St. John's University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Annual St. John's Classic Sept. 3-4
9/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
St. John's Classic Game Notes | GameTracker | Live Video | INSIDE ST. JOHN'S: Volleyball Online Video Guide
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's volleyball team looks to stay hot and extend its three-match winning streak as it hosts its annual STJ Classic from Sept. 3-4. The Red Storm will square off against local rivals Columbia, Manhattan and St. Francis and take on Denver for the first time in program history. The tournament will be held in both Carnesecca Arena and Taffner Field House.
Entering the tournament, the Red Storm holds a combined 18-3 record over Columbia, Manhattan and St. Francis. St. John's (4-1) is off to its best five-match start since the 2007 campaign. In 2007 the Red Storm captured both the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championship and also made a Sweet-16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
FOLLOW THE GAME LIVE
Fans can keep up with all of the live action by following the St. John's volleyball Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/STJ_Volleyball.
Live stats of every match will be available for free on www.RedStormSports.com.
A live video feed will also be available for every match of the classic on www.RedStormSports.com.
STORMWATCH
Transfers Brunna Kronbauer, Anzelika Lukjanska, Paulina Piegza and Sabina Papala have combined for 160 of the team's 253 kills (63%).
Kronbauer leads the team with 55 kills (3.06 per set) and 68.5 points.
Junior captain Darlene Ramdin leads the Red Storm with 23 blocks (7 solo, 16 assisted).
Ramdin's 1.21 blocks per set ranks sixth in the BIG EAST.
Sophomore setter Gabriela Petkova has a team-high 198 assists through five matches and is currently sixth in the BIG EAST with 10.42 per set.
Petkova and Kronbauer have recorded two double-doubles apiece and are tied for the team lead with 10 service aces each.
Their 10 service aces are tied for second in the conference.
Freshman libero Korina Yee has recorded 47 digs and played in all 19 sets.
SCOUTING THE LADY JASPERS
Manhattan is 0-2 to start the 2010 campaign with shutout losses to UC Santa Barbara and then No. 11 University of California in the annual Cal Molten Classic.
Senior outside hitter Diane Strutner leads the team with 12 kills.
Sophomore libero Julie Bies is first on the team with 26 digs while classmate Jamie Collareta has recorded a team-high 33 assists.
The Lady Jaspers return 10 letterwinners and five starters from the 2009 squad.
Manhattan was picked to finish ninth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in the conference's preseason coaches' poll.
The Lady Jaspers finished with an 8-23 overall record, including 3-15 in conference play.
The Red Storm leads the all-time series 10-2 over the Lady Jaspers with the last meeting resulting in a 3-0 STJ victory in 2005.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
The St. John's Classic marks the start of the 2010 campaign for the Columbia.
The Lions finished the 2009 season with a 12-15 overall record, including 3-11 in the Ivy League.
Columbia is returning nine letterwinners from a season ago including sophomore Megan Gaughn and junior Monique Roberts, both of whom earned league honors at the end of the 2009 season.
Gaughn earned second-team All-Ivy League while Roberts earned an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention.
The Lions feature eight newcomers in the 2010 season.
The Red Storm holds a 4-1 all-time record against the Lions, with the last meeting resulting in a 3-0 STJ win in 2006.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
With first-year head coach Micah Acoba at the helm, St. Francis is off to a 3-2 start to the 2010 season.
The Terriers, returning six starters, are led by seniors Anisa Lila, Maria Kashavelova and Liliana Rodriguez.
Lila leads the team with 84 kills while Kashavelova's 203 assists and Rodriguez's 119 digs are also team-highs.
The Terriers have recorded wins over NJIT, Canisius and Lafayette.
SFC went 4-22 in 2009, including a 3-13 mark in Northeast Conference (NEC) play.
STJ leads the overall series, 4-0, over St. Francis, with the last matchup coming in the 2003 season.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Denver is off to a 1-2 start in the 2010 campaign with its lone victory over Stony Brook and losses to Marquette and then No. 6 Minnesota at the annual Golden Gopher Invite.
Freshman outside hitter Alex Turgeon leads the Pioneers with 25 kills while classmate Brea Muhle leads the team with 10 blocks
Denver was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) West Division.
Senior Kacie Wikierak was tabbed the SBC Preseason Defensive Player of the year for the third consecutive season.
Wikierak was also selected to the All-SBC Preseason Team.
This will be the first matchup between the Red Storm and the Pioneers.
UP NEXT
STJ returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 8, when it hosts Hofstra in the ninth annual Queens-Nassau Cup at 7 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena.
Following a 3-1 St. John's victory in 2009, the series is currently tied up at eight apiece between the local rivals.
