St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Picked Fourth in 2004 Preseason Volleyball Poll
8/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 4, 2004
The St. John's volleyball team was picked fourth in the 2004 Preseason BIG EAST poll, it was announced by the conference today. The Red Storm, who finished with a 7-5 record in conference play last season (26-9 overall), received 70 points as voted by the conference head coaches, for fourth place in the poll. St. John's finished tied with Villanova for fourth place in 2003, falling short of post-season play. Notre Dame (1) and Pittsburgh, who tied for first place last season, were voted as the top two selections in the preseason poll. Connecticut, who went 6-6 in BIG EAST play in 2003, received 78 votes for a third place pick. The top four teams based on regular season BIG EAST records will participate in the 2004 BIG EAST Championships at the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, PA. The Championship will take place November 20-21 with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. Jackie Ahlers (Stony Point, NY), who was an All-BIG EAST first team selection in 2003, is the only unanimous selection to the preseason squad, which features six other players. In 2003, Ahlers led the Red Storm and BIG EAST with 608 kills and 5.69 points per game. For her career, Ahlers' continues to take her play to the next level. She set the mark for kills by freshman with 512 during her first season and has totaled 1120 for her career. She currently ranks third on the career-kills list, 421 off the all-time mark with two full seasons of eligibility left. She has a career hitting percentage of .288, good for third on the all-time list. St. John's volleyball kicks of the 2004 season in Bronx, NY on September 1, when they will face Fordham at 7 p.m. The Red Storm will host Stony Brook on September 7, in their home opener at Alumni Hall. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
