Former Penn, Purdue volleyball star Annie Drews chasing Olympic gold again in Paris

Annie Drews has helped make plenty of history on the volleyball court throughout her prolific career.

Now the former Penn High School and Purdue University star is hoping that some of that history repeats itself.

Drews, a 6-4 opposite hitter, is focused on trying to help Team USA claim its second straight gold medal in the Paris Olympics. The American squad opens play Monday versus China in pool play. The gold medal match is set for Sunday, Aug. 11.

More: Annie Drews leads U.S. women’s volleyball to first-ever gold medal

Drews, an Elkhart, Ind. native, helped lead Team USA to its first-ever gold three years ago in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) as the first player from Indiana to make the Olympic team. She was a member of Penn's first state championship team back in 2010 and then added a second state title her senior season in 2011.

Drews, one of eight players returning for Team USA from its gold medal squad, has been a member of the U.S. National Team since 2017.

"A thought I keep having is how immensely grateful I am to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and for some reason, I get to do it twice," said Drews via email from her home in California about making the Olympic team again. "To wear the flag on my jersey is one of the great honors of my life, and even more so with how rapidly volleyball and women’s sports are growing in the US. It’s a special time."

Drews, who will turn 31 on Christmas Day, admits there is pressure playing on this stage.

"There’s inevitably some pressure, it’s the Olympic Games," Drews said. "I think each athlete there feels great responsibility and wants to perform their best. We have had a challenging few years since the games, riddled with injury and role changes amongst our team, and some disappointing losses. Truly our focus has been to just extract the very most we can out of what we have right now and not fixate too much on our prior success.

"We have a lot of depth and don’t rely on one player to win matches. On any night, we have five or six attackers who could be the standout, which is a huge asset for us and a lot for our opponents to scout."

More: Annie Drews' journey from Elkhart County to Tokyo Olympics and volleyball gold

Drews, whose parents Mike and Carrie were both teachers, will have plenty of support back home.

"I'm just really happy for Annie," said Purdue coach Dave Shondell. "She's still doing amazing things and it's just so much fun to watch her play."

"It's a big deal and something we take great pride in that Annie played in our program here at Purdue. We love to see all of our former players have success and if Annie is playing then I'm watching."

Shondell, who has been the Purdue coach for the past 22 years, has known Annie since her birth in Muncie. Shondell attended Ball State University with her parents. Annie's father Mike had a very successful tenure as the boys basketball coach at Elkhart Central High School.

"Annie's arm is bionic," said Shondell of the powerful lefty. "It's one of the best in the World. She can just hammer the ball."

Drews stepped into the spotlight three years ago for her team after starter Jordan Thompson suffered an ankle injury during the Olympics. She led her team in points in its final four wins in the Olympics, including having 15 points and 14 kills in the 3-0 win over Brazil in the gold medal match.

"Jordan Thompson and I have been the “1-2 punch” for USA volleyball for years now," Drews remarked. "Neither of us has a consistent role for very long, but our power combined is a huge asset for us. I think we have a nice balance in supporting each other while still challenging each other and fighting for the starting spot.

"I feel more comfortable in the sense that we’ve been before and been successful. A lot of questions I had going into Tokyo are now answered, and I know we are capable of winning. But nothing about the Olympics is necessarily comfortable. Its so special and stressful and magical all at once. I don’t imagine you ever really get used to it. "

"I think physically I felt more comfortable five years ago, with less nagging pains or overall fatigue. As an opposite hitter, I’ve spent the last 10 years as a heavy-armed hitter, exhorting a lot of force on nearly all of my movements on the court. So that’s starting to catch up to me. However, I trust my eyes a lot more and have learned to be a bit more savvy as I’ve gotten older, which is a nice tradeoff."

Drews, who led Penn to a 77-2 record in her two seasons there, has another avid supporter back home in former Penn coach Lisa Pawlik. Pawlik won 871 matches in 22 seasons at Penn, including from 1994-2010 and 2018-2022.

"I'm just super excited for Annie," said Pawlik. "She came back to Penn in 2021 after winning the gold and talked to our team then. That time was just so special. We're just so proud of her and that she is still part of the long line of sisterhood that is Penn volleyball.

"Annie made herself into an Olympian with her hard work, love of the game and dedication to it. She was totally bought in when I coached her and she was a sponge. She soaked in everything and was willing to put in the time and work to get better.

"She knows that we are always here for her. I will be watching every minute of her in the Olympics again this time just like in 2021."

Drews, who was an All-American at Purdue, is thankful for her Hoosier ties.

"Definitely, I feel the support from everyone back home," said Drews, who has played pro volleyball in Puerto Rico, Italy, Turkey and Japan. "I reside in California now, which is where our team trains. But I am grateful to have attended great schools with elite volleyball programs and represent our state in this capacity."

Drews, who was married to Tanner Schumacher shortly after winning gold in 2021, has been focused mainly on her health prior to heading to Paris.

"I incurred a small injury in May that definitely scared me and had me away from the court for 2-3 weeks," explained Drews. "I am fully healthy now, but my priorities have been simply to stay healthy and get as strong as possible. I’m at the gym for about six hours each day, and beyond that my day is usually filled with a nap, watching video, and some active recovery, like a swim or walk or stretch before bedtime around 9:30. It really is all-encompassing this close to crunch time."

Drews, who led her team in its final exhibition match on July 14, says it's all about the present now. She knows the road to another gold will take a huge effort from her team.

"To be determined!," concluded Drews on what it will take to win gold again. "I think that’s what every country in the world is working relentlessly to figure out. The only plan I have right now is to stay present and trust my gut."

Team USA Olympic Volleyball Schedule

All times are EDT (South Bend time)

MONDAY, July 29

11 a.m.: USA vs. China (Pool A preliminaries)

WEDNESDAY, July 31

11 a.m.: USA vs. Serbia (Pool A preliminaries)

SUNDAY, Aug. 4

7 a.m.: France vs. USA (Pool A preliminaries)

TUESDAY, Aug. 6

Quarterfinals: 3 a.m., 7 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

THURSDAY, Aug. 8

Semifinals: 10 a.m. And 2 p.m.

SATURDAY, Aug. 10

Bronze medal match: 11:15 a.m.

SUNDAY, Aug. 11

Gold medal match: 7 a.m.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Former Penn, Purdue volleyball star Annie Drews chasing Olympic gold again in Paris