Pancratz caps special season

"I am so proud of you and thank you for the gifts you gave from within. I love you beyond words and want you to know there's nothing I would rather be than your mom."

Jeanette Pancratz had the time of her life coaching her own daughter for the past four years.

And time after time, her daughter Drewann provided Schaumburg volleyball fans with the time of their lives.

The versatile 5-foot-10 setter, honorary captain of the Daily Herald's 2007 Cook County All-Area girls volleyball team, was a hero not for her skills on the floor, but for her ways off the floor as well.

"The kind of kindness that Drewann showed me when I was a pretty intimidated 12-year-old meeting her for the first time at a summer camp is the exact same kindness she shows to everyone around her today on a daily basis," said Saxons junior and teammate Lexi Kahan.

"And since first meeting six years ago, I have learned that Drewann is not only an amazing athlete but an amazing person as well. I have never seen her be cruel to anyone and that is so rare. She is a genuinely sweet person."

Something you might not realize from her feisty, aggressive play on the volleyball or basketball court, where she is also an all-area selection.

Pancratz finished her volleyball career with a school record of 2,432 assists, shattering the mark of 1,094 by Emily Shepp, who graduated in 2003.

Drewann is also the Saxons' all-time leader for service points (688) and attack percentage accuracy (94.2 percent) and is second in digs with 969.

She also collected 440 kills, 150 blocks and made 7,556 sets the last four years.

"She's smart, an exceptional athlete and she is so humble about all of it," Kahan said. "Her heart is so big, and we are all going to miss her so much."

The Saxons will miss Pancratz's amazing ability to catch defenders off guard with her trademark "Drew drops." They will miss her picture-perfect soft sets. They will miss her diving digs. They will miss her leaping blocks.

Jeanette Pancratz, who has won 654 matches as a volleyball coach, will miss not having her daughter on the floor like she has the past four seasons.

"I relish the time and memories made coaching Drewann," Jeanette said. "I have always tried to treat the Schaumburg volleyball program as a family. Coaching Drewann has made this real.

"Few parents have the opportunity to experience day after day, side by side with their child the intense physical, emotional, and mental rigor that occurs in a highly competitive athletic arena."

Drewann's father Andy will miss watching his youngest child compete in high school sports.

The former DePaul University and Hersey High School basketball standout also watched his sons Mark, Zach and Jake star for the Schaumburg boys basketball team and go on to play in college.

"Everyone talks about Drewann's parents or her brothers," Andy said. "'But it's all about what Drewann has accomplished. She made the commitment and put in all the time to be successful."

Drewann's name is Andrew spelled backward. But Ann is also the name of Andy's older sister and Jeanette's mother.

Drewann's middle name is Louise, the name of Andy's mother.

Andy has also had the opportunity to coach his daughter in AAU basketball.

"The idea of going to school where your parent teaches is something I don't know if I could have done," Andy said of his high school days. "But our relationships with our children have always been good.

"And I could not have asked for a better person coaching Drewann in high school. You don't always get to pick your coaches when you go to high school."

The Pancratz family moved from Bartlett to Schaumburg when Drewann was in the fourth grade.

"It was something we had thought about," Andy said. "That if Drewann ever wanted to play volleyball in high school, she might want to be able to play for her mother, so moving to Schaumburg would allow that."

Not only did she play volleyball, she also excelled in basketball and is still deciding which sport she will play in college.

After her amazing volleyball career ended last Thursday, Drewann had the option of attending basketball practice on Friday.

No surprise. Drewann was there.

"It's funny how we get a lot of people saying I want to see her go to basketball because that's what I played," Andy said, "and how Jeanette wants her to play volleyball because that's the sport she has been involved with.

"But it has never been that way at all. Drewann just enjoys competing."

Drewann is fun to watch, whether she is lofting a set or setting up to sink a 3-pointer.

And Jeanette Pancratz will always relish her four years watching her set the volleyball as her coach.

"At the deepest level, to sweat together, cry together, celebrate together and share together a passion, it creates a special bond that few words can describe," she said.

"I have shared first-hand her growth as a leader, her excitement and genuine love for her peers, and her humbleness in her successes."

Drewann achieved a dream she had since freshman year when she helped lead the Saxons to a Mid-Suburban League championship three weeks ago.

"I have witnessed first-hand her integrity and strength of character," Jeanette said. "I am thankful for her friendship and honored to have been a part of her friends' lives, not just as a friend's mom, but as a small factor in their high school career.

"Certainly, these four years have not been without challenges, but the experiences we shared have strengthened us."