Drawe Ready for One Last Go Round

Kaitlyn Drawe
Drawe, Oklahoma's lone senior, becomes just the seventh player in program history to reach the NCAA Tournament in each year of her career. A setter by trade, she has adapted to the role of defensive specialist and has become a reliable fixture on the Sooner back row.

The Drawe File
Position	Setter/DS
Year	Senior
Height	5-8
Hometown	Lee's Summit, Mo.
High School	Lee's Summit West
Major	Multidisciplinary Studies

Two setters, one outside hitter and one middle blocker. Late in the summer of 2011, a few short weeks before the start of the fall semester, four freshmen worked through their first preseason with the University of Oklahoma volleyball team. Nearly four full seasons later, Kaitlyn Drawe was the only player to walk out to mid-court after a four-set win over Kansas State in the regular season home finale and be celebrated by the home crowd for what has been a successful career wearing the crimson and cream.

As Oklahoma enters the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season and eighth time in the last nine, Drawe becomes only the seventh player in program history to reach the NCAA Tournament in all four years of her career. She's been a success in the classroom, an All-Big 12 Academic First Team member this year, and a leader in the locker room and in the gym. However, her role within the lines on the court when the lights are bright and the seats full has been a carefully traversed, sometimes winding, but seemingly always steady climb.

A product of Lee's Summit West, Drawe grew up around the sport. She played for her mother Amy, who played in a national championship match at Central Missouri, at the club level for KC Extreme. A setter her whole career, Drawe wound up at OU along with fellow setter Caroline Weir, outside hitter Tara Dunn and middle blocker Grace Whitley for the start of the 2011 season.

Whitley, who knew of Drawe through competing in the Kansas City area, was immediately drawn to her new teammate.

“We roomed next to each other as freshman and moved in together as sophomores,” recalled Whitley, who retired from volleyball due to an injury in 2012. “[Kaitlyn] just had this goofy outlook and personality that I liked right away.”

Despite playing in just seven sets as a freshman, Drawe began to develop a unique relationship with head coach Santiago Restrepo, one that both can agree has been best described by Drawe's father Ken as, “a hate-love relationship.”

We love each other to death, but we hate each other sometimes. I think her greatest quality is that she is a competitor.
Santiago Restrepo

“It's been that way since my freshman year,” admitted Drawe. “I think it's been a little more love this year because it's my senior year, but I would definitely say it has been a love-hate relationship. He knows he can joke around with me and I can joke around with him and it's not a big deal what we say and what we don't say.”

“We love each other to death, but we hate each other sometimes,” Restrepo responded. “I think her greatest quality is that she is a competitor.”

Drawe has shown her competitive toughness all throughout her four seasons at both setter and defensive specialist. She runs the second team offense, while also competing for rotations on the back row at defensive specialist with the first team.

In her final season of high school volleyball, Drawe dished out 462 assists, earned All-State Second Team honors in Missouri and reached the state title match. Upon arriving at OU, she was immediately competing with Weir for touches as the understudy to veteran setter Brianne Barker.

Drawe waited two seasons before getting the opportunity to set and run the Oklahoma offense on a semi-consistent basis. At the start of her junior season in 2013, she came off the bench in six straight matches to serve as the setter during non-conference play. Over that stretch, she averaged 4.43 assists per set and collected a career-best 24 in a three-set win over Alabama A&M. However, at the start of Big 12 play, the setting duties fell solely to Julia Doyle.

“It's unfortunate [for Kaitlyn] that we have such a great setter and she is not able to be in there to set and do her job,” claimed Restrepo. “When she goes in there [at practice] with the second team, she does a great job competing and making the other team better and making our team one better. When she comes to the [first team] to play defense, she is very good, very disciplined and quick.”

I realized my role would be as a DS. I think I adapted to that and just had to roll with it.
Kaitlyn Drawe

“Originally, I came here because I wanted to set,” said Drawe. “I set a little last year and then I realized my role would be as a DS. I think I adapted to that and just had to roll with it. At first, it was hard because I've been a setter my whole career. Ultimately, I think I've matured and really adapted well to it.”

Despite seeing fewer opportunities to set, Drawe used her experience on the floor in those non-conference matches to build up her defensive résumé and compete for time on the back row. From the time the Sooners hit the road to face No. 6 Texas, she became a mainstay in Oklahoma's defensive rotations throughout the remainder of the 2013 regular season. For the year, she averaged 1.81 digs per set and went into the offseason seeking an expanded role in the OU defense following the graduation of defensive specialists Eden Williams and Mindy Gowen.

From day one, Drawe has been a constant on the back row for the Sooners as a senior, often subbing in for outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner. She has played in 26 out of 30 matches and made her first career start against No. 2 Texas at home on November 15.

“She's become a core player on the team; playing a lot of defense instead of setting, which shows a lot of dedication and want to be out there playing,” said Whitley.

Drawe's dedication to defense shows and has proven to her coach that she is a valuable piece of Oklahoma's defense and passing.

“I have always thought that she plays very good defense,” stated Restrepo. “This year she blossomed. It's very hard for her to come in and not play much and want to play badly, but now she is out there every single match and has improved tremendously in the game as well as her demeanor, her mindset is a lot stronger.”

Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Drawe is averaging 1.38 digs per set; second only to libero Taylor Migliazzo's 3.64 among OU's defensive specialists. She posted a career-high 15 in a five-set match with Iowa State last month and has also contributed with 22 assists, including 12 in the three most recent matches.

Be it the change in position or the teammates around her, Drawe doesn't appear to flinch. Each change seems to roll off her back as she continues to look forward and looking forward is where the Sooners stand as they enter a sixth straight NCAA Tournament.

drawe

“Being the only senior, I obviously wish the other three were with me, but the other girls have made it the best senior year I could have had,” said Drawe. “I hope to go further [in the NCAA Tournament] than we have in my four years of being here.”

The Sooners take their first step towards advancing in the NCAA Tournament Thursday evening when they face LSU at No. 10-seed Oregon. The goal is to return to Norman this weekend with a pair of wins and take a run at the Final Four in Oklahoma City.

On the morning of the team's final day of preparation for the first round, Restrepo sat and joked with his players at breakfast. When he crossed paths with Drawe he proclaimed, “if I could, I would give you the world.”

To that, she quickly snapped back, “and I would take it.”

For this Sooner team, seeking a deep tournament run, Drawe's mentality could be a driving force for the whole program to embrace. They're back for a sixth straight year, playing on the west coast again and since the NCAA has chosen the final destination to be right in their back yard, the Sooners just might take it.