Panthers fall in five-set heartbreaker to Rockhurst

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury lost in a five-set thriller to Rockhurst as both teams went back-and-forth in the fifth set, but the Hawks prevailed 3-2 on Friday at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
 
The Hawks, who were receiving votes for the top 25, went to 9-2 and and 2-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the Panthers fell to 7-8 and 2-1 in the league.
 
Both teams had match-point on two occasions in the fifth set, but Rockhurst rallied back from a 13-10 deficit and found a way to prevail 19-17. The fifth set featured six ties and three lead changes. 
 
The Hawks won the opening set 25-20, but Drury took the second by the same score. Rockhurst claimed a 2-1 lead winning a tight third set 25-22, but the Panthers pushed the match to a fifth set leading nearly wire-to-wire with a 25-21 win in the fourth.
 
It marked the four-straight match the two teams played to a fifth set dating back to the 2020-21 season. The two teams split last year’s regular season series, with both games going five.
 
Kayli Duncan led Drury with a career-high 21 kills, three block assists and a solo block. The sophomore from Wichita, Kansas, posted a hitting percentage of .563 in the match. Chloe Rear had 44 assists and registered a triple-double with 11 kills and 13 digs. The triple-double added to her program record total of 13 in her career. The senior also contributed four block assists. Juliana Squire had 20 digs, and Stormi Tadlock added 13 kills.
 
Tera Reberry led a balanced Rockhurst attack with 12 kills, while Kenzie Hines had 11 kills and 20 digs.
 
The Panthers continue their homestand on Saturday when they host Southwest Baptist at 3 pm in the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
 
 
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