St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Volleyball Opens 2015 Season In Philadelphia
8/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 26, 2015
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's will begin its 22nd season this weekend as the Red Storm hits the road to open the 2015 campaign at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West Temple Invitational.
The Red Storm season-opener starts at 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28 against Navy. St. John's will then turn its attention to No. 13 Oregon, who the Red Storm lost a close match to last season at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic. St. John's faces the Ducks at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29 before concluding the weekend with a 6 p.m. match against host-Temple.
SCOUTING THE MIDS
- Navy finished third in the Patriot League in 2014 with a 14-12 overÂÂall record and an 11-5 mark in conference play.
- Head coach Larry Bock has accrued more victories (1,296) than any other volleyball coach in NCAA history and is now entering his fifth season with the Mids.
- Navy finished in the top three in the Patriot League in several categories in 2014, including second in service aces per set (1.52) and assists per set (11.91). The Mids also finished third in both kills per set (12.68) and digs per set (16.55).
- The Mids return junior outside hitter Gaby Smith, who was named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team last season. Navy also welcomes back setter Rachel Fortner, who led the Patriot League in service aces per set (0.42) as a freshman.
- St. John's is 2-0 all-time against the Mids. The two teams last met almost 10 years ago on Sept. 7, 1996, when the Red Storm came away with a 3-1 victory.
SCOUTING THE DUCKS
- Oregon was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll and will open the season ranked No. 13 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll.
- Head coach Jim Moore and the Ducks went 23-10 in 2014 and advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals. He has compiled a 186-98 record at Oregon and is entering his 11th season with the Ducks.
- Oregon finished fourth in the NCAA last season in assists (13.70) and kills (14.54) per set.
- Returning is senior outside hitter Martenne Bettendorf and junior libero Amanda Benso, who both were named to the Preseason All-Pac 12 Team. Bettendorf finished ninth in the conference in kills per set (3.52), while Benson was fourth in digs per set (4.38).
- St. John's is 0-1 all-time against Oregon after facing the Ducks for the first time last season. The two teams met at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic on Sept. 6, 2014 in Honolulu. The Red Storm fell in a close match, 3-1.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
- Temple was picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.
- Last season, the Owls finished tied for second in the conference with a 24-8 overall record and a 15-5 mark in league play.
- Head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam is entering his fifth year at the helm after leading the Owls to the program's best record in 12 years.
- Temple finished second in the conference last season in hitting percentage (.242), and digs per set (16.99). The Owls were third in the league in kills per set (13.70) and assists per set (12.83).
- Temple returns sophomore outside hitter Dara Peric and junior setter Sandra Sydlik. Peric was the conference's Freshman of the Year a season ago, while Sydlik was the league's Setter of the Year.
- Also returning is junior middle blocker Kirsten Overton and junior outside hitter Tyler Davis. Overton finished 15th in the country in hitting percentage (.394), while Davis led the Owls in kills per set (3.35) in conference play.
- St. John's is 1-2 all-time against Temple. The most recent matchup between the two schools was on Aug. 29, 2009, when the Red Storm lost, 3-0.
UP NEXT
- St. John's will play in its home-opener against Iona on Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena.
- The Red Storm is 7-0 all-time versus the Gaels, including a 3-0 home victory in the last meeting of the series on Sept. 18, 2012.
Saturday, November 01
Friday, October 31
Tuesday, October 14
Saturday, September 13