Utah volleyball’s first Pac-12 Player of the Year is Dani Drews
SALT LAKE CITY (BVM) – Senior outside hitter Dani Drews has become the University of Utah’s first volleyball student-athlete to be named Pac-12 Player of the Year, the conference announced this week.
Drews led the Utes in kills in every single match and led the Pac-12 in kills per set with 5.14 during her dominant senior campaign. Named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week twice, Drews totaled 324 kills in 17 matches with seven 20-kill matches and two with 30 kills.
“For Dani to earn this award during this unique season is a testament to her as an athlete and a person,” Utah head coach Beth Launiere said in a press release. “She handled adversity well and continued to perform at a high level week after week. We’re proud of Dani and it is a great honor to our program to have a Pac-12 Player of the Year.”
Drews, who was also named to the All-Pac-12 Team for the third consecutive year, wasn’t the only Ute to earn all-conference recognition.
Fellow senior Kenzie Koerber was named to the All-Pac-12 Team for the second time while Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres and Madelyn Robinson were both named All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
“I’m so pleased for all four of our players to be honored as All-Conference by the Pac-12,” Launiere said in the press release. “Dani led the Pac-12 in kills during the season from start to finish and does so much for us in every aspect of the game and on our team.
“Kenzie is one of the top all-around players in the conference and is recognized for this by the Pac-12 coaches. Saige finished the year as the leader in the Pac-12 in assists per set and was top ten in digs per set, the only setter to do this in the conference. She is definitely one of the top setters in the Pac-12. Madi (Robinson) came into our program and added great value from the start and I’m so happy that the Pac-12 coaches recognized her significance to our team.”
The Utes finished 13-4 overall on the season and third in the Pac-12 which earned them a No. 14 seed and first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament. Utah will play the winner of Pittsburgh and Long Island on Thursday, April 15 at 8:30 p.m. MT in Omaha, Neb.
