St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Connecticut
Red Storm Volleyball Storms Past Huskies 3-0
10/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2005
QUEENS, N.Y. - Caitlin Rimgaila (Trooper, Pa.) led St. John's volleyball to a 3-0 victory over Connecticut Friday night in front of a record crowd of 287. The sophomore middle hitter recorded at match-high and personal-best 15 kills on .591 hitting. With the win, the Red Storm improves to 17-6 overall, 3-3 in the conference, while the Huskies fall to 10-9, 2-4 in the BIG EAST. The Red Storm out hit the Huskies .265 to .098.
Co-captain Shameka Mitchell (Lakeland, Fla.) added 13 kills and 12 digs, while setter Casie Brooks (Victorville, Calif.) recorded a match-high 42 assists in the win. Anicia Wood (Wotton Terrace, Barbados), Brooks and Rimgaila all posted four total blocks.
"We've been working very hard," said head coach Joanne Persico-Smith. "Our mental toughness has been showing up a lot in our game. The team has great chemistry and offers each other a good balance. They don't let a few errors frazzle them."
St. John's and Connecticut battled point-for-point in the opening minutes of play in the first game before St. John's was able to take the lead. The Red Storm jumped to a 16-10 lead and never trailed. The Huskies brought the score within two, 23-21, but were unable to tie it up as St. John's took the first game 30-23.
Game Two began in a similar fashion as both teams battled for control of the scoreboard. The game was kept tight through the 17th point, but back-to-back Red Storm kills from Hui Ping Huang (The Republic of China) and Wood gave the Red Storm a four-point advantage at 21-17. Three strong kills from Rimgaila closed the game for St. John's, 30-23.
Connecticut came back strong after the break and took the first point off an ace from Sarah Singer. Rimgaila once again gave St. John's the lead after being tied through the 14th point. Patti Hardiman (Honolulu, Hawaii) increased the Red Storm's lead, and a kill from outside hitter Huang brought the contest to a close, 30-25.
Singer and Crawley led the offensive effort for the Huskies, recording 13 and 12 kills respectively. Setter Jenny Neelands notched 20 assists and Brittany Stewart gained 11 assists and 11 digs.
The Red Storm returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 23, when it hosts Marquette and Syracuse, respectively. Both games will be held at Carnesecca Arena on the Queens campus and will begin at 2 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information and statistics on St. John's Athletics, please visit www.RedStormSports.com, or call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.
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