches of the season, good for the third-best figure in the GLVC and the No. 32 percentage in the country; the sophomore hit .333 or better in each of DU's four contests last weekend.
- Hilton also logged an average of 1.23 blocks per set -- good for fourth in the conference entering play Friday.
- The duo of Bray and Hilton picked up Drury Invitational All-Tournament Team honors last weekend.
- Abby Renshaw also enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 campaign, pacing Drury's offense with 31 kills (2.38 per set) and logging double-doubles in two of the Panthers' three victories at the DU Invitational.
- Renshaw, a North Little Rock, Ark., product, recorded a career-best 16 kills and 10 digs while hitting .364 in DU's straight-set victory over Texas A&M International, then turned in 11 kills and 12 digs in the Panthers' sweep of Newman to close out the weekend.
- Four Panthers made their DU debuts last weekend: freshman Taylor Wood saw action in all four contests, logging an average of 1.42 kills and 2.58 digs per set; junior transfer Reagan Baade appeared in all 13 sets for the Panthers, recording 23 digs, six assists and a pair of service aces; junior transfer Sydney Walker logged nine kills, four digs and a pair of blocks in three matches; Freshmen Lucy Hafer and Gwen Kubik saw time in two matches.
- Chaney Barth led DU with 37 kills (2.85 per set) last weekend; the senior topped the 100 kill mark as a Panther in Saturday's win over Newman.
- Gracie Kimrey returned to the court for the first time since 2024 last weekend, logging 33 kills (2.54 per set) and 11 blocks, while hitting .280; the redshirt sophomore, who missed all of 2025 due to injury, posted back-to-back 10-kill performances in Drury's two Saturday victories vs. TAMIU and Newman.
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 brought 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 entered the new year with 766 career digs, in addition to 43 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.
- 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 travel to Topeka, Kan., next weekend for the Ichabod Classic on the campus of Washburn University. The Panthers open play Friday (Sept. 12) with a 9 a.m. matchup against Arkansas-Monticello, followed by a 2 p.m. contest versus Southwestern Oklahoma.
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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