St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
San Francisco
St. John's Places Second In Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic
9/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
QUEENS, N.Y. -- St. John's (8-3) seven match winning streak was snapped Saturday afternoon after the Red Storm fell to San Francisco (10-0) in straight sets, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18) to close out the annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic.
The Dons took home the championship trophy as they finished the weekend undefeated (4-0), while the Red Storm placed second (3-1) followed by Cornell, George Mason and Central Connecticut State. All three teams posted a 1-3 record, but the Big Red would finish third after winning a total of six sets and the Patriots placed fourth after winning five sets. The Blue Devils won four sets total to place fifth.
St. John's was led by senior outside hitter Karin Palgutova, who finished with eight kills four digs and two blocks. Her classmate Deniz Mutlugil dished out 23 assists, four digs and a service ace. Both Palgutova and Mutlugil were both named to the All-Tournament Team after leading the Red Storm to the championship match. Palgutova averaged 4.31 kills per set and 2.85 digs per set over the weekend, while Mutlugil engineered the offense for the Red Storm with 149 assists (11.4) and 28 digs (2.15).
The Red Storm had trouble getting their offense going as the Dons held St. John's to a .115 attacking percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Julia Cast managed six kills and three blocks, while freshman outside hitter Pelin Aroguz recorded five kills, five digs and two blocks.
For the tournament, The Red Storm finished with a .308 attacking percentage and 14.6 kills per set. In 13 sets played, St. John's racked up 180 digs (13.8 per set), 180 assists (13.8), and 29 blocks (2.23 per set).
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.
2015 Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team
Katarina Pilepic, San Francisco
Oluoma Okaro, San Francisco
Karin Palgutova, St. John's
Deniz Mutlugil, St. John's
Macey Wilson, Cornell
Montana Green, George Mason
MVP: Kim Gutierrez, San Francisco
UP NEXT
St. John's will remain in Queens to face 2014 Northeast Conference regular-season and tournament champion LIU-Brooklyn, winner of nine of the last 11 league tournament titles. The Red Storm will face the Blackbirds Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
