St. John's University Athletics
Persico Announces Addition Of Three Players For 2016 Season
7/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's volleyball Head Coach Joanne Persico, the only coach in program history, announced that three student-athletes will be joining the volleyball team.
Erica Di Maulo, Gaia Traballi and Hanna Wagner comprise the three-player class, which will join the Red Storm in the fall of 2016.
Name: Erica Di Maulo
Height: 5'11"
Position: Setter
Hometown: Milan, Italy
High School: Liceo Vittoria
Di Maulo, a 5-foot-11 setter, hails from Milan, Italy, where she played at Liceo Vittoria. She also played for the club team Progetto Volley Orago. Di Maulo brings leadership to the Red Storm, as she served as the Progetto Volley Orago team captain from 2012-2015 and won the U16 Italian Championship with the sqaud in 2013.
"We are looking forward to seeing Erica make an immediate impact in the setting position for our team," said Persico. "She is experienced, physical and possesses strong setting skills with a high volleyball IQ."
Name: Gaia Traballi
Height: 6'1"
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Milano, Lombardia, Italy
High School: Liceo Stefano Maria Legnani
Traballi, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, has played for Italian club team Pro Patria Volley. Her talent was recognized early, as she was the youngest player of the Provincial Championship of Milan in 2007-08. Traballi earned the award for best blocker of the International Tournament of Biella in 2010-11. The Milano, Lombardia, Italy, native is also a standout beach volleyball player. She was named the most valuable player in the National Tournament in Alba Adriatica, Italy, in 2015. Traballi won the championship with her partner Lombard Eshter Maestroni and was named MVP in the National Championship in Catania in 2015.
"Gaia is a strong and versatile outside hitter who knows how to score the ball in crucial situations," said Persico. "She is athletic and possesses a strong skill set and volleyball IQ. I watched Gaia at the Italian final championships and was impressed with her ability to not only pull most of the offensive weight, but also be a great teammate."
Name: Hanna Wagner
Height: 6'3"
Position: Middle Blocker
Hometown: Schwerin, Germany
High School: Sportgymnasium Schwerin
Wagner, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Schwerin, Germany, has received multiple honors from her playing days in Germany, including winning the U18 Germany Championship with her club team Schweriner SC. In 2013, Wagner represented Germany in the CEV Youth Volleyball European Championship. She also won the German Championship in 2016 with her U20 club team.
"Hanna is coming off her greatest club win in her career this summer, in the middle blocking position, as her club team captured the German championship this summer," said Persico. "She is physical and has a great arm swing. She is a student of the game and has a similar work ethic of one of our alumna Aleksandra Wachowicz, who is now playing professional beach volleyball. We look for Hanna to give us some added depth in the middle blocking position."
"I am very excited about this outstanding class of student athletes as they seem to be outstanding young people as well," said Persico.
For all the latest news on the St. John's volleyball team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@StJohnsVB) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with #SJUVB. If you would like to be added to the St. John's volleyball mailing list, send an email to stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject line "Volleyball Mailing List".
