Panthers Journey to Lewis, UIndy for Closing Common-Season Weekend

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury volleyball places the ending touches on its 2025 common season this weekend, because the Panthers hit the street for a pair of essential Great Lakes Valley Conference matches in opposition to Lewis (Nov. 14) and Indianapolis (Nov. 15). Tied with Lewis for seventh place within the convention standings, the Panthers and Flyers will sq. off at 6 p.m. Friday at Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill., earlier than DU takes on the Greyhounds in a 3 p.m. matchup at Ruth Lilly Fitness Center in Indianapolis the next afternoon.

Drury (15-12, 5-6 GLVC) put an finish to a three-match slide with Saturday’s four-set victory over Missouri S&T, as Ella Rademaker celebrated Senior Day with a match-high 19 kills and 4 blocks. Seven Panthers in all recorded at the least 5 kills within the 26-24, 25-18, 24-26, 25-14 win that gave DU a break up of its two GLVC contests after dropping a Friday night time match to Maryville (3-1).

Lewis (14-12, 5-6 GLVC) enters this weekend’s motion coming off a break up final weekend, posting a straight-sets win at William Jewell, earlier than being swept by Rockhurst. Indianapolis (18-9, 8-3 GLVC) additionally break up its two convention street matches as properly, falling in 5 units in opposition to Rockhurst, earlier than sweeping Jewell to solidify its maintain on the No. 4 spot within the league standings. The Greyhounds earned the No. 8 spot within the Midwest Region within the newest NCAA Regional Rankings.

Fans could comply with the motion by means of the GLVC Sports Network (subscription required), the place matches can be streamed dwell all through the common season. New for the 2025-26 educational yr, viewing entry to dwell broadcasts from GLVC common season and postseason contests can be out there through month-to-month subscription ($30) or annual subscription ($140). Single-event entry can be bought for $15. 

SERIES HISTORIES

• Drury has received simply two of its earlier 22 contests vs. Lewis, which has received the final three conferences within the sequence.
• Last yr in Springfield, Lewis claimed a 3-1 choice en path to 23-11 marketing campaign and third-place GLVC end.
• Against the Greyhounds, DU has gone 5-16 with its final win coming in 2022 in Springfield — a straight-sets victory for the Panthers.
• Under head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill, DU is 2-11 throughout her tenure vs. Lewis, and 4-8 in opposition to UIndy.

OPENING STORYLINES

• In her 12 seasons as head coach at Drury, Bahner-Hill (2014-present) has registered 172 profession victories, which ranks second in DU historical past behind Barbara Cowherd‘s 487 wins as head coach of the Panthers (1980-99). 
• Rademaker is averaging 4.20 kills per set in GLVC play and ranks fifth within the convention together with her general season common of three.63 kills per set.
• Rademaker, who leads DU with 370 kills on the season, has totaled 1,417 kills over 113 profession matches, which places her at No. 5 amongst all lively NCAA Division II gamers and No. 1 on the GLVC’s lively record.
• Dating again to Oct. 17, Rademaker has recorded 10 straight double-digit kill totals.
• Lauren Tyler brings a profession complete of two,447 assists into Friday’s match, good for the No. 8 place on Drury’s all-time help chart and simply 53 shy of the two,500 mark.
• Mailie Chretien logged her team-leading tenth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs final Saturday vs. Missouri S&T; the senior additionally topped her private single-season greatest for kills (278) within the win over the Miners.
• Jacy Bray registered 18 assists and 11 digs Saturday in opposition to Missouri S&T to present her eight double-doubles on the season, whereas extending her streak of consecutive double-digit help performances to twenty in a row (since Sept. 12).
• Drury posted its fifteenth victory of the season Saturday, giving the Panthers their greatest win complete since 2021 (20).
• Payton Mitchell logged a career-best 29 digs in final Friday’s contest, then recorded 25 extra Saturday to succeed in the 600-dig milestone for her Drury profession.
• Skylar Hilton’s team-leading complete of 102 blocks represents probably the most by a Drury freshman below Bahner-Hill (since 2014); her complete is the very best by a Panther rookie since Elizabeth Bunch’s 116 in 2001.
• Drury ranks fourth within the GLVC and fifteenth nationally in complete kills (1,370), paced by Rademaker’s team-leading 370 — good for fourth amongst all GLVC hitters and twenty first nationally.
• Hilton’s 102 blocks rank fourth within the GLVC, whereas Phoebe Riddle (100) ranks sixth in the identical class.
• The Panthers additionally rank second within the convention and sixteenth nationally in assists (1,265) and third within the GLVC (thirty third nationally) in complete blocks (217.5).
• Tyler’s 43 service aces rank third within the GLVC, whereas her 628 assists rank eighth within the circuit.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS

• Drury returns 13 letterwinners from final season’s 14-13 crew that posted an eight-win turnaround from 2023.
• DU received six of its first eight matches final fall, matching its greatest begin to a season since 2018.
• Chretien led the Panthers with 269 kills (2.54 per set), whereas fellow senior Kyla Clubb ontributed 202 (2.24 per set) for final yr’s squad; Clubb added 46 blocks as properly to rank third on the crew.
• Kim Quinit led the Panthers together with her common of 4.05 digs per set as a freshman final fall, whereas Chretien added 3.80 per set; the duo of sophomore Jenna LaBarge and Mitchell chipped in with averages of two.71 and a couple of.55 digs per set in 2024.
• Mary Henry and Riddle additionally return for the Panthers, forming DU’s veteran senior corps together with Chretien, Clubb and Mitchell.
• Tyler, a junior setter, paced DU in assists final season, tallying 9.17 per set to rank seventh amongst all GLVC performers.
• Additionally, junior Grace Gardner made 22 begins for DU final fall, totaling 136 kills, 85 digs, 73 assists and 43 blocks, whereas sophomores Emerson Grossman, Gracie Kimrey, Kennedy Outler and Abby Renshaw earned enjoying time as freshmen in 2024.
• In addition to its corps of returners, Drury welcomes eight newcomers to the combo, led by transfers Chaney Barth (Francis Marion), Bray (UT Arlington) and Rademaker (SBU).
• Freshmen Megan Howard, Alyssa Lindemann, Caroline Red, Amelia White, Hannah Williams and Hilton make up a proficient and deep class of newcomers and will give Bahner-Hill further choices all through the autumn.
• Drury additionally turned in a powerful 2024-25 yr within the classroom, as 12 Panthers have been named Academic All-GLVC, paced by Chretien and Mitchell, who every earned CSC Academic All-District recognition on the conclusion of the season.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Panthers will look to safe their spot in subsequent weekend’s GLVC Volleyball Championship, which can be contested Nov. 21-23 in Williamsville, Ill. 

For all the most recent data on Drury volleyball, go to drurypanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, comply with the Panthers on X and Instagram.

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