The Drury Women’s volleyball team has kicked off its season with instant success. The Panthers are undefeated thus far through four games. They made quick work of both Lemoyne-Owen and Missouri Southern, sweeping both teams in three sets. The Panthers have now been to Alaska, where they took on the Alaska Nanook Classic that occurred on September 10th.

There are high hopes for the 2021 season from the players as they look to continue a long tradition of victory at Drury. Junior Chloe Rear is looking to have another outstanding season coming off of a First Team All GLVC selection. Rear believes that the team is made up of some outstanding individuals on and off the court. She has high expectations for the season and her teammates.

Rear had this to say on the team’s performance thus far, “Something I’m excited about this year is the fact that we have so many attackers in the front row that we can depend on to put the ball away. In the Drury Invitational, we had 6 hitters in double-digit kills. For an opposing team that’s extremely hard to defend because you have no idea where the ball is going which makes us a huge threat.”

The Panthers’ early success is no surprise as they have a huge collection of talent this year. Rear had high praise for the new transfers and freshmen who have joined the team. Rear said of her teammates, “I think all of our freshmen and transfers are great additions to this team. Each one of them brings something different to the table. With veterans in all of the same positions as them, they have a great opportunity to be even better players than they are now in the future”.

Another new member of the team is assistant coach Julia Krebs. Senior All Academic GLVC selection Makina Wratten, says that Coach Krebs “brings great energy to the program and has an incredible knowledge for the game.”

There is a sense of focus and a shared common goal for the year. Wratten wants the team to “excel on and off the court” this year. Senior All Academic GLVC selection Maddie Baumer, says, “I expect us to go all the way this season because I think it’s something we’re completely capable of.”

She is happy with the success thus far in the season and is determined to keep the team goals at the forefront. Baumer wants to “win conference, make it to regionals, and to never lose at the O’Reilly Center.”

Article by Payton Hannah