Red Storm Takes Home Opener Over Xavier

Friday, September 21

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7:00 PM

St. John's University

12-5, 1-1BE

Xavier

2-10, 0-1BE

St. John's

9/21/2018 10:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

St. John’s comeback down 2-0 to win in five sets.

By: Eric Robinson

Box Score

The St. John's volleyball team clawed its way to a 3-2 victory over Xavier in the BIG EAST Home Opener for the Red Storm.

The Johnnies dropped the first two sets before storming back and taking the next three to win the match. The Musketeers had match point in the fifth set at 14-13 before St. John's took four of the next five points to even its conference record at 1-1.

This marked just the second win over Xavier in program history and the first time the Johnnies have defeated the Musketeers at home. Kayley Wood led the way with 16 kills for St. John's, tying a career high for the sophomore. Erica Di Maulo added a season-high 60 assists, while Amanda Sanabia set a career high of her own with 32 digs in the match.

The match went back and forth all night with Xavier taking the first set 28-26 while the Musketeers hit .333 as a team. The Johnnies recorded five service aces in the set including two by Di Maulo. She tied Rachele Rastelli with three for the team lead while the team had 11 overall in the five sets.

The Red Storm had a set-point opportunity leading 26-25, but dropped the next three points to give Xavier the 1-0 match lead.

The second set was another that required extra points to be decided. Efrosini Alexakou led the charge with six kills in frame two. The freshman recorded her third double double of the season and her second in as many matches ending with 14 kills and a career-high 15 digs.

The Red Storm led 18-15 before a 5-0 run gave Xavier a two-point lead. The Johnnies came back to tie the set at 25-25 on a Xavier attack error before the Musketeers took the next two points to take the second 27-25.

St. John's took the third set 25-23 despite being blocked seven times by the Musketeers. Rastelli and Nia Diaz led the way with three kills each in the frame. Diaz ended the match with 13 kills and a .478 hitting percentage to strengthen her clip that already leads the BIG EAST (.392).

The Johnnies jumped out to a 15-9 lead early in the set and held it at 20-15 before Xavier started its comeback. The Musketeers would take the next six points to gain the lead before a kill by Wood evened the set at 21. The score remained tied at 23 before two errors by Xavier gave the Red Storm the third set.

The Johnnies continued the momentum into the fourth set, winning 25-20. Hanna Wagner hit a perfect four kills in four attempts. The junior finished with eight kills and added a team-high six blocks on the evening. The Red Storm had to battle, going down 16-13 in a must-win frame before taking the next five points behind an ace by Lexie Lobdell and kills by Wagner and Alexakou.

St. John's hit .286 as a team in the set compared to .038 for Xavier. The Musketeers would tie it again at 20-20, but a Diaz kill sparked a 5-0 run for the Red Storm that pushed the match into a deciding fifth set.

Neither team missed a serve in the final frame in a set that was decided on the third match point. Sanabia recorded 10 digs in the deciding set alone in which he score was tied on 15 separate occasions. Xavier had St. John's at a 14-13 match point opportunity for the second time in as many matches for the Red Storm, but a Kayley Wood kill extended the match.

The Musketeers again had the Johnnies on the ropes at 15-14, but an attack error gave St. John's another chance. With the set tied at 15-15, Wood hit back-to-back kills from Di Maulo to take the set 17-15 and hand the Musketeers their first loss in a conference opener since 2010, when the team was in the Atlantic 10.

St. John's will return to action Saturday afternoon against Butler at Carnesecca Arena. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m.