St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Volleyball Freshman Spotlight - Hanna Wagner
3/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
QUEENS, N.Y. ââ'¬" With spring practices just underway, Red Storm Sports sat down with St. John's volleyball freshman middle blocker Hanna Wagner to discuss her freshman season and how New York has treated the Schwerin, Germany, native.
Coming over from Germany, Wagner was a decorated player for her club team, Schweriner SC, winning the U18 and U20 German Championship, in addition to representing her country at the CEV Youth Volleyball European Championship.
"It was a really great feeling because my club team in Germany [Schweriner SC] and I did not expect to do so well. It was a great finish to my volleyball career at home before coming to St. John's," said Wagner.
During her rookie season as a Johnny, she quickly adapted to the style of play with 53 kills and 37 blocks in just 50 sets. She also hit at a .256 percentage and tacked on seven aces in her first year of collegiate volleyball, while also adjusting to the college life and living in New York.
"It's very diverse in New York, so I like it a lot, which is similar to Berlin, Germany," said Wagner. "The food is different in New York and so is the mentality of the people. My favorite place in New York is the High Line because it is located in the middle of Manhattan and it's very nice and new. You have great views over there and I enjoyed it."
Head Coach Joanne Persico and the rest of her coaching staff have made Wagner feel right at home in New York and so have the rest of her teammates, despite coming from all over the world.
"I have a great relationship with the staff and my teammates; they helped me improve throughout the season," said Wagner. "I am very happy to have teammates from many different countries and it helps not being the only foreigner on the team. It's very interesting to have different cultures on the team and getting to know them."
Redshirt junior Danisha Moss has made a profound impact on the 6-foot-3 German on and off the court, with her skills in front of the net and sense of humor.
"It is really great to have her on the team, playing my position, especially because of her blocking ability," said Wagner. "I also think she is one of the funniest players on the team with either her or Raya O'Neal. She always has funny conversations and stories to share with me and the rest of my teammates."
During the spring, Wagner wants to focus on improving as a player, but also wants her team to develop and get ready for next year. She is looking forward to the new freshmen class coming into the program and getting ready for her sophomore season.
"We just want to win more games and make it to the BIG EAST Tournament next season. We want to improve as a team, but also have fun out there. Right now, we are working on individual drills as middle blockers and also working on conditioning drills as well," said Wagner.
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".
