St. John's University Athletics
Brooks Named BIG EAST Volleyball Player Of The Week
9/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 8, 2008
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's senior Casie Brooks was named the BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Week for her efforts in leading the Red Storm to a 4-1 record this past week. This is the first career conference honor for Brooks, who matched or set new career-highs in kills and digs during the week. The senior registered double-doubles in each of the three matches at the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Invitational, hosted by the University of Maryland, over the weekend. She was also named an all-tournament team selection for the first time in her career.
Brooks equaled her career-high in digs (15) twice early in the week in wins at San Jose State and Central Connecticut State. In the first match at College Park, the senior set a new career-high and led all players with 21 kills while picking up a double-double with 11 digs in the Red Storm's 3-1 win over Kentucky. She picked up two more double-doubles on the last day of the tournament against Maryland (18 kills, 12 digs) and Missouri (12 kills and 10 digs).
The Victorville, Calif., native finished the week with 62 kills (2.95 per set), a .236 hitting percentage and 63 digs (3.00 per set).
The Red Storm currently ranks third amongst BIG EAST schools with 13.33 kills per set, and checks in at fourth in the conference with 12.41 assists per set. St. John's ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in keeping opponents to just a .177 hitting percentage, and its own .191 mark places the team eighth.
Seniors Lena Yee and Valeria Kovaleva rank second and fifth, respectively, amongst all conference players in digs per set. Yee has registered 4.75 digs per set while Kovaleva has recorded 4.08. Senior Wioleta Leszczynska is fourth in the BIG EAST with 10.67 assists per set and fellow classmate Chen Chen, who was also named to the all-tournament team this past weekend, ranks fifth in the conference with 3.42 kills per game.
The Red Storm volleyball team returns to action tomorrow night to face Fordham in a non-conference tilt. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Rose Hill Gymnasium.
