St. John's University Athletics
St. John??' Volleyball Announces 2006 Schedule
6/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
2006 Volleyball Schedule
St. John???s volleyball head coach Joanne Persico-Smith announced the team???s 2006 schedule on Monday. The Red Storm will battle eight teams that competed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and four programs that were ranked or received votes in the final USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches poll.
Of the Red Storm???s 32 regular-season matches this fall, nine will be played at Carnesecca Arena. Included in the home slate is the fifth annual Queens/Nassau cup against local Long Island rival Hofstra and six BIG EAST conference matches.
???Like last season, the upcoming fall schedule is extremely strong,??? said Persico-Smith. ???And will have the highest RPI we???ve ever had. We just hope we are able to build on our accomplishments from last fall.???
Persico-Smith enters her 13th season at St. John???s this fall. She has been with the Red Storm since the volleyball program???s inaugural season in 1994, and has produced eight winning seasons with an overall 228-155 record. Last season, under Persico-Smith???s direction, St. John???s earned its third conference tournament berth and set a new school record for the most three game wins in a single season with 20.
The Red Storm also produced one of the best turnarounds in program and conference history, going from 15-16 overall and 1-9 in the BIG EAST in 2004 to a 23-9 overall mark and a 9-5 conference record during the 2005 campaign.
This fall the Red Storm will compete in four tournaments and will host four non-conference local rivals in September before heading into BIG EAST action in October. St. John???s begins the fall in Connecticut at the Fairfield Stags Tournament on Aug. 25-26. While at the event, St. John???s will compete against the University of New Hampshire, Bucknell and Fairfield. On Sept. 1-2, the Red Storm begins play at the William and Mary Invitational, where the squad will face Air Force, Norfolk State and William and Mary.
In its third tournament, the Red Storm travels to Columbia, S.C., for the Gamecock Invitational on Sept. 8-9. St. John???s will battle host South Carolina, Florida State and the University of Southern California. The Red Storm finishes non-conference tournament action at the Cornell Invitational on Sept. 15-16. The squad will play Buffalo, Cornell, American and Binghamton over the weekend.
In individual non-conference action, the Red Storm will host St. Francis (N.Y.) on Aug. 30, Stony Brook on Sept. 6 and Columbia on Sept. 19. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, the Red Storm sets out to defend its title against Long Island rival Hofstra in the fifth annual Queens/Nassau Cup at Carnesecca Arena.
???This will be a new place for us, defending the cup,??? Persico-Smith said. ???It???s been a great series and we look forward to a great match, a great turnout and to be able to continue promoting volleyball in this region.???
St. John???s begins BIG EAST play on the road against West Virginia and Pittsburgh on Sept. 22 and Sept. 24. The Red Storm will then host the Cardinals of Louisville and the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, respectively. St. John???s takes to the road again on Oct. 14 to battle Connecticut and then makes its way to Chicago to face DePaul on Oct. 20. Before returning home, the Red Storm will look for its first program win against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Oct. 22.
The following weekend, St. John???s welcomes Georgetown and South Florida on Oct. 27 and 29, respectively, before heading north to Syracuse on Nov. 3. In its final road game of the season, the Red Storm travels to Milwaukee, Wis., to face the Golden Eagles of Marquette on Nov. 5.
???Our BIG EAST opponents will definitely be much stronger and much improved this season. We just have to be ready for everyone,??? said Perisco-Smith.
On Nov. 11 and 12, St. John???s will celebrate its graduating volleyball seniors as it hosts Rutgers and Villanova in the final weekend of regular-season BIG EAST action. The BIG EAST tournament will be hosted by the University of Cincinnati on Nov. 17-19. Following the close of conference action, St. John???s will travel to Orlando, Fla., for a Thanksgiving weekend tournament hosted by the University of Florida. The Red Storm will face Louisiana State and host Florida on Nov. 24 and 25, respectively.
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.
- Red Storm -
