Red Storm Takes Thriller in Five Sets Over Xavier

Saturday, October 27

Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center)

6:00 PM

St. John's University

20-8 (9-4BIG EAST)

Xavier

8-16 (6-7BIG EAST)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
St. John's	27	22	25	25	15	3
XU	29	25	17	22	9	2

10/27/2018 9:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

St. John’s wins final three sets and fourth match in a row

By: Eric Robinson

For the fourth-consecutive match, the Red Storm came out on top, defeating Xavier on the road on Saturday night in five sets.

"One of the greatest victories in program history on the road down 0-2 at the Cintas Center," Head Coach Joanne Persico said. "We found a way once again. This team will never surrender, they will never fold, and they don't point fingers at each other when the pressure is on. It's not in their DNA."

The team entered the weekend with the most five-set wins in the country in 2018 and added one more in Cincinnati. It marked the twelfth time this season that saw the Johnnies go to five sets and the eighth time they've been victorious in those sets, and the third time this season, the Red Storm have came back after dropping the first two sets.

Efrosini Alexakou led the Red Storm offensively, setting a career high with 29 kills, while Erica Di Maulo led the way with 52 assists and a hitting percentage of .385 converting five of 13 chances for kills. Both Alexakou and Di Maulo each finished with a double-double on the night.

Amanda Sanabia tied a career high with 34 digs, while Rachele Rastelli led the way with a career-high seven blocks in the five-set victory. Nia Diaz added six blocks, setting a new career high, while also chipping in two service aces in the contest.

The Red Storm dropped a close set 29-27 to open the match. Kayley Wood led the Johnnies with five kills in the first set. The sophomore finished the match with 15 kills. Hanna Wagner converted all four of her attacks for kills in the set.

St. John's found itself down 22-18 before taking the next five points to take the lead. With a chance to take the set at 24-23, Xavier was able to fend off the next point and the teams would trade points before Xavier took two straight to end it with the score tied at 27-27.

Xavier took the second set as well 25-22. Alexakou led the way with five kills. Xavier took a 20-14 lead before the Red Storm began a comeback and cut the lead to three at 22-19. St. John's would get it within two at 24-22 with a kill from Alexakou, but a service error by the Johnnies gave Xavier a 2-0 set lead.

The Red Storm found a groove in set three, taking it 25-17 thanks to eight kills by Alexakou and eight digs by Sanabia. The Red Storm hit .283 as a team in the frame. Leading 15-13, the Red Storm went on a 7-1 run to take control and back-to-back kills by Diaz and Wood cut the match deficit to 2-1.

St. John's continued the momentum in the fourth set, thanks to another eight kills by Alexakou on 14 attacks for a .429 hitting percentage in the set.

Xavier took a 19-16 lead before the Red Storm again came back taking nine of the next 12 points to tie the match and send the team to a fifth set for the second time against Xavier this season.

The Red Storm finished the match in the fifth set 15-9. Rastelli posted two blocks in a final frame that the Johnnies controlled from the start and finished with the last four points St. John's scored coming from Alexakou kills.

The Johnnies will return home for the final time in 2018 next weekend, first taking on Creighton on Friday at 7 p.m.