'Our season is not ending here': Drews, Doehrmann rally No. 17 Utes by Illinois in five-set NCAA tourney opener

PROVO — In a match that Utah volleyball coach Beth Launiere called “indicative of our season,” the 17th-ranked Utes found a way to hold off national power Illinois in the first round of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament.

With all due respect to the reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, credit goes to veteran outside hitter Dani Drews and libero Brianna Doehrmann — two all-timers in their own right.

Drews poured in a program record of 27 kills to go along with six digs and four blocks, and Kenzie Koerber and Zoe Weatherington each added 13 kills to help the No. 17-ranked Utes rally for a 25-23, 24-26, 25-27, 25-23, 15-10 win over Illinois in the Smith Fieldhouse.

“Bri told us in that fifth set, ‘our season is not ending here.’ And I think after that, we just went into business mode,” said Drews, a junior from nearby Brighton High who set a single-game record for kills. “We put ourselves in that position enough this past season, and we were able to trust in our training. We all felt so confident in our training, and were able to do whatever it took to play to win — versus playing not to lose.”

Doehrmann became Utah’s all-time leader in digs with 21 on the night, and Berkley Oblad added 10 kills and six blocks for the Utes (23-9). Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres dished out an eye-popping 57 assists to go along with 11 digs and four blocks for Utah, becoming the program's record holder for assists in a season.

Utah held on for a 25-23 win in the first set, but the Illini (16-14) fought back in the next two sets. After leading by as many as five points early in the second set, Illinois rallied with three straight points to take a 26-24 win and tie up the match, 1-1.

The Utes performed a similar feat in the third set. Drews’ kill gave Utah a 24-22 advantage — but a service error gave the serve back to the Illini and Quade led a 5-1 run to take a 2-1 advantage with the 27-25 win.

Frustrating? You betcha. But Utah never panicked for long enough to fall behind for good, despite what Drews called several “mental errors” that let Illinois back into the match.

“At one point, everyone was reacting (to errors) like they were the end of the world,” Drews said. “But it happens in volleyball — errors are a part of the game. We got back to the frame of mind to move on, and focused on what we can control.”

The Utes refused to let that get into their heads.

“We knew that it was not going to be an easy first round,” Doehrmann said. “We were excited for that; we wanted a game that would prepare us for the tournament. I was confident that we were ready to get that first set … and the vibe of the team was really amazing going into that set.”

But the Utes came back in the fourth set, taking a 23-22 lead on Drews’ match-high 22nd kill and — finally, this time — finishing the job through Oblad’s block and a redirected Illini swing, 25-23.

Drews soared over the net to give the Utes an 8-5 lead midway through the decisive fifth set, and the Illini never led in the fifth.

“We’ve had a lot of five-setters this year, and I felt this team stayed confident, even when we were in a bit of trouble for a while,” Launiere said. “But we really kept battling, and that’s what the Dance is all about right there.

“There were big plays being made all over the place, and that’s what you would expect in the NCAA tournament.”

The Utes will face in-state rival No. 13 BYU in the Provo subregional final Saturday at 7 p.m. MST. The match will be broadcast on BYUtv.

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