Red Storm Wins 23rd Match, Takes Down DePaul in Four Sets

Friday, November 16

Chicago, Ill. (McGrath-Phillips Arena)

8:00 PM

St. John's University

23-9, 12-5

DePaul

5-23, 3-14

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
St. John's	25	25	25	25	3
DePaul	17	27	21	20	1

Red Storm Wins 23rd Match, Takes Down DePaul in Four Sets

11/16/2018 10:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Team now with most wins since 2007, puts up 13.5 blocks in win

By: Eric Robinson

Box Score

The St. John's volleyball team took down DePaul in four sets on the road on Friday night.

It was a gutsy BIG EAST win on the road against a quality conference on their senior weekend," Head Coach Joanne Persico said. "I'm really proud of this group to be able to close out the fourth set. This has been one of the most competitive, consummate, coachable groups in my 25 years."

The Red Storm hit .311 as a team against the Blue Demons, hitting at least .290 in three of the four sets. The Johnnies added 13.5 blocks, led by Hanna Wagner, who rejected a career-high nine attacks alone. The junior added nine kills to finish third on the team in the category.

Rachele Rastelli posted a hitting percentage of .619 putting home 14 kills in 21 chances. The freshman also recorded three blocks and tied for the lead in kills with Kayley Wood, who hit a .270 clip.

Erica Di Maulo delivered 43 assists in the match, passing her own total from last season as well as Deniz Mutlugil's 1,268 assists in 2013 to put her in eighth place on the program's single-season assist leaderboard with 1,276. The junior sits 20 assists behind Wioleta Leszyzynska, who finished the 2006 season with 1,296 for seventh.

The Red Storm opened up the match strong with a 25-17 set one victory over the Blue Demons. Di Maulo led the way in the first set with 10 assists, one service ace, and one block. Offensively, Wood and Efrosini Alexakou each put up three kills for the Red Storm. Alexakou finished the match with seven kills, 10 digs, and three blocks.

With the Johnnies leading 9-6, a kill by Nia Diaz sparked a 10-4 run for St. John's that gave the Red Storm control of the set. Diaz would finish the match with two. Alexakou also put home two kills to make it 23-15 before Wood finished it with a kill of her own.

St. John's fell in the second set 27-25 after its comeback attempt was stopped just short. With DePaul leading 14-8, the Red Storm used a 7-0 run to tie the set at 14. After DePaul took six of the next seven points to give the Blue Demons a five-point lead, the Johnnies started to come back a second time using a 9-3 run with two kills from Rastelli.

This set up a set point opportunity that DePaul was able to break. At 25-25, the Blue Demons got two-straight points to tie the sets at one each.

The Red Storm answered with another comeback, this one successful, and a 25-21 third set victory. Wagner recorded four of her nine blocks in the third frame while Ariadni Kathariou finished the set with three kills and one service ace of her own. The freshman would end with five kills and four blocks in the four sets.

After DePaul jumped out to a 12-9 lead, the Red Storm used a kill by Rastelli to begin a 7-1 run, taking a 17-14 lead in the set. The Blue Demons would get within two points at 22-20 before St. John's finished them thanks to two DePaul errors and a Rastelli kill.

St. John's would take the match in the fourth set 25-20 behind a .452 hitting percentage in the frame. The two teams went back and forth throughout the set, with no one leading by more than two points through the first 34 points of the frame. Trailing 16-14, a kill by Wagner sparked a 5-0 run to go up 19-16.

A final kill by Rastelli put the Johnnies at match point before an attack error by DePaul gave St. John's the match in four sets.

The Red Storm will finish the regular season at Marquette tomorrow at 7 p.m.