St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Welcomes Xavier And Butler This Weekend
9/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Match Notes
Watch On BEDN (Xavier Match)
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Watch On ESPN3 (Butler Match)
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QUEENS, N.Y. - After playing eight-straight matches on the road, St. John's comes home for the first time in nearly three weeks to face BIG EAST foes Xavier and Butler this weekend.
On Friday night at 7 p.m., St. John's (10-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) will host Xavier in its first home conference matchup of 2016, before taking on Butler the following day at 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE MATCHES LIVE
The showdown against Xavier can be seen on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) with DJ Sixsmith on the call.
The match against Butler will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Nkwa Asonye and Joe Chojnacki on the call.
Fans can also view live stats of both matches via GameTracker on redstormsports.com
Updates will be provided throughout the game on Twitter by following the handle @StJohnsVB.
LAST TIME OUT: ST. JOHN'S TOPS GEORGETOWN IN BIG EAST OPENER, 3-1.
The Red Storm visited the nation's capital and defeated the Hoyas, 3-1, with three Johnnies producing double-digit kills with Gaia Traballi logging a team-high 13 kills.
Margherita Bianchin picked up her second-straight double-double (10 kills and 12 digs) and has now recorded at least 10 kills in 10 matches this season.
Danisha Moss posted 10 kills for the second consecutive match and also picked up seven total blocks. Erica Di Maulo, a freshman from Milan, Italy, distributed 43 assists against the Hoyas and has reached the 40 assist plateau in four of the team's last five matches.
The Johnnies boast three student-athletes with over 150 kills this season in Bianchin, Julia Cast and Traballi.
BIG EAST AND NCAA RANKINGS(as of Sept. 22, 2016)
With 1.55 blocks per set, Moss leads the BIG EAST and is ranked eleventh in the nation.
Di Maulo ranks third in the conference with 10.44 assists per set.
The Red Storm ranks inside the top 15 in the country in blocks per set, averaging 2.92.
St John's leads all BIG EAST schools in hitting percentage and blocks per set.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS (6-7, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Xavier has registered 18 consecutive winning seasons and was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Last weekend, the Musketeers competed in the Stacey Clark Classic hosted by Purdue and dropped two matches to ranked opponents Kansas and Purdue. The lone victory came in straight-sets against Southeastern Louisiana.
Xavier is still looking for its first true road victory of the season (0-5) and have yet to play a home match in 2016.
The 2015 BIG EAST Player of the Year Abbey Bessler leads the Musketeers with 3.9 kills per set, which is good for third best in the conference. The primary setter is Mackenzi Humm who averages 5.88 assists per set, while logging 90 digs this season.
As a team, the Musketeers lead the BIG EAST with 14 kills per set and average 13.47 digs per set.
St. John's has never defeated (0-7) Xavier in program-history in a series that dates back to 1999.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS (11-5, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Head Coach Sharon Clark leads Butler in her 16th season and has recorded five 20-win seasons.
The Bulldogs have been playing great lately, winning nine of its last ten, and last weekend hosted the Butler Invitational and went 2-1 picking up wins against Northern Kentucky and Loyola Chicago.
Sophomore outside hitter Anna Logan tops the BIG EAST with 4.5 kills and 5.1 points per set. She also leads the NCAA in total kills (279) and is second in the nation in points (316).
Makayla Ferguson is having a solid season for the Bulldogs averaging 9.79 assists per set and has tacked on 102 digs this year.
Butler has been great offensively, leading the nation in team kills with 783 and team assists with 832.
The Bulldogs are 4-2 all-time against the Johnnies, but they have split the last four meetings between them. Last season, when St. John's visited Butler, the Red Storm came away with a five-set victory with help from Bianchin's double-double (14 kills and 13 digs).
