St. John’s Takes Down Rutgers in Four Sets

Friday, September 14

Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion)

10:00 AM

St. John's University

9-3

Rutgers

5-6

St. John's

Rutgers

9/14/2018 12:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The Red Storm defeats Big Ten opponent to open Dog Pound Challenge

By: Storrs, Conn.

The Red Storm volleyball team opened up its stay in Connecticut with a four-set victory over Rutgers.

With the match tied 1-1, the Johnnies used an 18-9 run to end the third set and give St. John's momentum to take the fourth and final set.

"Today we had a great team win on the road over local-rival Rutgers from the top volleyball conference in America," Head Coach Joanne Persico said.

Four of the last five NCAA Volleyball Championships have come from the Big Ten, where Rutgers plays.

The Red Storm took the first set 25-20 behind a .433 hitting percentage and five kills each from Efrosini Alexakou and Rachele Rastelli Alexakou set a career high with 16 kills in the match. The freshman also added six blocks to pace St. John's.

Set two was a back-and-forth set that the Johnnies dropped 28-26. With the set tied at 22, a Rutgers service error and a kill by Rastelli put the Red Storm at set point up 24-22. The Scarlet Knights would go on to tie the set at 24 and eventually take it to even the match.

St. John's also fell behind in set three before making a comeback to win 25-22. The Scarlet Knights went up 8-2 early before the Johnnies started to mount a comeback. At 13-7, the Red Storm proceeded to use a combination of seven attack errors and three service errors by Rutgers as well as four service aces of its own to take the set. Amanda Sanabia had one of the aces as well as eight digs in the set. She finished the match with 19 to lead the Red Storm. Kayley Wood came up with three kills in the third as well and finished with 13 in the match.

The Johnnies carried the third-set momentum into the fourth finishing off the Scarlet Knights 25-12. Erica Di Maulo posted career assist 2,900 in the frame to go alongside the sixth double double of the season for the junior. The setter finished with 38 assists and 12 digs. Nia Diaz recorded four of her six kills in the set while Hanna Wagner posted two kills and a block in the set. Wagner finished with three kills and two blocks in the match.

The Red Storm will play Holy Cross at 4 p.m. to finish Day One of the event.