NANJING, China – Purdue volleyball alumna Annie Drews hammered 32 kills to help the U.S. Women's National Team defend its FIVB Volleyball Nations League title with a comeback for the ages. Team USA rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Brazil 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21,15-13 in Sunday's gold-medal match in Nanjing, China. In the process, the U.S. women claimed the $1 million top prize.
"Wow, Annie," U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. "I don't know how many points she had, but she was huge. Everyone was huge."
Drews, named the VNL most valuable player, delivered 32 kills on 59 swings to go with a block for her 33 points. The USA opposite also scored a set-best five points in the deciding fifth set.
2019 #VNLWomen MVP: Annie Drews ????.
— Volleyball World (@FIVBVolleyball) July 7, 2019
Her numbers in the Final Round: 33 pts vs Brazil ???? in the final, 21 vs China ???? in the semi-final, 23 vs Poland ????! She is the #1 spiker of the 2019 #VNL & also one of the top scorers! #BePartOfTheGame #volleyball @usavolleyball pic.twitter.com/rvys9CzNd5
"I thought we did a real nice job coming back," Drews said. "I think at the beginning we were a little too focused on assignments, maybe where to be or what they would do. But as the match went on, I thought we did a great job of adjusting, reading and just getting scrappier, staying engaged in the long rallies, and it paid off. Super proud of this group, super proud of all the people who were part of the seven weeks of VNL."
Congrats to @annie_drews on selection as @FIVBVolleyball #VNL #MVP! @Hales__Yeah named Best Blocker and Megan Courtney selected Best Libero! @TeamUSA finishes Volleyball Nations League with gold and 16-3 record. pic.twitter.com/8cvv6NIulp
— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) July 7, 2019
Brazil, which trailed 10-6 early in the opening set, broke a 20-all tie by scoring the final five points. Brazil rallied from a 21-19 deficit in the second set with a 6-1 run to win 25-22. The U.S. built an early 15-10 advantage in the third set, then scored eight of the final 10 points of the set for a 25-15 victory. Trailing 15-13, the U.S. used a 6-0 run to establish a 19-15 advantage and went on to win 25-21 to force the deciding fifth set.
Overall, the U.S. dominated on offense with a 73-58 advantage in kills. Brazil held a 15-11 margin in block, but the Americans earned an 8-6 advantage over the course of the final three sets. Brazil had a slim 3-2 edge in aces. Team USA limited their errors to 23 for the match to the Brazilians' 21.
The U.S., ranked No. 3 in the world, finished the 2019 VNL campaign with nine consecutive victories and a 16-3 record. The Americans had defeated Brazil in the Finals Round pool group after losing at home to the South Americans in the preliminary phase. Team USA defeated Turkey last year in the championship match.
FIVB Volleyball Nations League Results
May 21: USA def. Belgium 25-23, 25-8, 25-22
May 22: USA def. Japan 25-21, 24-26, 25-21, 25-20
May 23: USA def. Bulgaria 25-20, 25-16, 25-21
May 28: USA def. Serbia 23-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-21
May 29: USA def. Italy 25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-11
May 30: USA lost to Dominican Republic 25-10, 16-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-11
June 4: USA def. Korea 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-18
June 5: USA def Germany 25-18, 25-22, 25-18
June 6: USA lost to Brazil 25-19, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20
June 11: USA lost to Turkey 25-15, 25-17, 27-25
June 12: USA def. Poland 21-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-11
June 13: USA def. China 25-17, 25-22, 25-21
June 18: USA def. Russia 25-23, 25-17, 25-18
June 19: USA def. Netherlands 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 28-26, 15-9
June 20: USA def. Thailand 25-13, 25-20, 25-17
FIVB Volleyball Nations League Finals Round - at Nanjing, China
July 3: USA def. Poland 21-25, 25-16, 25-15, 26-24
July 3: Turkey def. China 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22
July 4: Brazil def. Poland 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 15-10
July 4: Turkey def. Italy 25-21, 25-15, 25-21
July 5: USA def. Brazil 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21
July 5: China def. Italy 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22
July 6: Brazil def. Turkey 25-23, 25-15, 25-10
July 6: USA def. China 25-11, 15-25, 25-17, 25-20
July 7: China def. Turkey 25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 25-21
July 7: USA def. Brazil 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 15-13
GOLD! #USAVwnt rallies from 2 sets down to defeat #Brazil 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 15-13 to win @FIVBVolleyball #VNL gold-medal and $1 million top prize. @annie_drews leads @teamusa with 33 pts, 5 in the tiebreaker! Congrats! pic.twitter.com/Y5GQmw4nwQ
— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) July 7, 2019
GOLDEN AGAIN: #USAVwnt wins the FIVB Volleyball Nations League and $1 million top prize, rallying past Brazil 3-2 as Annie Drews scored 33 points in the final and was named MVP.
— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) July 7, 2019
Recap | https://t.co/BEllW8OJqD pic.twitter.com/6CnMNB6LRD