Annie Drews performed like a girl possessed.
And now her USA workforce — which gold within the Tokyo 2021 Olympics — possesses a spot within the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Individuals misplaced the primary set Sunday, then Drews entered the match, the they stormed to a 24-26, 25-21, 25-9, 25-16 victory in Lodz, Poland, within the Street to Paris Volleyball Qualifier.
Drews had 27 kills because the high-flying left-handed reverse demolished Germany virtually single-handedly within the final three units. She had 11 kills within the second set alone and had solely two errors — each coming late — in her 46 assaults. She additionally had 10 digs.
The victory left the USA 6-1 within the seven-match match and assured one of many two spots on this portion of the match.
“Annie coming off the bench was precisely what we would have liked,” mentioned USA veteran Jordan Larson. “We prepare for this and she or he confirmed up and did her job! So pleased with her.”
Drews additionally was a spectacular sub within the Tokyo Olympics, coming in when Jordan Thompson was injured.
“My focus coming into tonight was to only be the place my toes have been and fill in gaps as wanted,” Drews mentioned. “We generally discuss how we need to really feel after a match is over. We are able to we actually say we’ve nothing left within the tank or completed with no regrets. In order that was at the back of my thoughts tonight, enjoying in a method the place I wouldn’t remorse something!”
Larson had 11 kills, two blocks and 16 digs. The opposite exterior, Kelsey Prepare dinner, had 12 kills, an ace and 11 digs.
The Individuals have been coming off their solely loss, 27-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-16 Saturday to Poland when a victory would have possible clinched an Olympic berth then.
“Tremendous pleased with our workforce for coming again after a troublesome loss yesterday,” Larson mentioned. “Credit score for Germany popping out robust within the first set, however pleased with how we battled and completed robust.”
“I’m extremely proud and impressed with this group,” USA coach Karch Kiraly mentioned. “We had a extremely disappointong match towards Poland, particularly within the third set, the place I believe we had a 15-10 lead after which one thing like a 22-19 lead. However we made 11 unforced errors. I believe we served out 5 instances, hit out a number of, had a few setting errors, a few receptions aces, a block into the online or two, and it’s arduous to beat a extremely good workforce on their residence court docket once we make that many errors. And so they made us pay for it.
“Additionally they made us dig a little bit deeper right now. And Germany got here out robust and at us arduous. That was actually good for us. We misplaced the primary and I assume that’s a part of the tempering course of. We discuss tempering metal.
“This was actually a harder Olympic qualifiying match than the one we performed 4 years in the past in Shreveport (Louisiana), which was simply Friday night time, Saturday night time and Sunday afternoon. Three matches in lower than 48 hours. This was seven matches in 9 days.
“Our entire plan all season was to organize anybody in a uniform to have the ability to play each minute of each a kind of matches. No person truly wanted to do this, however all people was ready to do this. So I liked the response that this workforce formulated after dropping to Poland and after dropping the primary sport towards Germany.”
Chiaka Ogbogu had 5 kills, 5 blocks and an ace and Thompson had 5 kills. Dana Rettke had seven kills, a block and an ace and Ali Frantti had a kill in her solely try, a late back-row assault it the fourth set. Setter Lauren Carlini had a kill and 12 digs and libero Justine Wong-Orantes has 23 digs.
“A number of us consider we’re simply scratching the floor by way of what this workforce can do and attain and that leaves us actually excited once we get to spend extra time as a bunch making ready for one thing like VNL subsequent 12 months and the Paris Olympics themselves.”
Germany’s Lina Alsmeier had 15 kills and Kimberly Drewniok had 9.
Later in Pool C, Poland was to play Italy with the winner getting the second spot.
In Pool A, performed in Beijing, the Dominican Republic and Serbia bought the 2 Olympic spots.
In Pool B, performed in Tokyo, Türkiye and Brazil — which beat Japan for the spot — bought the berths.
There are actually six groups plus host France certified for the 12-team Olympic subject. The opposite 5 will likely be chosen in June based mostly on rankings and which federations haven’t but certified.
“I’m so pleased with the ladies for qualifying for the Paris video games and heading to defend their title,” USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis texted from Poland. “All the program pulled collectively, together with gamers on and off the court docket, in addition to the whole workers to win in a really powerful match towards among the greatest groups on this planet.
“Grit, dedication and coronary heart! Go USA!”
