St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Loyola Marymount
St. John's Volleyball Defeats Loyola Marymount In Season Opener
9/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
August 24, 2007
The St. John's volleyball team started the 2007 season off with a 3-0 win against Loyola Marymount (30-23, 30-19, 30-23) in the first match of the Trojan Invitational.
Leading the way for the Red Storm was senior middle hitter Hui Ping Huang (Shanghai, China) and senior setter Wioleta Leszczynska (Bielsko-Biala, Poland). Huang had a team high 13 kills and eight blocks, while Leszczynska recorded a match high 40 assists to go along with six blocks.
The first game was back and forth between the two teams early, until St. John's took the lead, 9-8, and never looked back. The Lions brought the game back within five points twice, but were unable to stop kills from Huang and senior right side hitter Dana DeMayo (Ra'anana, Isreal) and the Red Storm took game one 30-23.
Junior outside hitter Valeria Kovaleva (Moscow, Russia) was a strong force for the Red Storm in game two, recording six kills. The game was close during the first half, but when LMU pulled to within one of St. John's, 11-10, the Red Storm put it into full throttle, finishing out with a 19-9 run, winning the game 30-19. The squad recorded seven total team blocks during game two, six of which Leszczynska contributed to.
In game three, the Red Storm rode the momentum from the first two games. Led by DeMayo and senior right side hitter LaToya Blunt (Vacaville, Calif.), St. John's continued to dominate down the middle early. LMU closed it to within two, at 14-12, but one hour and 32 minutes after the match's first serve, Kovaleva sealed the victory for the Red Storm with a kill as the team took the first match of the season, 3-0.
For the Lions, senior Heather Hughes had a match high 14 kills, while freshman Renee Horton recorded the match's only double-double with 28 assists and 13 digs.
The Red Storm returns to action Saturday as the team continues play at the Trojan Invitational. St. John's will face #6 USC at 3 p.m., and Michigan at 8 p.m. To follow live stats of the game, visit the Trojan Invitational Tournament Central page by clicking here.
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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