St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Butler, Xavier This Weekend
10/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
QUEENS, N.Y. - After picking up her 400th career victory against Providence last week, head coach Joanne Persico and the St. John's volleyball team will continue BIG EAST play at home in Carnesecca Arena with a pair of matches against Butler and Xavier. The Red Storm will take on the Bulldogs in Carnesecca Arena on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., with the match airing on ESPN3. St. John's will then play the Musketeers Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., with the match airing on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
FOLLOW THE MATCHES LIVE
Friday's match against Butler will air live on ESPN3 with Ralph Bednarczyk and Joe Chojnacki on the call.
Bednarczyk and Chojnacki return to call for Saturdays' match against Xavier on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Launched this fall, the BEDN can be viewed for free on the Fox Sports GO app.
Free live stats will be available via GameTracker.
Fans can keep up with all of the live action by following the St. John's volleyball Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/StJohnsVB.
SCOUTING BUTLER (11-6, 3-2 BIG EAST)
The Bulldogs earned their second conference win of the season with a 3-0 victory against Villanova over the weekend, hitting .243 on the day.
Senior outside hitter Belle Obert 4.18 kills per set ranks first in the BIG EAST and 38th in the NCAA while freshman setter Makayla Ferguson 11.00 assists sits atop the BIG EAST and 41st in the NCAA.
Sophomore Kayla Bivins averages 1.39 blocks per set to lead the BIG EAST.
•The Bulldogs are second in the league in kills (13.89), and assists (12.55) per set.
Sharon Clark enters her 15th season as the Bulldogs head coach.
Butler is averaging 16.90 digs per set ranking them second in the BIG EAST and 21st in the NCAA.
•The Bulldogs' RPI is fifth in the conference and 94th in the NCAA.
As a recently new opponent in the BIG EAST, Butler leads the series 2-0 with the Bulldogs defeating St. John's, 3-2, in their last match on Oct. 26, 2013.
SCOUTING XAVIER (9-8, 2-3 BIG EAST)
Xavier received their second conference win with a 3-0 victory over Villanova this past weekend.
Senior setter Aubree Smith was named to the BIG EAST Volleyball Weekly Honor Roll this week after compiling 78 assists and 13 kills in last week's play.
Freshman defensive specialist Jesse Earl 0.30 aces per set has her ranked third in the BIG EAST.
Mike Johnson is entering his fifth season as Musketeers head coach.
Xavier's RPI is third in the conference and 54th in the NCAA.
The Musketeers lead the series 3-0 with Xavier defeating the Red Storm, 3-0, in their last match on Oct. 25, 2013.
PERSICO NOTHCES 400TH WIN AS ST. JOHN'S SWEEPS PROVIDENCE, 3-0
St. John's head coach Joanne Persico earned the 400th win of her 21-year coaching career Saturday afternoon as the Red Storm defeated Providence, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-14) in Carnesecca Arena. Several family members, friends and alumni were in attendance to witness the milestone as St. John's posted its 10th sweep of the season.
The Red Storm improved to 13-7 overall and 2-3 in the BIG EAST, while Providence fell to 4-15 overall and 0-5 in conference play.
PALGUTOVA POSTS SEVENTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN HEARTBREAKING 3-2 LOSS AT SETON HALL
St. John's head coach Joanne Persico quest for 400 victories will have to wait until this weekend, as the Red Storm was defeated by local rival Seton Hall, 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 18-25, 25-22, 10-15), on Wednesday night at Walsh Gymnasium.
The Red Storm fall to 1-3 in five-setters this season. Junior Karin Palgutova led the attack for the Red Storm with 23 kills and 10 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season.
NCAA RPI RANKINGS
The NCAA released its first batch of RPI Monday afternoon, and defending BIG EAST champion Marquette is the league's top team at No. 21. Creighton is next at No. 41, followed by Xavier (54), Seton Hall (76) and Butler (94) in the top 100.
St. John's came in at sixth in the conference at No. 136, followed by Georgetown (160), Villanova (163), DePaul (307) and Providence at 311.
ST. JOHN'S BIG EAST AND NCAA RANKINGS
With 112 service aces as a team, St. John's ranks first in the BIG EAST and tied for 13th in the NCAA.
With 951 kills as a team, St. John's ranks second in the BIG EAST and tied for 14th in the NCAA.
With 895 assists as a team, St. John's ranks second in the BIG EAST and 13th in the NCAA.
With 162.5 blocks as a team, St. John's ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and tied for 31st in the NCAA.
With 10.69 assists per set, Deniz Mutlugil ranks second in the BIG EAST.
With 32 service aces, Aleksandra Wachowicz ranks first in the BIG EAST and eighth in the NCAA.
With 290 kills Karin Palgutova ranks first in the BIG EAST and tied for 12th in the NCAA.
With 274 kills, Aleksandra Wachowicz ranks second in the BIG EAST and tied for 26th in the NCAA.
With 4.56 points per set, Aleksandra Wachowicz ranks third in the BIG EAST and 47th in the NCAA.
With 4.52 kills per set, Karin Palgutova ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and 50th in the NCAA.
UP NEXT
St. John's will get back on the road for a pair of matches against Creighton and Georgetown next weekend. The Red Storm will take on the Bluejays in Omaha, Neb., on Friday Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. and the Hoyas in Washington, D.C., on Sunday Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.
