St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
PITTSBURGH *
No. 19 St. John's Volleyball Bests Pittsburgh, 3-1
9/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y. - The No. 19 St. John's volleyball team defeated BIG EAST opponent Pittsburgh, 3-1, Saturday afternoon in the squad's conference home opener. The scores of the match were 30-28, 33-35, 30-12, 30-28. With the win, the Red Storm improved to 18-2 overall and 3-0 in BIG EAST action, while Pitt dropped to 8-8 overall, 2-1 in the BIG EAST.
Senior Wioleta Leszczynska had a phenomenal day, recording a double-double with a match-high 63 assists and 13 digs along with eight kills and eight total blocks. Another senior, Hui Ping Huang, led all players in kills and blocks as she also earned a double-double, registering 19 kills and 11 blocks. Junior Lena Yee led St. John's and all players in digs with 24. Junior Casie Brooks scored a double-double as well, as she set a career-high with 15 kills to go along with 12 digs. Seniors Dana DeMayo and Latoya Blunt were dominant for the Red Storm offense as well, recording 14 and 11 kills, respectively.
Game one was tight through 7-7 when the Red Storm pulled ahead with three points on two blocks by combinations of Blunt and DeMayo, and Blunt and Leszczynska, as well as a kill by DeMayo. With St. John's up 12-8, the Panthers used their first timeout. The Red Storm build up a healthy 25-19 lead, but Pitt would come back to within one point three separate times, the last time being at 29-28, but a kill by DeMayo ended game one 30-28.
In game two, the Red Storm started great, running up a 10-3 score before Pitt turned it around with 10 of the next 13 points to make it a brand new game at 13-13. From there the game was tight through to the end, with neither team building a lead greater than two points. When the Red Storm faced defeat with Pitt leading 29-27, a kill by Blunt and a block by Huang and Leszczynska tied the score at 29-29 forcing the scores beyond 30. The Panthers grabbed the first two advantages, with the Red Storm scoring each time to tie it and send the game further. The Red Storm could not hold on for the win though, as Pitt walked away from game two with a 35-33 win. The teams went into their locker rooms tied 1-1.
After the break, St. John's came out flying. Even though it was close through 5-5 in the beginning of game three, the Red Storm captured 15 of the next 18 points, taking a commanding 20-8 lead. St. John's didn't even look back as game three was all Red Storm, and they cruised to an easy 30-12 victory.
The fourth game was another nail-biter throughout as the score was tied 13 times and there was a match-high 5 lead changes. With Pittsburgh up 10-8, the Red Storm scored five straight times on 3 straight kills by Brooks, a kill by Leszczynska, and a Pitt attack error. This put St. John's in the lead 13-10, a lead they would hold until Pitt took over very late in the game at 27-26.
For the Panthers, junior Kelly Campbell registered a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs and junior Nicole Taurence had a team-high 43 assists. Sophomore Michelle Rossi had a team-high 17 digs and sophomore Meagan Dooley led the team with eight blocks.
The Red Storm returns to action Sunday afternoon for a match-up with the West Virginia Mountaineers. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. Prior to the match, there will be a ceremony commemorating the 2006 undefeated BIG EAST regular season champion Red Storm volleyball team.
- Red Storm -
