Dani Drews Continues To Shine For Utah Volleyball
After everything she accomplished last season, it's extremely difficult to imagine Dani Drews being even better this season after everything her and the Utes — as well as the rest of the country — have been through.
Many believed that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to severely hinder athletes in their progression as they were unable to practice and train as much as they normally would do.
Yet somehow, Utah's senior outside hitter has found a way to beat those odds.
Following her weekend performance when she finished with 51 kills and 23 digs in leading Utah to another sweep, Drews has been named the Pac-12 player of the week for the second time this season.
Her junior season was historic as she was named a first-team All-American last year, the second year in a row she received All-American honors (first time being first-team). It's only the second time in program history that a Ute garnered first team honors.
Drews set the Utah single-season record with 643 kills, being named the Pacific South Region Player of the Year. She set a program record with 33 kills against USC, all while finishing third in the Pac-12 with 4.76 kills per set. She also added 278 total digs, finishing with 2.03 digs per set.
Yet somehow throughout all of this, Drews has been significantly better her senior season.
She's averaging 5.29 kills and 2.81 digs per set, numbers significantly higher than last year that not only put her en route to being named another first team all-American, but in contention for national player of the year.
"We couldn't be more proud of Dani," Utah head coach Beth Launiere said last season. "Becoming a two-time All-American and garnering first-team honors this year is an amazing honor for her and our program. Dani worked hard this past year to improve every aspect of her game and has become one of the top all-around players in the country."
Arizona's Kamaile Hiapo was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week while Washington's Madi Endsley earned Conference Freshman of the Week honors.
Utah, who is currently 6-0 on the season and ranked No. 7 in the nation, their highest ranking ever, hosts USC on Friday and Sunday. First serve is set for 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by a noon game time on Sunday.
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