St. John's University Athletics
Palgutova Named to Fourth-Consecutive All-BIG EAST First Team
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
QUEENS, N.Y. - For the third-straight season, the St. John's Red Storm has had two of its players recognized by the conference as senior Karin Palgutova was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team for the fourth-consecutive year, while sophomore Julia Cast earned second team accolades, it was announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon.
The duo led the attack for the Red Storm (18-15, 8-10 BIG EAST) this season with Palgutova placing in the top-three in kills in the league and Cast finishing third in hitting percentage in conference play.
Palgutova becomes the fourth player in BIG EAST history and first since Louisville's Lola Arslanbekova (2009-12) to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team for the fourth-consecutive year. Cincinnati's Jessie Nevitt (2005-08) and South Florida's Marcela Gurgel (2006-09) were the other two to accomplish the feat.
The senior outside hitter closed out her Red Storm tenure as one of the greatest St. John's volleyball players to ever don the Red and White. In her final season, she set three career-program records, including kills (1,880), attacks (4,827) and service aces (135), while also finishing eighth on the all-time list in digs (1,128).
Palgutova finished ranked in the top-three in the conference in four categories: kills, kills per set, points and points per set. She totaled 465 kills, which ranks 39th in the NCAA, while averaging 3.84 kills per set. Palgutova's 525.0 points ranks 33rd in the country as she averaged 4.34 points per set.
On the defensive side, Palgutova recorded 2.49 digs per set and 0.54 blocks per set, which ranked third and fifth on the team, respectively. For the third-consecutive year, she tallied a team-high 14 double-doubles this season.
Palgutova's other accomplishments this season include two BIG EAST Player of the Week awards (Sept. 7 and Sept. 21), two BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll mentions (Sept. 14 and Sept. 28), and two All-Tournament Teams (Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic, USF Invitational).
The native of Bratislava, Slovakia, is the only volleyball player in St. John's history to make four-consecutive All-BIG EAST First Teams. Hui Ping Huang earned first team accolades in three-consecutive years from 2005-07.
In just her second season, Cast has elevated every aspect of her game to become one of best middle blockers in the BIG EAST. The New York native's .333 attacking percentage led the team and tied Puna Richardson (2003) for the fifth-highest hitting percentage in a season at St. John's. Cast was sixth in the league in attacking percentage, however in conference play she was much more efficient at the net and finished third hitting at a .351 clip.
Cast finished second on the team in both kills (262) and blocks (88). Her 2.64 kills per set in conference play was third on the squad and 15th in the BIG EAST. Cast registered 3.12 points per set in conference play, which was third on the team and 14th in the league. She also garnered her first BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll mention on Oct. 5.
