Andrea Drews

Andrea "Annie" Carrie Drews (born December 25, 1993) is an American volleyball player who plays Opposite for the United States women's national volleyball team. She has played professional club volleyball in Puerto Rico, Italy, and Turkey. Drews was elected as the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League in Nanjing, China, where USA won the gold medal and the Best Opposite of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup as part of the silver medal squad. She currently plays for Japan V.League Division 1 (V1) team JT Marvelous in the 2020–2021 season for the second year in a row.

Andrea Drews
Drews at VNL 2019
Personal information
Full name	Andrea Carrie Drews
Nickname	Annie
Born	December 25, 1993 Indiana, United States
Height	191 cm (75 in)
Weight	77 kg (170 lb)
Spike	315 cm (124 in)
Block	312 cm (123 in)
College(s)	Purdue University
Volleyball information
Position	Opposite
Current club	JT Marvelous
Number	11 (national team)
Career
Years Teams 2016 Indias de Mayagüez 2017 Criollas de Caguas 2017-18 SAB Volley Legnano 2018 Pomí Casalmaggiore 2018-19 Kameroglu Beylikdüzü Voleybol Ihtisas 2019- JT Marvelous
National team
2017 United States
Medal record Women’s Volleyball Representing the  United States World Cup 2019 Japan Team World Grand Champions Cup 2017 Japan Team FIVB Nations League 2018 Nanjing Team 2019 Nanjing Team NORCECA Championship 2019 San Juan Pan-American Cup 2017 Cañete/Lima

Personal life

Annie Drews grew up 15 miles east of South Bend in Ekhart, Indiana, a city of 50,000 that proclaims itself as both the “RV Capital of the World” and the “Band Instrument Capital of the World.” Her parents are Mike Drews and Carrie Drews. She has a brother, Derek, who played basketball at Western Michigan University. She also has a sister, Erin, who is an artist.

When asked about her mindset on playing, she said, "My faith has been the biggest game changer/factor in my career, but more importantly, my life. I became a Christian in college and I truly believe that God has equipped me with opportunities and abilities to continue playing & learning in this sport."[1]

At a young age, she started playing club volleyball for Mizuno Gold and Circle City Gold. In an interview, Drews revealed that she took part in competitive cheerleading when she was young.[2]

Drews graduated from Purdue University in Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2015.[1] On June 15, 2020, Drews and Tanner Schumacher announced their engagement.[3]

High school and collegiate years

Formative years and high school

Andrea started playing indoor club volleyball in 2008 with Network Juniors and concluded her youth club career with Northern Indiana Volleyball Academy. She was a two-time volleyball state champion at Penn High School in Mishiwaka, Indiana, where she was selected an AVCA High School American as a senior.[1]

Purdue University

Andrea began her sportive career in school tournaments. After emerging as one of the nation's top prep players at Penn High, she headed to Purdue University's women volleyball team, with which she took part in the Division I NCAA from 2012 to 2015.[4] “The monster of the Big Ten,” Purdue coach Dave Shondell called Drews. She was an All-America outside hitter.[5]

Drews received Honorable Mention at the AVCA All-American in 2014. Moreover, Drews was selected AVCA Second-Team All-America in 2015 as a senior at Purdue University.[1] She graduated from Purdue University in Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2015.

Career

Junior National Team

She was a member of the U.S. Women's National A2 Program (now known as U.S. Collegiate National Team) in 2013.

2016: Indias de Mayagüez (PUR)

In 2015, she began her professional career at 2016 Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino where was finished runner-up with Indias de Mayagüez. She was named as part of the all-star team at the end of the tournament.

2017: Criollas de Caguaso (PUR)

In the following season, she played with Criollas de Caguaso. Drews was named the league's MVP after leading Caquas Criollas to a 16–0 start and the Puerto Rican title. Her performance started catching the eye of Kiraly and SASB Volleyball Legano, the club in Italy's Serie A1 she eventually signed with.

2017-2018: SAB Volley Legnano & Pomi Casalmaggiore (ITA)

In the 2017-18 championship she played in the Italian A1 Series in the newly promoted SAB Volley Legnano, ending her contract with the team in December 2017. In January 2018 she signed a contract with another Italian team: Casalmaggiore.

2018-2019: Kameroglu Beylikdüzü Voleybol Ihtisas (TUR)

During the 2018-2019 pro season, she signed with Kameroglu Beylikdüzü Voleybol Ihtisas and played at the Turkish Volleyball League. She played the play-off quarterfinals and finished as the third-best scorer in the regular season with 384 points.[6] She helped the club reach its best finish in the league since its inception.

2019-2020: JT Marvelous (JPN)

Drews bags V.League title and MVP

In 2019, Drews took her scoring prowess to JT Marvelous to play in the Japan V.League Division 1 (V1), replacing Serbia women's national volleyball team outside hitter Brankica Mihajlovic.[7] Due to prior commitments with the USA national team (participation in the 2019 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Continental Championship), she missed the first two games against Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (0-3) and Kurobe AquaFairies (3-2). In her first game with her team on 19 Oct, she registered 32 points against Ageo Medics via 29 kills on 57 swings (50.9% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 1 service ace.[8] Against the previous year's runner-ups Toray Arrows (women's volleyball team), Drews hammered in 29 points on 23 of 55 attacking (41.82% hitting efficiency), 4 stuff blocks and 2 service aces to lead the Marvelous to its 3rd straight win.[9] Against the PFU Bluecats on 26 Oct, Drews lead the team in a straight sets victory with 15 kills on 34 swings (44.1% hitting efficiency), 1 stuff block and 1 service ace.[10] Drews scored 29 points in their 5-set loss to Toray Arrows (women's volleyball team) on 2 November from 26 kills on 71 swings (36.6% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 1 service ace.[11] JT bounced back the following day after beating PFU Bluecats on 3 Nov behind Drews' 33 points - 29 kills on 49 swings (59.2% hitting efficiency) and 4 stuff blocks.[12] On 9 Nov, JT edged out Ageo Medics in a 4-set win with Drews scoring 26 points from 21 kills on 40 swings (52.5% hitting efficiency), 3 stuff blocks and 2 service aces.[13] JT came up with a big win against then-spotless Toyota Auto Body Queenseis as Drews put up 21 kills on 47 swings (44.68% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 3 service aces.[14] On 16 Nov, Drews contributed a humble 9 points in a 3-set win against Kurobe AquaFairies with 8 kills on 18 swings (44.4% hitting efficiency) and 1 stuff block.[15]

Exchange matches against the Premier Conference teams commenced on 23 Nov. Drews notched 18 points all on kills from 43 swings (41.9% efficiency) in a losing effort against the NEC Red Rockets.[16] JT bounced back the following day, 24 Nov, with a big 4-set win against the then-undefeated Denso Airybees. Drews had 24 kills on 47 swings (51.1% hitting efficiency), 3 stuff blocks and 4 service aces.[17] JT regained their lead in the standings after clobbering Okayama Seagulls on 30 Nov. Drews lead all scorers with 25 kills on 41 swings (61.0% hitting efficiency), 1 stuff block and 2 service aces for 28 points.[18] She then posted 18 points against Hisamitsu Springs - 17 kills on 29 swings (58.6% hitting efficiency) and 1 service ace - to lead JT Marvelous to a straight-sets win.[19] Drews poured in 12 points in their 3-set victory against Hitachi Rivale with 9 kills on 27 swings (33.3% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 1 service ace.[20] The following day, Drews pounded 15 kills on 27 swings (55.6% hitting efficiency) to down Victorina Himeji via a sweep.[21]

At the first match of the final round of conference play, Drews amassed a total of 20 points versus Toyota Auto Body Queenseis, 18 of which coming from kills of 30 swings (60.0% hitting efficiency) and 2 from stuff blocks.[22] Drews continued loading the howitzer to lead her team in another 3-set win against PFU Bluecats on 15 Dec. She tallied 23 points coming from 18 kills on 30 swings, 3 stuff blocks and 2 service aces.[23] Drews dropped 37 points via 35 kills on 66 swings (53% hitting efficiency), 1 stuff block and 1 service ace in a loss to Ageo Medics on 21 Dec.[24] JT Marvelous put up a dominant performance against Kurobe AquaFairies on 22 Dec backed by Drews' 15 points - 8 kills on 17 swings (47.1% hitting efficiency), 6 stuff blocks and 1 service ace.[25] JT Marvelous ended the regular round strong by downing Toray Arrows (women's volleyball team) as Drews willed in 23 kills on 50 swings (46% hitting efficiency), 4 stuff blocks and 2 service aces.[26] The win cemented JT Marvelous as the number 1 team in the Star Conference, finishing with a 17-4 W-L record, good for 49 points.[27] As a reward, the team carried over 3 points to the Final 8 round which cushioned them over their opponents - Star #3, Premier #2 and Premier #4. Drews flexed stellar numbers - 382 kills on 778 swings (49.1% hitting efficiency) with 50 errors (0.427 hit clip), 41 stuff blocks and 24 services aces for a total of 447 points - good for #2 in scoring, despite missing the first two matches. Drews was also #1 in aces/set, #2 in hitting efficiency and #8 in blocks/set.[28]

On 12 Jan, JT Marvelous was awarded ¥1,500,000.00 and a trophy as regular round Champions of the Japan V.League Division 1 Star Conference. For her outstanding efficiency at the service line, Drews was awarded as the Regular Round Best Server.[29] The Final 8 round started with a bang for Drews as she topped all scorers against Hisamitsu Springs - 18 kills on 37 swings (48.6% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 2 service aces.[30] Drews came up with 24 points - 23 kills on 43 swings (53.5% hitting efficiency) and a service ace - in the match against Toyota Auto Body Queenseis.[31] JT proceeded to the semifinals after besting Premier no. 2 team Okayama Seagulls on 19 Jan.[32] Drews accounted for 31 kills on 54 swings (57.4% hitting efficiency) and 2 service aces for 33 points.[33]

In the semifinal match-up against Ageo Medics, Drews lead all scorers with 23 points mounted on 21 kills on 39 swings and 2 service aces. The win granted JT Marvelous a ticket to the finals.[34] In the final match against Okayama Seagulls, Drews lead all scorers after tallying 36 points - 33 kills on 67 swings (49.3% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 1 service ace.[35] Eventually, JT Marvelous emerged as the Champions of the 2019-20 Japan V.League Division 1 (V1). Drews culminated her season run with a 509-60-1018 attacking rate (50% hitting efficiency, 0.440 clip), 45 stuff blocks (0.50 blocks/set) and 32 service aces (0.36 aces/set). For her impressive performance throughout the tournament, Drews was merited as the Best Opposite and Most Valuable Player.[36]

Japan V.League Division 1 (2019-2020): Andrea Drews (JT Marvelous) - Statistics Summary
REGULAR ROUND
Match Date	Opponent	Result	Spiking					Blocking		Serving		TOTAL
			Spikes	Faults	Attempts	Success	Hit Pct	Blocks	B/S	Aces	A/S
19 Oct	Ageo Medics	3-2 (W)	29	0	57	50.9%	0.509	2	0.40	1	0.20	32
20 Oct	Toray Arrows	3-2 (W)	23	5	55	41.8%	0.327	4	0.80	2	0.40	29
26 Oct	PFU Bluecats	3-0 (W)	15	2	34	44.1%	0.382	1	0.33	1	0.33	17
02 Nov	Toray Arrows	2-3 (L)	26	6	71	36.6%	0.282	2	0.40	1	0.20	29
03 Nov	PFU Bluecats	3-1 (W)	29	3	49	59.2%	0.531	4	1.00	-	-	33
09 Nov	Ageo Medics	3-1 (W)	21	2	40	52.5%	0.475	3	0.75	2	0.50	26
10 Nov	Toyota Auto Body Queenseis	3-1 (W)	21	2	47	44.7%	0.404	2	0.50	3	0.75	26
16 Nov	Kurobe AquaFairies	3-0 (W)	8	1	18	44.4%	0.389	1	0.33	-	-	9
23 Nov	NEC Red Rockets	1-3 (L)	18	2	43	41.9%	0.372	-	-	-	-	18
24 Nov	Denso Airybees	3-1 (W)	24	3	47	51.1%	0.447	3	0.75	4	1.00	31
30 Nov	Okayama Seagulls	3-0 (W)	25	5	41	61.0%	0.488	1	0.33	2	0.67	28
01 Dec	Hisamitsu Springs	3-0 (W)	17	4	29	58.6%	0.448	-	-	1	0.33	18
07 Dec	Hitachi Rivale	3-0 (W)	9	2	27	33.3%	0.259	2	0.67	1	0.33	12
08 Dec	Victorina Himeji	3-0 (W)	15	2	27	55.6%	0.481	-	-	-	-	15
14 Dec	Toyota Auto Body Queenseis	3-0 (W)	18	2	30	60.0%	0.533	2	0.67	-	-	20
15 Dec	PFU Bluecats	3-0 (W)	18	3	30	60.0%	0.500	3	1.00	2	0.67	23
21 Dec	Ageo Medics	2-3 (L)	35	1	66	53.0%	0.515	1	0.20	1	0.20	37
22 Dec	Kurobe AquaFairies	3-0 (W)	8	0	17	47.1%	0.471	6	2.00	1	0.33	15
28 Dec	Toray Arrows	3-2 (W)	23	5	50	46.0%	0.360	4	0.80	2	0.40	29
SUBTOTAL PERFORMANCE			382	50	778	49.1%	0.427	41	0.57	24	0.33	447
FINAL 8
12 Jan	Hisamitsu Springs	3-1 (W)	18	2	37	48.6%	0.432	2	0.50	2	0.50	22
18 Jan	Toyota Auto Body Queenseis	0-3 (L)	23	0	43	53.5%	0.535	-	-	1	0.33	24
19 Jan	Okayama Seagulls	3-0 (W)	31	3	54	57.4%	0.519	-	-	2	0.67	33
SUBTOTAL PERFORMANCE			72	5	134	53.7%	0.500	2	0.20	5	0.50	79
SEMIFINALS
25 Jan	Ageo Medics	3-0 (W)	21	2	39	53.8%	0.487	-	-	2	0.67	23
FINALS
26 Jan	Okayama Seagulls	3-2 (W)	33	3	67	49.3%	0.448	2	0.40	1	0.20	36
OVERALL TOTAL PERFORMANCE			509	60	1018	50.0%	0.440	45	0.50	32	0.36	585

2020-2021: JT Marvelous (JPN)

V1. In March 2020, Drews was rumoured to play the 2020–2021 season in Brazil with the team Minas Tênis Clube.[37] In April 2020, JT Marvelous renewed Drews' contract for the 2020-2021 Japan V.League Division 1 (V1) and is set to defend its title after outbidding Minas for Drews' contract.[38] The decision to stay in Japan also came after USA head coach Karch Kiraly advised Drews to opt for the shorter and more organized league to give more time in preparation for Tokyo 2021.[39] Drews arrived in Japan on 22 September 2020.

On 17 October 2020, JT Marvelous won their first match of the season in the finals rematch against Okayama Seagulls. Drews lead all scorers in their straight-sets victory: 22-2-42 hitting (52.4% hitting efficiency) and 1 ace for 23 points.[11] The following day, 18 October 2020, Drews poured in 27 points in their triumph over comebacking Miyu Nagaoka's Hisamitsu Springs: 26-1-50 hitting (52.0% hitting efficiency) and 1 ace.[9] JT suffered their first loss in the hands of NEC Red Rockets in 4 sets as Drews recorded 27 points from 25-4-54 hitting (46.3% hitting efficiency), 1 block and 1 ace.[40] Drews was used sparingly in their 31 October 2020 match against Hitachi Rivale.[41] Drews scored 10 points in their win against Ageo Medics on 1 November 2020 from 9-0-18 hitting (50% hitting efficiency) and 1 block.[42] On 7 November 2020, Drews powered JT to a 5-set victory against Denso Airybees via 19-4-46 hitting (41.3% hitting efficiency) and 3 blocks.[43] The next day, Drews pounded in 26 points against Victorina Himeji: 25-3-46 hitting (53.2% hitting efficiency) and 1 block.[44] The following week, JT emerged against Kurobe AquaFairies behind Drews' 22 points: 21-4-44 hitting (47.7% hitting efficiency) and 1 block.[45] 21 November 2020 saw Drews and JT overpowering PFU Bluecats in straight sets as Drews scored 12 points from 10-1-18 hitting (55.6% hitting efficiency), 1 block and 1 ace.[46] On 28 November 2020, Drews showed might after scoring 16 points following 14-0-23 hitting (60.9% hitting efficiency), 1 block and 1 ace against Toyota Auto Body Queenseis.[47] For their last match of the first leg, JT Marvelous fought a highly-contested bout against league-leading Toray Arrows. Drews' 21 points from 20-1-46 hitting (43.5% hitting efficiency) and 1 block weren't enough to land JT to 1st at the end of the first round.[48]

JT finished off Foluke Akinradewo and Hisamitsu Springs in straight sets to open their 2nd leg campaign in the league led by Drews' 24 points: 23-2-42 hitting (54.8% hitting efficiency) and 1 ace.[49] The following day, JT obliterated Okayama Seagulls after Drews scored 21 points, all from 21-0-41 hitting (51.2% hitting efficiency). The match signified the last league game of the year.[50]

Japan V.League Division 1 (2020-2021): Andrea Drews (JT Marvelous) - Statistics Summary
REGULAR ROUND
Match Date	Opponent	Result	Spiking					Blocking		Serving		TOTAL
			Spikes	Faults	Attempts	Success	Hit Pct	Blocks	B/S	Aces	A/S
Oct-17	Okayama Seagulls	3-0 (W)	22	2	42	52.4%	0.476	-	-	1	0.33	23
Oct-18	Hisamitsu Springs	3-1 (W)	26	1	50	52.0%	0.500	-	-	1	0.25	27
Oct-24	NEC Red Rockets	1-3 (L)	25	4	54	46.3%	0.389	1	0.25	1	0.25	27
Oct-31	Hitachi Rivale	3-0 (W)	2	1	9	22.2%	0.111	-	-	-	-	2
Nov-01	Ageo Medics	3-0 (W)	9	0	18	50.0%	0.500	1	0.33	-	-	10
Nov-07	Denso Airybees	3-2 (W)	19	4	46	41.3%	0.326	3	0.60	-	-	22
Nov-08	Victorina Himeji	3-1 (W)	25	3	47	53.2%	0.468	1	0.25	-	-	26
Nov-15	Kurobe AquaFairies	3-1 (W)	21	4	44	47.7%	0.386	1	0.25	-	-	22
Nov-21	PFU Bluecats	3-0 (W)	10	1	18	55.6%	0.500	1	0.33	1	0.33	12
Nov-28	Toyota Autobody Queenseis	3-0 (W)	14	0	23	60.9%	0.609	1	0.33	1	0.33	16
Nov-29	Toray Arrows	1-3 (L)	20	1	46	43.5%	0.413	1	0.25	-	-	21
Dec-05	Hisamitsu Springs	3-0 (W)	23	2	42	54.8%	0.500	-	-	1	0.33	24
Dec-06	Okayama Seagulls	3-0 (W)	21	0	41	51.2%	0.512	-	-	-	-	21
SUBTOTAL PERFORMANCE			237	23	480	49.4%	0.446	10	0.22	6	0.13	253
OVERALL TOTAL PERFORMANCE			237	23	480	49.4%	0.446	10	0.22	6	0.13	253

Empress Cup. JT participated in the 2020 edition of the Empress Cup. On 12 December 2020, Drews lead all scorers to beat NEC Red Rockets in the quarterfinals. The following day, Drews scored 40 points on 36-2-71 attacking (50.7% hitting efficiency) and 4 blocks in their semifinals victory against Denso Airybees. On 19 December 2020, Drews and JT Marvelous won their first Empress Cup after emerging against Toray Arrows in a 3-set sweep. Drews amassed 32 points from 30-1-46 attacking (65.2% hitting efficiency), 1 block and 1 ace. Drews was hailed as the Most Valuable Player of the cup.

2017 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup

Drews entered the USA senior national volleyball team for the first time in 2017, having been handpicked by Karch Kiraly, widely regarded as one of the best coaches in professional volleyball, who returned as the head coach of the team that year after Rio Olympic Games in 2016. Kiraly brought Drews into Team USA's summer-long camp in Anaheim, California. When Drews joined the team, she was already behind many of the players who had been in the Team USA gym since May 1 as the Puerto Rican league playoffs went through mid-May. Drews debuted for the United States national team later that year. Used primarily as the opposite in the double-sub with just two match starts, Drews led Team USA in scoring in three (against Columbia, Mexico and Argentina) of its first five matches in its gold medal run at the 2017 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup in June.[51]

2017 USA Volleyball Cup

Drews led Team USA past fourth-ranked Brazil with a 21-point performance to open the 2017 USA Volleyball Cup in Anaheim on a Sunday evening. Drews powered down 16 kills on 38 swings against Brazil while adding four blocks and an ace over the course of the four sets, with final set a bonus set after the Americans won the first three sets 25–21, 25–14, 29–27. However, in the official three sets of the match, Drews was her most dominant having 14 kills on 26 attacks with just three errors to go with three blocks and an ace. And she was able to have such a break-out match on American soil with her family in the stands watching.[52]

“I think it has been awesome,” Drews said immediately after the Brazil match. “The longer I get into my career, the more moments like this will stand out when we do get to play on American soil and have our families here. USA has been awesome about having our families able to come to practice and they are here tonight.”

2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix

Kiraly left Drews in Anaheim for the first rounds of the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix. Drews took advantage of being one of only two opposites in the two- and three-hour sessions in the gym back in Orange County.[5]

“When you only have two (opposites), you’re getting a ton, a ton of touches,” Drews said. “There are some benefits to being in the home group when the team is traveling because you get so many reps. I think being so new to this system I really wanted to take advantage of those reps and see if I could get a lot better.”

The extra work paid off with a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix finals round. Although the U.S. did not win either of its Finals Round matches against Serbia and Italy, Drews came off the bench in both contests to provide a huge spark. Drews was the U.S.’ top scorer (16 points: 15 kills in 39 swings for a 38.46% hitting efficiency; and 1 ace)[53] in a 3–1 loss to Italy. She racked up with 10 points (10/26 for a 38.46% hitting efficiency) in USA's faltered comeback attempt from being down 2 sets to none against Serbia.[54] USA finished 5th at the final staging of the World Grand Prix, tied with Netherlands.

2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Grand Champions Cup

Drews returned for duty as she joined the U.S. team for the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Grand Champions Cup. She started at opposite for all matches and top-scored in 2 occasions - 22 points vs. Japan and 12 points vs. Brazil. In its win over Korea, 25–22, 25–20, 25–16, Drews contributed 11 points on eight kills, two blocks and an ace. She helped USA claim the bronze medal for the tournament.[55]

2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League

In 2018, Drews joined the U.S. team in the inaugural 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League where they eventually won gold against Turkey (25-17, 22–25, 28–26, 15–25, 7-15).

2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League

Drews at the 2019 Nations League

Drews returned for another round of duty for the U.S. team in the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League. During the preliminary rounds, she led the Best Attackers race with a 205-68-426 attacking card, good for 48.12% hitting efficiency. After advancing to the final round, Drews once again ranked first in the Best Attackers chart with a 69-18-132 attacking card, good for 52.27 hitting efficiency. She was the 2nd Best Scorer with 69 attacks, 4 blocks and 4 aces for 77 points, behind top scorer Liu Yanhan's (China) 79 points.

Annie Drews led Team USA with 23 points, including 21 kills on 41 attacks, one block and one ace against Poland in the finals pool play. Drews did not see action in the pool play match against Brazil to give way for Jordan Thompson. Drews scored 21 points in the semifinals against China to lead Team USA to victory. Drews had 16 kills on 31 swings, three aces and two blocks.[56]

In the Gold Medal Match, Drews was named Most Valuable Player after leading USA to victory, including a team-high 33 points against Brazil in the title match. Drews hit 32/59 and added one block. The comeback concluded in high drama in the fifth set with an unusual ending. Although Brazil earned the first two-point cushion of the tiebreaking fifth set at 3–1, Team USA bounced back to take its first lead of the set at 5–4 with two Robinson kills after a Brazil service error. The Americans extended the advantage to three at 8–5 with a Drews kill, Robinson ace and Larson kill. Brazil closed to one at 10–9. Team USA went up 13–10 with kills from Drews and Haleigh Washington. Brazil saved two match points at 14–13. In a bold move, Coach Karch Kiraly called for a video challenge for net touch during the middle of match point and Team USA won the points as the video clearly showed Brazil touching the net antenna.[57] After the win, Kiraly did not spare kind words for the tournament MVP Andrea Drews after the match

“Wow, Annie. I don’t know how many points she had, but she was huge. Everyone was huge. What a great team win, fall down 2-0 against one of the greatest teams in the world, Brazil. Jordan Larson came in and gave us a great lift, Tori Dixon also. It was a total team win, 14-person plus here, all the other people in our program including the 14 battling in Peru. Total team effort. So much to be proud of. We got better as the match went along. We improved our blocking lineups, had a nice passing lineup in there. Lauren Carlini doing a really nice job of running our offense and distributing.”

2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament

On 2–4 August, Drews competed with USA in the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualifications Tournament (IOQT) in CenturyLink Center, Shreveport-Bossier City, United States. After matches against Kazakhstan (3-0), Bulgaria (3-2) and Argentina (3-0), USA qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. As a result of their second-place finish in the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, USA's FIVB World Rankings points lead them to become the 2nd best team in the world as of October 2019. This puts them at Pool B during the Olympic Games in 2020.[58]

2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup

Drews and USA at the 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup

Drews was lined-up for another round of NT duties at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup in Japan from September 14–29. Drews started at opposite for most of the time but also shared lineups with Karsta Lowe. In their first match against Kenya, Drews hit 12 attacks on 22 swings (54.45% hitting efficiency) and added 2 aces to top-score at 14 points.[59] Drews hit 10 attacks on 23 swings (43.47% hitting efficiency), had a stuff block and an ace in their 3–0 win against the Netherlands.[60] USA bagged another impressive straight sets victory against Brazil with Drews having 12 attacks on 27 swings (44.44% hitting efficiency) and 2 stuff blocks for 14 points.[61] In their 3-set loss against eventual gold medalists China, Drews, used sparingly, contributed 6 kills on 12 swings (50% hitting efficiency).[62] In their bounce-back win against Dominican Republic, Drews posted an impressive 23 points in 3 sets mounted from 18 attacks on 29 swings (62.07% hitting efficiency), 3 stuff blocks and 2 aces.[63] USA gutted out a 5-set outing against Russia anchored on Drew's 20 attacks on 46 swings (43.48% hitting efficiency), 1 stuff block and 1 ace.[64]

In their final match of the tournament vs. South Korea, Drews gave out an impressive 20 attacks on 41 swings (48.78% hitting efficiency), 2 stuff blocks and 2 aces for 24 points.[65] South Korea women's national volleyball team head coach, Stefano Lavarini, gave praise to Drews' performance in the post-match interview saying:

"We couldn’t put pressure on their service and the United States in the first two sets, but especially the second, played really strong and their attackers were almost unstoppable, most especially their incredible opposite Andrew Drews. You got Boskovic and Egonu and now I think she's the one to watch."[66]

Drews was the league's 17th Best Scorer (105 attacks, 9 blocks, and 9 aces) and 3rd Best Attacker (105-29-225 for a 46.67% hitting efficiency). Her performance merited the team and her a silver medal finish and a Best Opposite award.

2019 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Championship

For the final round of 2019 national team duty, Drews was lined-up for the 2019 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Continental Championship held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from 8–13 October. Drews was inserted as a starter during the second and third set of their pool play match against Mexico. USA eventually won the match in straight sets as she added eight kills on 14 swings and a block for nine points.[67] During the finals, Drews came in as a substitute on the second set for teammate Karsta Lowe in the opposite position. She totalled 12 kills on 33 attacks (35.94% hitting efficiency) and chipped in 6 digs. USA eventually settled for silver for the tournament.[68]

2019 USA Volleyball Awards

After a breakout year with the USA WNVT, Drews was selected as the 2019 USA Volleyball Female Indoor Player of the Year. She sparked the U.S. Women's National Team to three tournament podium finishes (one gold, two silvers) in events she competed during 2019, all while being selected to two FIVB tournament dream teams. Drews tallied a Team USA-high 388 points in 2019 with a 4.56 scoring average per set, second most among players with at least one start. For the season, Drews started 23 matches and played in 85 sets compiling 3.94 kills, 0.35 blocks and 0.27 aces per set. She converted 46.3 percent of her attacks into points with a .317 hitting efficiency. Her defense improved throughout 2019 with 107 digs for a 1.26 dig average.

“I am beyond grateful to represent USA Volleyball and for all of the opportunities I got to experience in 2019 with our team,” Drews said. “We have so many talented players and impactful women in our program and I’m just honored to continue to learn and grow alongside some of the best. Thank you to our team and staff for all of the work put in to make 2019 a successful year for USA Volleyball.”

Drews claimed the most valuable player honor at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and was selected as Best Opposite on the 2019 FIVB World Cup Dream Team. She averaged 4.70 points per set during the VNL, starting 12 of the 19 matches. She held a .315 hitting efficiency while converting 47.6 percent of her attacks into points. She averaged 4.08 kills, 0.34 blocks and 0.28 aces per set during the VNL. Drews started nine of the 11 World Cup matches and converted 45.3 percent of her attacks into points with a .324 hitting efficiency. She averaged 3.92 kills, 0.38 blocks and 0.31 aces per set for a 4.62 scoring average.[69]

Clubs

• Indias de Mayagüez (2016)
• Criollas de Caguaso (2017)
• SAB Volley Legnano (2017–2018)
• Pomi Casalmaggiore (2018)
• Kameroglu Beylikdüzü Voleybol Ihtisas (2018–2019)
• JT Marvelous (2019–)

Awards

United States National Team

• 2017 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup
• 2017 USA Volleyball Cup
• 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Grand Champions Cup
• 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League
• 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League
• 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualifications Tournament (IOQT) - Qualified
• 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup
• 2019 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Continental Championship

Individuals

• 2012 BIG 10 All-Freshman Team
• 2014 Honorable Mention AVCA All-American
• 2015 AVCA Second-Team All-American
• 2016 Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino - "Best Opposite"
• 2017 Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino - "Best Opposite"
• 2017 Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino - "Most Valuable Player"
• 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League – "Most Valuable Player"
• 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup – "Best Opposite"
• 2019 USA Volleyball - "Female Indoor Player of the Year"
• 2019-2020 Japan Division 1 V.League (V1) - "Best Server"
• 2019-2020 Japan Division 1 V.League (V1) - "Best Opposite"
• 2019-2020 Japan Division 1 V.League (V1) - "Most Valuable Player"
• 2020 Empress's Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship - "Most Valuable Player"

National Championships

• Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino
  • 2015-2016 Runner-Up, with Indias de Mayagüez
  • 2016-2017 Champion, with Criollas de Caguaso
• Japan Division 1 V.League (V1)
  • 2019-2020 Star Conference Champion, with JT Marvelous
  • 2019-2020 Final Stage Champion, with JT Marvelous
• Empress's Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship
  • 2020 Champion, with JT Marvelous

Notable Recognitions

On 7 April 2020, Fédération Internationale de Volleyball recognized Drews as the FIVB Player of the Week following a series of features of the world's elite volleyball players. She followed week 1 awardee Yuji Nishida.[70]

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See also