St. John's University Athletics
Friday, November 23
Omaha, Neb.
3:00 PM
St. John's University
23-11
1
vs
3
Marquette
26-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 25 | 23 | 16 | 19 | 1 |
| Marquette | 16 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
St. John’s Falls in BIG EAST Semifinals to Marquette
11/23/2018 6:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Red Storm take first set from Golden Eagles in loss
Box Score
The St. John's volleyball team fell in its first BIG EAST Tournament match since 2012 on Friday afternoon in four sets to Marquette.
The match marked the first four-setter that resulted in a loss for the Red Storm.
"So proud of this team. We fought hard and made a lot of adjustments since the first time we played them. We were trying to get them to five sets but we were a few plays short. Our team played with great heart, great toughness, and we had terrific teamwork. I'm proud of our freshmen, especially Efrosini Alexakou. We fought until the end, and we have a bright future."
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Alexakou led the way with 19 kills for the Red Storm and added 11 digs for a double-double for the freshman. Erica Di Maulo finished with 45 assists in the four sets, while Amanda Sanabia added 29 digs.
Hanna Wagner also shone defensively, leading the way with seven blocks. She was one of four Johnnies to put up six or more rejections, joining Ariadni Kathariou, Rachele Rastelli, and Kayley Wood.
The Red Storm controlled the first set, winning 25-16 and putting the pressure on the Golden Eagles. The Johnnies hit .429 as a team in the first frame as Alexakou led the way converting seven of 12 attacks for kills. Di Maulo added 16 assists and Sanabia put up 11 digs to lead the Red Storm to a 1-0 lead, marking the first set St. John's had taken from Marquette since 2016.
A kill by Alexakou put the Johnnies up 14-10 in that frame and that was as close as the Golden Eagles would come in the set. The Red Storm would 12 of the next 18 points to take the 1-0 lead finished by an Alexakou kill.
The Red Storm fought in the second set before falling 25-23. Alexakou added another six kills to put her at 13 through the first two sets. Wagner, Di Maulo, and Kathariou each had two blocks in the set.
The Johnnies jumped out in front 11-6 thanks to a kill by Rastelli before Marquette began to come back. A 7-0 run by the Golden Eagles gave them the lead, but St. John's would tie the set at 19-19 and had a 21-20 lead after an attack error by Anna Haak for Marquette. Despite breaking a set point at 24-22, the Red Storm would fall 25-23 to even the match.
St. John's fell behind 2-1 after falling 25-16 in set three despite four kills by Wood. The sophomore would finish the match with 12 kills to finish second on the Red Storm. Rastelli would add three more rejections in the third set. She would finish with nine kills to go with her six blocks.
The Red Storm dropped the match in the fourth set 25-19, ending its stay in the BIG EAST Championships. Alexakou led the way with four kills, while Wood added three blocks. The Johnnies finished with 15 blocks compared to only six for Marquette.
After falling behind 16-11, St. John's mounted one final comeback to come within one at 17-16 after Kayley Wood put up a kill to bring it to 17-16. Marquette would go on a 4-0 run after that point and would take the set 25-19.
The Red Storm will now wait for a possible berth in the NCAA or NIVC Tournaments.
The St. John's volleyball team fell in its first BIG EAST Tournament match since 2012 on Friday afternoon in four sets to Marquette.
The match marked the first four-setter that resulted in a loss for the Red Storm.
"So proud of this team. We fought hard and made a lot of adjustments since the first time we played them. We were trying to get them to five sets but we were a few plays short. Our team played with great heart, great toughness, and we had terrific teamwork. I'm proud of our freshmen, especially Efrosini Alexakou. We fought until the end, and we have a bright future."
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Alexakou led the way with 19 kills for the Red Storm and added 11 digs for a double-double for the freshman. Erica Di Maulo finished with 45 assists in the four sets, while Amanda Sanabia added 29 digs.
Hanna Wagner also shone defensively, leading the way with seven blocks. She was one of four Johnnies to put up six or more rejections, joining Ariadni Kathariou, Rachele Rastelli, and Kayley Wood.
The Red Storm controlled the first set, winning 25-16 and putting the pressure on the Golden Eagles. The Johnnies hit .429 as a team in the first frame as Alexakou led the way converting seven of 12 attacks for kills. Di Maulo added 16 assists and Sanabia put up 11 digs to lead the Red Storm to a 1-0 lead, marking the first set St. John's had taken from Marquette since 2016.
A kill by Alexakou put the Johnnies up 14-10 in that frame and that was as close as the Golden Eagles would come in the set. The Red Storm would 12 of the next 18 points to take the 1-0 lead finished by an Alexakou kill.
The Red Storm fought in the second set before falling 25-23. Alexakou added another six kills to put her at 13 through the first two sets. Wagner, Di Maulo, and Kathariou each had two blocks in the set.
The Johnnies jumped out in front 11-6 thanks to a kill by Rastelli before Marquette began to come back. A 7-0 run by the Golden Eagles gave them the lead, but St. John's would tie the set at 19-19 and had a 21-20 lead after an attack error by Anna Haak for Marquette. Despite breaking a set point at 24-22, the Red Storm would fall 25-23 to even the match.
St. John's fell behind 2-1 after falling 25-16 in set three despite four kills by Wood. The sophomore would finish the match with 12 kills to finish second on the Red Storm. Rastelli would add three more rejections in the third set. She would finish with nine kills to go with her six blocks.
The Red Storm dropped the match in the fourth set 25-19, ending its stay in the BIG EAST Championships. Alexakou led the way with four kills, while Wood added three blocks. The Johnnies finished with 15 blocks compared to only six for Marquette.
After falling behind 16-11, St. John's mounted one final comeback to come within one at 17-16 after Kayley Wood put up a kill to bring it to 17-16. Marquette would go on a 4-0 run after that point and would take the set 25-19.
The Red Storm will now wait for a possible berth in the NCAA or NIVC Tournaments.
Team Stats
SJU
MU
Kills
53
60
Errors
19
18
Attempts
152
148
Hitting %
.224
.284
Points
74.0
73.0
Assists
52
56
Aces
6
7
Blocks
15.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballRS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballMB/RS
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