SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Crimson Storm hit the court once again as they took on host Drury in a battle falling 3-1 and No. 7 ranked Southwest Minnesota where they also fell, 3-1.

Game 1

The Storm (1-6, 0-0 GAC) met the host, Drury (5-2, 0-0 GLVC), for their second game of the weekend. SNU opened up set one with a big kill from Kate Wright to get off on the right foot. 

Southern Nazarene then went on a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 5-1 thanks to a pair of kills from Wright and Isabella Labrada. 

Drury then took advantage of a few SNU errors and powered down a pair of kills to take back the lead 12-11. 

A 6-1 run from the Panthers proved costly for the Storm, but they did not back down as a kill from Emma Grace Moddelmog put the Storm within three. 

The Storm attempted a comeback but DU added on a few more kills along with some SNU errors to claim set one 25-20.

The Panthers took a quick 2-0 lead to begin the second set, but the Storm responded with a 5-0 run of their own. SNU remained in control on their side of the net as they kept piling on the kills. 

Tessa Henry and Whitney Bowie teamed up for a handful of kills to lead 22-19 with a victory seemingly in sight for the Storm. A 4-0 run from the Panthers challenged the SNU lead as they went ahead by one 23-22. 

A Drury service error and kills from Labrada and Riley Richardson sealed the deal for SNU as they took the second set 25-23.

The third set opened up with a big kill from Wright to get the momentum going for SNU. A handful of Drury errors pushed the Storm to an 8-5 lead, but the Panthers tied the score back up in response.

From there the two squads traded points back and forth before a 5-0 run from Drury put them ahead 23-18. Another Labrada kill gave the Storm a boost, but the Panthers were able to secure the set, 25-21.

The fourth set was a battle as the score went back and forth. Wright and Henry teamed up for a pair of kills and a DU error gave SNU an 11-8 lead. 
A quick 3-0 run gave Drury the lead before the Crimson Storm tallied a few more kills to lead 20-18. A Labrada kill gave Southern Nazarene a set point, but the Panthers denied the victory as they took back the lead. 

The two continued to battle, but back to back kills from DU were all it took for them to claim the fourth set, 30-28, and the match, 3-1.

Game 2

The Storm(1-6, 0-0 GAC)  met the No. 7 ranked Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs(7-0, 0-0 NSIC) in a Friday night showdown. SWMSU lived up to their ranking early on as they jumped out to an early 9-1 lead.

They kept their foot on the gas taking advantage of SNU errors and powering down a few kills of their own. A 7-1 run from the Mustangs stretched their lead 18-5 before a Whitney Bowie kill.

Southwest Minnesota State remained in control as they claimed set one by an impressive 25-8.

SNU was not going down without a fight as they began set two. A kill from Labrada and an ace from Kate Wright knotted the score at six all. The two squads traded points from there before a few more kills from Wright and Bowie put the Storm up three.

Rayanna Mauldin went on a rampage tallying four kills to help stretch the SNU lead once more. The Mustangs lingered closely behind, but the Storm was able to hang on and take the second set over the No. 7 ranked Mustangs, 25-23.

SWMSU took back control in set three going on an 8-0 run to lead 13-4. Southern Nazarene continued to chip away thanks to a Mustang service error and an ace from Moddelmog. Richardson and Molly Langford teamed up for a pair of kills, cutting the deficit now to six.

A handful of kills from the Mustangs was all it took for them to snag the fourth set, 25-15.

Set four proved to be the same as Southwest Minnesota State jumped out to a quick 10-5 lead. The Storm continued to hang around as Moddelmog and Wright tacked on kills to cut the deficit to three.

The Mustangs continued to press in making an SNU comeback almost impossible. SWMSU used an ace and two kills to finish off the Crimson Storm 25-18 for a 3-1 match victory.

 Next Up

The Storm will play their final contest of the Drury Invitational Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm as they take on Roosevelt.