Dani Drews' Season-High 31 Kills Leads Utah Volleyball To Comeback Win
Entering her senior season, there was a lot of talk and speculation that it could be a special one for Dani Drews.
The former All-American saw Utah's season come to an end in the Round of 16 last year to Pac-12 rival Stanford. But with Drews returning alongside fellow All-Americans Kenzie Koerber and Saige Ka'aha'aina Torres, the Utes have their eyes set on a Pac-12 and national title.
Utah Volleyball — Courtesy of Utah Athletics
While the Utes have been perfect up to Friday's contest with Arizona State, Drews has been ramping up her game. While her total kills may not be strikingly impressive (and it's in large part because the Utes have lost only one set all season long), she's become much more efficient at the net and it's showed through total dominance.
But Friday's performance against the Sun Devils proved that when in the biggest moments and when her teams needs her most, Drews rises to the occasion.
After falling behind 2-1 through three sets and with their backs against the wall for the first time all season, Drews and Utah rallied to win the fourth and fifth sets and stay perfect on the year following their five-set victory (25-8, 21-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8) over Arizona State.
Drews led the way with a season-high 31 kills (her fourth 30-kill performance of her career) and 15 digs. But most impressively is that she hit .354 with just eight errors in 65 attacks in the match, showcasing that elite efficiency that could have her in the running for Pac-12 and national player of the year.
Koerber struggled on the offensive end but more than made up for it defensively with a team-high 19 digs. Zoe Weatherington thrived on the outside for the Utes with Koerber's struggles, finishing with 12 kills.
Ka'aha'aina-Torres finished with a season-high 51 assists as Utah's set offense was particularly impressive. The Utes finished with 64 assists among their 67 kills, significantly outpacing Arizona State in nearly every offensive category.
Utah came out on fire in the opening set, thoroughly dominating from start to finish in their most lopsided set-victory of the season.
But the second and third sets proved troublesome as the Utes, who led for much of the sets, couldn't find a way to finish them out in the end. The Sun Devils went on mini runs in the end of both sets to get the win.
The fourth set proved to be the most exciting as the Utes found themselves leading 16-15 before Drews came to life serving. She led Utah on an 8-1 run that proved to be huge, not just for the victory but the momentum gained.
Weatherington came to life in the final set, recording six kills for the Utes as Utah took an early lead and never looked back.
Both teams will meet against on Sunday with first serve set for 1 p.m.
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