St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Iona
St. John's Sweeps Iona In Home Opener
9/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
QUEENS, N.Y. - A great defensive effort by St. John's led the Red Storm to victory in straight sets, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-14) against Iona in the home opener in Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday night. St. John's out-blocked Iona 15-7, while also holding the Gaels to a .037 hitting percentage.
Iona had trouble all night long at the net with the size and length of the Red Storm. The trio of middle blockers (Julia Cast, Danisha Moss and Briana Guzman) proved to be too much for the Gaels as they accounted for more than half of the team's blocks. Cast was not only a force defensively, but she made her presence known offensively as well. She finished with seven kills to go along with her three solo blocks.
The Red Storm also got huge contribution defensively from its bench players. Redshirt junior Melissa Chin registered nine digs, while sophomore Delaney D'Amore finished with two service aces and five digs. Freshman Lexie Lobdell finished with four digs and redshirt sophomore Nikki Sen recorded two helpers.
Senior outside hitter Karin Palgutova led the offensive attack with her first double-double of the season. The Slovakian notched 14 kills and 12 digs on .278 hitting percentage. Fellow classmate Yaidy Santiago just missed a double-double with nine kills and eight digs.
Freshman outside hitter Pelin Aroguz was more assertive and aggressive after getting her first taste of collegiate volleyball last weekend in Philadelphia. The Istanbul, Turkey native finished with eight kills and a match-high .389 hitting percentage.
Senior setter Deniz Mutlugil directed the offense with 32 assists, but also showed her versatility with her blocking and digging. The Turkey native was active at the net with three blocks, while also tallying six digs.
After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the match, St. John's had to sustain an Iona rally early in the second set. With Red Storm holding a slim lead in the second (22-21), the Red Storm would go on a 3-0 run to take a commanding lead 2-0 lead in the match. The third set was not close as the Gaels struggled to score over the Red Storm middle blockers. St. John's held Iona to a -.048 hitting percentage in the frame.
St. John's now owns an 8-0 all-time record against the Gaels and a 4-0 all-time record when playing them at home.
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.
UP NEXT
St. John's will travel across the country to Moraga, Calif., to play in the Saint Mary's Invitational which begins on Friday, Sept. 4. The Red Storm will open the two-day event with a match against Bethune-Cookman (Sept. 4) before matches against Fresno State and host-Saint Mary's on Sept. 5 to conclude the weekend.
