St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Volleyball 2014 Season Preview
8/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2014
QUEENS, N.Y. - As the St. John's volleyball team enters its 21st season, Joanne Persico, the only coach in program history, looks to lead a diverse roster of veteran experience back to the top of the BIG EAST Conference in 2014.
Since the team's inception in 1994, the Red Storm has been one of the premier volleyball programs in the country, tallying 387 victories, 12 All-Americans, two NCAA Tournament trips, including one Round of 16 appearance, three BIG EAST regular season championships and one BIG EAST Tournament Championship.
St. John's finished the 2013 season with 16 wins and is coming off an extremely strong spring campaign that saw the Red Storm scrimmage 2013 NCAA Champions Penn State and play in tournaments at UConn and Fordham. St. John's returns plenty of depth, including all of its starters from a season ago. SJU will be led by Preseason All-BIG EAST Team members Karin Palgutova and Aleksandra Wachowicz.
A first team All-BIG EAST performer in 2012 and 2013, Palgutova enters her junior year after leading the team in kills (510) and hitting percentage (.263) last season. The 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter was an AVCA All-America honorable mention selection in 2013 and she is currently ranked 11th all-time in program history with 892 kills. Wachowicz, meanwhile has garnered second team All-BIG EAST honors. The senior outside hitter currently ranks ninth in program history in both kills (943) and in kill attempts (2,574), respectively.
Palgutova and Wachowicz will be joined by 12 returning letterwinners, including seniors Ashley Boursiquot and Morgan Thomas, as well as experienced juniors Deniz Mutlugil, Yaidy Santiago, Shawna-Lei Santos and Amy Zimmer. The squad also returns six sophomores and welcomes three newcomers to the court in 2014.
MIDDLE BLOCKER/MIDDLE HITTER
The Red Storm returns seven to the middle in 2014, including Boursiquot, Zimmer and redshirt sophomore Briana Guzman. Boursiquot currently ranks 10th all-time in career blocks (258) and will look to be versatile in the middle to help lead both the offensive and defensive game at the net. The 6-foot-3 senior will once again be the leader in the middle after leading the team in blocks with 121 in 2013. SJU will also look for offense at the net from Zimmer and Guzman, who finished with 97 and 55 kills, respectively. Zimmer also had the second best hitting percentage (.261) while Guzman finished third (.254). The Red Storm added another local talent to the middle in 2014, with 6-foot-3 freshman Julia Cast joining the squad. The Westbury, N.Y., native was a three-time Nassau County Volleyball Coaches' Association (NCVCA) All-County member at W.T. Clarke High School.
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Santos has played in every single set in her first two seasons with the Red Storm. Last season, Santos set a career high for digs with 572, which stands as the third-highest mark for digs in a season. The 5-foot-8 junior libero is currently in 10th place all-time in digs with 923. She will play a major role in 2014, as she will be heavily relied upon for her veteran leadership and consistent defensive play. Thomas returns as another defensive weapon this upcoming season after tallying 177 digs last season and finishing tied for second on the team in service aces with 27.
SETTER
Mutlugil will be the primary setter in 2014 after compiling a team-best 1,268 assists and 10.66 assists per set average. The 5-foot-11 native of Turkey also had an 11.31 assists per set average in BIG EAST play, which ranked third in the conference.
OUTSIDE/RIGHT SIDE HITTER
The St. John's outside hitters will be a strong and experienced group as they will be led by All-BIG EAST selections Palgutova and Wachowicz, but the Red Storm will also rely on Santiago and sophomore Mona Karkkainen to provide offense as well in 2014. Santiago will look to be more versatile in her third season in the Red and White after finishing last season with 88 kills and 109 digs. Karkkainen figures to be in the mix for playing time at both the outside and right side hitting positions after seeing significant playing time in her freshman season. In 2013, the Finland native's 83 kills led all freshmen and ranked sixth on the team.
SCHEDULE
St. John's will begin the 2014 campaign in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for the Bryant Hampton Inn-vitational (Aug. 29-30) where the Red Storm will take on Army, UMass-Lowell and host-Bryant University before returning to Queens for its home opener against Saint Peter's (Sept. 1).
From there, the Red Storm will travel across the country to Honolulu, Hawaii for the highly competitive Hawaiian Airlines Tournament. The three-day event opens with a match against the 2013 NCAA Second-Round and 2012 Semifinalist Oregon Ducks team (Sept. 4) before taking on a tough New Mexico squad on Sept. 5. Rounding out the tournament will be no easy feat, however, as the Red Storm takes on host-Hawaii, who made a run into the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches' Poll.
After taking a year off from hosting tournaments, the Red Storm will return home on Sept. 12-13 to host the 2014 Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic which features four matches in two days at Carnesecca Arena in Queens. St. John's will open things up with a match against Dartmouth and 2013 American East champion New Hampshire on Sept. 12 before rounding things out against St. Francis (N.Y.) and Fresno State on Sept. 13.
The Red Storm will then remain in Queens for one of the most interesting matches of the season against La Salle (Sept. 17). For the first time in program history, Persico will have the opportunity to coach against one of her former players as 2006 graduate Caitlin Rimigaila returns to Queens as the head coach of a developing La Salle team.
St. John's will then head to Towson, Maryland, to round out its tournament schedule as it takes on North Dakota State, Kent State and host-Towson at the Towson Tiger Invitational from Sept. 19-20.
St. John's opens BIG EAST play at Villanova (Sept. 24) before hosting DePaul (Sept. 26) and defending BIG EAST champion Marquette (Sept. 27) to close out the month of September. SJU is back on the road against Seton Hall on Oct. 1 before a three-game homestead.
The Red Storm then takes on Providence (Oct. 4), Butler (Oct. 10) and Xavier (Oct. 11) before returning to the road where it will open a three-game road trip with a match against a 2013 NCAA Second-Round Creighton team on Oct. 17.
After taking on Georgetown on the road on Oct. 19, the Red Storm will turn things around for the second half of the home-and-home matches with its conference opponents as it looks to make a run at the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament.
The BIG EAST Conference Tournament will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nov. 28-29. This marks the fourth time (2007, 2011-2012) that Marquette University will host the conference championship. The Red Storm claimed its first conference tournament crown in the Al McGuire Center with a 3-0 victory against Louisville on Nov. 18, 2007.
Follow all the home matches live via GameTracker (free) and StormTracker All-Access (subscription) on RedStormSports.com this season. For more on St. John's volleyball, log onto redstormsports.com or follow the team on twitter (@StJohnsVB) and be sure to use and search the hashtag #sjuvb throughout the entire season.
- VIDEO: Coach Persico Previews 2014 Season
- LIVE STATS: 2014 Bryant Hampton Inn-vitational
- LIVE VIDEO: 2014 Bryant Hampton Inn-vitational
- 2014 Schedule
- 2014 Schedule (PDF)
- Follow St. John's Women's Volleyball on Twitter
QUEENS, N.Y. - As the St. John's volleyball team enters its 21st season, Joanne Persico, the only coach in program history, looks to lead a diverse roster of veteran experience back to the top of the BIG EAST Conference in 2014.
Since the team's inception in 1994, the Red Storm has been one of the premier volleyball programs in the country, tallying 387 victories, 12 All-Americans, two NCAA Tournament trips, including one Round of 16 appearance, three BIG EAST regular season championships and one BIG EAST Tournament Championship.
St. John's finished the 2013 season with 16 wins and is coming off an extremely strong spring campaign that saw the Red Storm scrimmage 2013 NCAA Champions Penn State and play in tournaments at UConn and Fordham. St. John's returns plenty of depth, including all of its starters from a season ago. SJU will be led by Preseason All-BIG EAST Team members Karin Palgutova and Aleksandra Wachowicz.
A first team All-BIG EAST performer in 2012 and 2013, Palgutova enters her junior year after leading the team in kills (510) and hitting percentage (.263) last season. The 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter was an AVCA All-America honorable mention selection in 2013 and she is currently ranked 11th all-time in program history with 892 kills. Wachowicz, meanwhile has garnered second team All-BIG EAST honors. The senior outside hitter currently ranks ninth in program history in both kills (943) and in kill attempts (2,574), respectively.
Palgutova and Wachowicz will be joined by 12 returning letterwinners, including seniors Ashley Boursiquot and Morgan Thomas, as well as experienced juniors Deniz Mutlugil, Yaidy Santiago, Shawna-Lei Santos and Amy Zimmer. The squad also returns six sophomores and welcomes three newcomers to the court in 2014.
MIDDLE BLOCKER/MIDDLE HITTER
The Red Storm returns seven to the middle in 2014, including Boursiquot, Zimmer and redshirt sophomore Briana Guzman. Boursiquot currently ranks 10th all-time in career blocks (258) and will look to be versatile in the middle to help lead both the offensive and defensive game at the net. The 6-foot-3 senior will once again be the leader in the middle after leading the team in blocks with 121 in 2013. SJU will also look for offense at the net from Zimmer and Guzman, who finished with 97 and 55 kills, respectively. Zimmer also had the second best hitting percentage (.261) while Guzman finished third (.254). The Red Storm added another local talent to the middle in 2014, with 6-foot-3 freshman Julia Cast joining the squad. The Westbury, N.Y., native was a three-time Nassau County Volleyball Coaches' Association (NCVCA) All-County member at W.T. Clarke High School.
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Santos has played in every single set in her first two seasons with the Red Storm. Last season, Santos set a career high for digs with 572, which stands as the third-highest mark for digs in a season. The 5-foot-8 junior libero is currently in 10th place all-time in digs with 923. She will play a major role in 2014, as she will be heavily relied upon for her veteran leadership and consistent defensive play. Thomas returns as another defensive weapon this upcoming season after tallying 177 digs last season and finishing tied for second on the team in service aces with 27.
SETTER
Mutlugil will be the primary setter in 2014 after compiling a team-best 1,268 assists and 10.66 assists per set average. The 5-foot-11 native of Turkey also had an 11.31 assists per set average in BIG EAST play, which ranked third in the conference.
OUTSIDE/RIGHT SIDE HITTER
The St. John's outside hitters will be a strong and experienced group as they will be led by All-BIG EAST selections Palgutova and Wachowicz, but the Red Storm will also rely on Santiago and sophomore Mona Karkkainen to provide offense as well in 2014. Santiago will look to be more versatile in her third season in the Red and White after finishing last season with 88 kills and 109 digs. Karkkainen figures to be in the mix for playing time at both the outside and right side hitting positions after seeing significant playing time in her freshman season. In 2013, the Finland native's 83 kills led all freshmen and ranked sixth on the team.
SCHEDULE
St. John's will begin the 2014 campaign in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for the Bryant Hampton Inn-vitational (Aug. 29-30) where the Red Storm will take on Army, UMass-Lowell and host-Bryant University before returning to Queens for its home opener against Saint Peter's (Sept. 1).
From there, the Red Storm will travel across the country to Honolulu, Hawaii for the highly competitive Hawaiian Airlines Tournament. The three-day event opens with a match against the 2013 NCAA Second-Round and 2012 Semifinalist Oregon Ducks team (Sept. 4) before taking on a tough New Mexico squad on Sept. 5. Rounding out the tournament will be no easy feat, however, as the Red Storm takes on host-Hawaii, who made a run into the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches' Poll.
After taking a year off from hosting tournaments, the Red Storm will return home on Sept. 12-13 to host the 2014 Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic which features four matches in two days at Carnesecca Arena in Queens. St. John's will open things up with a match against Dartmouth and 2013 American East champion New Hampshire on Sept. 12 before rounding things out against St. Francis (N.Y.) and Fresno State on Sept. 13.
The Red Storm will then remain in Queens for one of the most interesting matches of the season against La Salle (Sept. 17). For the first time in program history, Persico will have the opportunity to coach against one of her former players as 2006 graduate Caitlin Rimigaila returns to Queens as the head coach of a developing La Salle team.
St. John's will then head to Towson, Maryland, to round out its tournament schedule as it takes on North Dakota State, Kent State and host-Towson at the Towson Tiger Invitational from Sept. 19-20.
St. John's opens BIG EAST play at Villanova (Sept. 24) before hosting DePaul (Sept. 26) and defending BIG EAST champion Marquette (Sept. 27) to close out the month of September. SJU is back on the road against Seton Hall on Oct. 1 before a three-game homestead.
The Red Storm then takes on Providence (Oct. 4), Butler (Oct. 10) and Xavier (Oct. 11) before returning to the road where it will open a three-game road trip with a match against a 2013 NCAA Second-Round Creighton team on Oct. 17.
After taking on Georgetown on the road on Oct. 19, the Red Storm will turn things around for the second half of the home-and-home matches with its conference opponents as it looks to make a run at the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament.
The BIG EAST Conference Tournament will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nov. 28-29. This marks the fourth time (2007, 2011-2012) that Marquette University will host the conference championship. The Red Storm claimed its first conference tournament crown in the Al McGuire Center with a 3-0 victory against Louisville on Nov. 18, 2007.
Follow all the home matches live via GameTracker (free) and StormTracker All-Access (subscription) on RedStormSports.com this season. For more on St. John's volleyball, log onto redstormsports.com or follow the team on twitter (@StJohnsVB) and be sure to use and search the hashtag #sjuvb throughout the entire season.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/L
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballSaturday, November 01
Friday, October 31
Tuesday, October 14
Saturday, September 13