BOLIVAR, Mo. – Drury volleyball continued its early season roll Saturday afternoon, completing a clean sweep of the SBU Invitational to extend its win streak to six consecutive matches with straight-set victories over Christian Brothers (25-22, 25-11, 25-13) and East Central (25-14, 25-20, 25-21).

With their fifth and sixth consecutive victories, the Panthers became the first club in DU program history to win six matches in a row via straight-set decisions under a best-of-five set format. Drury also matched its longest overall win streak since 2019, giving head coach Kelly Richardson a 7-1 start, which represents the best by a first-year coach in DU history. 

Skylar Hilton capped a standout weekend with 16 kills and a red-hot .538 attack percentage on the afternoon. The sophomore totaled team-leading totals of 29 kills and 11 blocks for the tournament. Abby Renshaw and Taylor Wood each posted double-doubles Saturday to help the Panthers' cause, and Wood matched Hilton's tournament total with 29 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED - DRURY 3, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS 0

• Drury raced out of the gate to a 10-6 advantage, before the Bucs responded by winning five straight points for an one-point edge.
• The Panthers answered with four consecutive points of their own to take the lead for good (15-12).
• DU overcame CBU's .324 opening-set hitting, turning in a .311 figure of its own en route to the 25-22 decision.
• Once again, Drury cruised to an early lead, this time claiming 11 of the first 13 points for a decisive margin.
• Gracie Kimrey possessed the hot hand with a pair of early kills, before Hilton delivered three kills during an 11-2 spurt that stretched the cushion to 16-4.
• CBU (1-6) would get no closer than nine points, as the DU defense limited the Bucs to -.143 hitting in the set.
• The Panthers put the finishing touches on another sweep with an early surge than handed them a 9-4 lead.
• Five different DU attackers recorded kills during the early run, including Chaney Barth, who ultimately logged seven of her team-leading 11 kills during the third set.
• Drury put the third set--and the match--on ice with a 16-7 run to close it out, finishing off the Bucs by hitting .429 as a team in the final stanza.
• Hilton matched Barth with 11 kills while hitting .524, while Wood registered the first double-double of her career with a 10-kill, 10-dig performance to go along with four blocks.
• Jacy Bray totaled 39 assists and a career-best three kills in piloting a DU offense that hit .330 for the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED - DRURY 3, EAST CENTRAL 0

• Drury continued its stifling defense in the nightcap, holding the Tigers to .014 hitting in a matchup of the two unbeaten teams on the weekend.
• The Panthers trailed just once -- 1-0 -- in the opening set, as Renshaw helped engineer a 5-0 scoring run with a pair of early kills.
• DU won seven of eight points to establish a 13-6 advantage, then ended the set on a 6-0 spurt to claim the 25-14 win.
• East Central (4-4) started strong in the second, claiming three of the first four points before the Panthers flipped the scoreboard with a 7-2 run for an 8-5 lead.
• After the Tigers mounted a run of their own to take a two-point edge, DU ran off six unanswered points to claim control of the set.
• Hilton starred for the Panthers during the critical run, logging a pair of kills, as well as a key block.
• ECU closed the gap to within two points, but the Panthers answered with three straight points, before Renshaw closed out the set with a kill for the 25-20 victory.
• The third set saw ECU battle back from an early deficit, before the Panthers took control for good with a 15-5 run.
• The Tigers would close to within three points in the closing moments of the match, but Kimrey put the punctuation mark on the win with a game-clinching kill.
• Renshaw notched her third double-double of the year with a 10-kill, 12-dig effort, while Hilton hit .364 with five kills and a season-high seven blocks.

NOTABLES

• With seven wins in its first eight matches, Drury is off to its best start since 2017, when the Panthers opened 9-1.
• Drury head coach Kelly Richardson's 7-1 record marks the best start by a first-year Panthers head coach on record, topping Ashleigh Fitzgerald's 6-2 start to the 2009 season.
• Drury's streak of six consecutive three-set sweeps is the first on record, dating back to 1977; the Panthers had produced eight different win streaks of at least six consecutive straight-set victories, but none of them have included more than five consecutive wins under a best-of-five format. 
• Wood recorded her first double-double as a Panther with her career-best total of 10 kills against CBU; her four blocks also marked a new personal best for the freshman.
• Wood finished the day with 14 kills, 18 digs and seven blocks to help lead the Panthers.
• Renshaw tallied a career-high 13 digs vs. CBU, then tallied 12 more against ECU as part of her third double-double of the season; she finished the SBU Invite with 26 kills, 43 digs and six service aces.
• Barth's 11 kills against CBU marked her fourth double-digit kill total in DU's first eight matches of the season.
• Bray stretched her streak of consecutive double-digit assist totals to 31 in a row (dating back to Sept. 12, 2025); the junior completed the weekend with 133 assists (10.75 per set).

QUOTABLES
"We did a really great job this weekend of keeping our control, composure and consistency," Richardson said. "We had the opportunity to see some different lineups, and all of our players did a good job of making changes with a sense of urgency, which helped keep our efficiency where it needed to be. We continue to see our culture and support of each other shine through, and it makes all the difference for our program."

UP NEXT
Drury travels to Topeka, Kan., next weekend to take part in the Ichabod Classic, beginning with a 9 a.m. contest Friday (Sept. 11) against Arkansas-Monticello.

For all the latest information on Drury volleyball, visit drurypanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.

#OneDrury