The Drury volleyball team opens the 2024 season on Friday in the Midwestern State Invitational hosted by Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The Panthers open the year against Southern Arkansas at 9 a.m. Friday, then take on Western New Mexico at 5 p.m. Drury returns to the court on Saturday and faces Northwest Oklahoma State at 11 a.m., then concludes the event against the host team, Midwestern State, at 5 p.m.
Drury will feature a young squad with only one senior, 15 newcomers, and eight freshmen. Head coach Jenifer Bahner-Hill will begin her 11th year leading the program, and her 169 wins at Drury are the second-highest in team history.
The lone senior is Kayli Duncan, who comes into the season as a two-year starter for the Panthers and now has "captain" next to her name. She brings a strong presence on the defensive side of the net, totaling 88 blocks last season. Bahner-Hill also brings back her setter, Lauren Tyler, for her sophomore campaign. Tyler is coming off a season where she was eighth in the conference in assists per set at 8.14.
Drury’s home opener is Thursday, Sept. 12, when they open the Drury Invitational at the O’Reilly Family Event Center. The Panthers will challenge 11th-ranked Southwest Minnesota State at 6 p.m. to open the three-day, 10-game event. Drury’s conference opener is Sept. 27, when they host Indianapolis.
The Panthers were picked 12th in the GLVC preseason coaches as Drury finished just one point behind Southwest Baptist for 11th in the poll. Lewis received six first-place votes and was picked to win the league, as three different teams had votes for first place in a tightly contested vote. Missouri-St. Louis, who advanced to the national semifinals last season, was picked second and had four votes for first. Rockhurst finished third in the voting and also had four votes for first.
Drury triathlon ranked 4th in Division II
Drury is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II preseason Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association poll. Defending Division II champion Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked number one, Wingate is second, and Colorado Mesa is ranked third in the poll.
The Panthers finished fourth at the D-II championship meet in each of the last two seasons. Drury's 2024 roster, led by head coach David Winton, who will enter his third season leading the program, features nine returners and three newcomers. The Panthers return Kristina Vestman, a sophomore from Sweden, who earned a place on the All-Freshman team in the West Region last year, and Alexis Workman, a senior from Springfield, who won Heat 1 and was 17th overall in D-II at last year's national championship.
Drury opens the 2024 season on Sept. 7 at the UIndy Super Sprint hosted by the University of Indianapolis. The Panthers will host the NCAA East Regional championship on Oct. 12 at Fellows Lake in Springfield, and this year's NCAA Championship is Nov. 9 in Clermont, Florida.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Drury volleyball opens season Friday at Midwestern State Invitational
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