Andrea Drews

American professional volleyball player and outside hitter who won Olympic gold with Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and plays internationally.

The United States women's volleyball team had not won an Olympic gold medal when the Tokyo 2020 Games opened. Andrea Carrie Drews — whose mother Cheryl had played collegiate volleyball — was one of the outside hitters at the center of the team that changed that, delivering America's first Olympic gold in the event. Drews grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, and developed her game at Purdue University from 2016 to 2019, becoming one of the nation's premier opposite hitters before turning professional in European leagues, including stints in Turkey and Italy. Her combination of attacking power and serving efficiency quickly made her indispensable to the United States national team. Her breakthrough on the world stage came through the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, where her back-row scoring and clutch serving established her as one of the elite opposite hitters in the game. The Tokyo gold — the first Olympic title for the American women's program — was the defining moment of that career arc. Drews is among the most recognizable American volleyball players of her generation, part of a group who elevated the domestic and international profile of the women's program during its most successful stretch in Olympic history.

Powerful outside hitter known for attacking and serving

Drews was part of the historic U.S. women's volleyball team that ended a 32-year Olympic gold medal drought, helping elevate the profile of American women's volleyball.

• Olympic Gold Medal (2020)
• FIVB Volleyball Nations League (2018, 2019)