St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Navy
St. John's Volleyball Sweeps Navy To Open 2015 Season
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Aug. 28, 2015) - For the sixth-consecutive season, the St. John's volleyball team won its season-opener after defeating Navy, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-19) in a hard fought match Friday afternoon in the first match of the 2015 Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West Temple Invitational.
"It was a tough battle but we were able to come back in the third set when we were down to get the victory. Navy had a real strong digging team and a senior setter, but we are a veteran team and we showed some resiliency late in the match," said head coach Joanne Persico.
St. John's was very dominant throughout the match, especially on the defensive end as the Red Storm was able to hold the Mids to a .067 hitting percentage. St. John's middle blockers were also very effective at the net after tallying 12 blocks, while Navy only managed three.
The Red Storm (1-0) was in control throughout the first two sets, but the Mids (0-1) would make it interesting in the third. The Red Storm was down most of the third set but a service ace by senior libero Shawna-Lei Santos tied the set at 13-13 and turned the tide of the match. St. John's would then go on a 6-0 run to force Navy to call a timeout. The Mids struggled late in the match and the Red Storm was able to push through to a 25-19 final set victory.
"I thought Shawna did a nice job of serving out in the third set. I thought Shawna had the most consecutive serves that she has had since she has been here, so I am proud of Shawna," said Persico.
St. John's was exceptional offensively with a .303 hitting percentage and two players in double-digits in kills. Senior Karin Palgutova finished with a .393 hitting percentage and 13 kills, while Margherita Bianchin did not disappoint in her freshman debut with .370 hitting percentage and 11 kills. Palgutova also picked up seven digs, while Bianchin was all over the court with six blocks, five digs and two service aces.
"We rely on Karin a lot and she knows what is expected of her. She is a go-to player and she is one of the best in the country so we want her to have the ball when the match is on the line," said Persico. "I thought Margherita did well for her first match and we have to help her manage her emotions a little bit, but she is a great addition to our team."
Palgutova and Bianchin were not the only Red Storm players to make a difference Friday. Senior Yaidy Santiago tallied seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while senior setter Deniz Mutlugil anchored the offensive attack with 29 assists.
Sophomore Julia Cast was very active in the middle for the Red Storm as she racked up four kills with a team-leading .571 hitting clip to go along with six blocks. Redshirt sophomore Danisha Moss made her presence felt at the net with four blocks, while redshirt junior Briana Guzman had the match-winning solo block to complete the Red Storm sweep.
St. John's will round out the final day of the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West Temple Invitational on Saturday against No. 13 Oregon at 4 p.m. before concluding the weekend against host-school Temple at 6 p.m.
The Red Storm 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. St. John's fell in a close match, 3-1. 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.
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.
