St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Siena (Camper Reunion Day)
St. John's Stuns Siena In Five-Set Thriller
9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 8, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - Facing a two-set deficit, the St. John's volleyball team claimed the final three sets to top Siena, 3-2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-10) in Taffner Field House Tuesday evening. The Red Storm hit .300 or better in the final two sets, propelling it to victory over the Saints.
St. John's, now 4-4, climbed back to .500 with the win. Siena moves to 2-2 on the season.
The Red Storm raced to a 10-3 lead in the first set, but saw it chipped away by the Saints, who would even the score at 19 before capturing the set, 25-23.
In game two, Siena led the entire way, earning its most commanding advantage of seven points early in the set. The Saints took set two, 25-19 before the Red Storm broke through the Siena defense to spoil the sweep.
STJ earned a 5-4 lead and never looked back as Darlene Ramdin and Ruisa Scheffel paved the way for the Red Storm, combining for nine points in the third set. Four service aces and four blocks from St. John's handed it a 25-18 third-set win.
Fighting to stay alive in the fourth, the Red Storm would lead by as many as six in the set. The Saints assembled a 7-3 run mid-set to make a comeback, bringing the set within reach at 19-15. Back-to-back kills by Kun Song gave STJ a 22-16 lead before the Red Storm notched the 25-19 win to send the game to a fifth and deciding set.
The two traded points until a 7-7 tie, where the Saints gained a one-point lead on a kill from Sarah Sivertson. Song and Ramdin tallied the next two points for St. John's, but an attack error tied the score again at 9-9. Back-to-back attack errors by the Saints gave the Red Storm an 11-9 advantage. Ramdin got the kill for a three-point lead before Siena scored its final point on a kill by Kau'I Robello. A Ramdin kill and a service ace sealed it for St. John's, earning its first five-set victory of the season, 15-10.
Ramdin finished with 26 kills, leading the team with a .310 hitting percentage. Freshman Gabriela Petkova recorded 52 assists in the match, while four members of the Red Storm tallied a pair of aces apiece. Song added a double-double for St. John's with 15 kills and 11 digs, while Scheffel registered a double-double as well with 10 kills and 11 digs. Rookie Ashley Asing secured a game-high 20 digs for the Red Storm.
Burgandy McCurty earned a double-double for the Saints with 18 kills and 12 digs, while teammate Aubrey Bobo tallied 17 kills and 15 digs to lead Siena.
St. John's heads to Miami, Ohio this weekend for the Best Western Invitational. The Red Storm will face Miami, Troy and Pacific in the tournament. STJ will play Miami on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m.
