St. John’s Opens Conference Play with Four-Set Win Over DePaul

Friday, September 27

Chicago, Ill. (McGrath-Phillips Arena)

8:00 PM (ET)

St. John's University

9-4

DePaul

8-6

St. John's (NY)

DePaul

St. John’s Opens Conference Play with Four-Set Win Over DePaul

9/27/2019 11:25:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Red Storm extends its win streak to three and moves to 9-5 on the season

By: Jared Anderson

            CHICAGO, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2019) – Since capping off non-conference play with two victories over power five programs, the St. John's volleyball team carried that momentum into BIG EAST play, defeating DePaul in four sets inside the McGrath-Phillips Arena on Friday night.

            St. John's (9-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) took the first set, 25-22, before DePaul captured the second in extra points to tie the match back up, 27-25. The Red Storm then went on to win the final two sets, 25-22, and 25-21, picking up its first league victory of the season.

            Reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week Efrosini Alexakou was a force for the Johnnies, putting down a game-high 23 kills while also collecting five digs and one block. Sophomore Rachele Rastelli notched a double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs for the Red Storm, while middle blocker Ariadni Kathariou led the field with six blocks.

            Senior setter Erica Di Maulo dished out a game-high 38 helpers and recorded nine digs. The Milan, Italy, native ranks fourth all-time with 4,287 assists.

            The first set kicked off as a stalemate between both teams, with the score standing at 7-7 early on. The Johnnies continued to push the pace, but DePaul (8-6, 0-2 BIG EAST) would eventually garner a two-point lead midway through the frame, 16-14. After knotting the score at 19, a kill and a block from Kathariou capped off a 5-0 run to put St. John's at match point, 24-19. The Johnnies held onto the lead late in the frame, capturing the first, 25-20.

            As the second frame fell underway, neither side was able to grab a comfortable lead in the opening minutes. An attack error from DePaul's Isabelle Banez, tied the score up at seven before a 3-0 spurt from the Blue Demons put the team out ahead, 13-9. A block from Maria Angelica Palacios and a service ace from Rastelli pushed the Johnnies back out in front, 20-18. After DePaul went on another 3-0 run to establish a one-point lead, an Alexakou kill later tied up the score, 24-24. Despite the Red Storm pushing the set into extra points, the Blue Demons went on to close out the second, 27-25.

            St. John's kicked off the third in another tight contest with DePaul, as a service error from the Blue Demons tied up the score, 8-8. After trailing 10-8, the Johnnies put together a 5-0 run behind back-to-back service aces from Klara Mikelova to capture a three-point lead, 13-10. DePaul later cut the deficit to two, 18-16, but a block and kill from Palacios helped St. John's stand its ground, 20-17. Despite the Blue Demons making another 3-0 push late in the set to come within one, 21-20, the Red Storm refused to let up and took a 2-1 lead in the match by taking set three, 25-22.

            The fourth set started off with both sides unable to move ahead by more than two points after a kill from DePaul's Avarie Evans-Allen evened the score, 6-6. The Johnnies then manufactured a 6-2 run to establish a four-point lead, 12-8. Kills from Alexakou and Di Maulo later put St. John's up by five, 14-9, forcing DePaul to take a timeout. While the Blue Demons managed to cut the deficit to two, 16-14, a 4-0 Red Storm run kept the Johnnies on top, 20-14. DePaul once again brought the score within two at the end of the frame, but kills from Palacios and Di Maulo helped seal the deal, 25-21, and gave St. John's its first conference win of the season.

            The Johnnies now travel to Milwaukee, Wis. to face No. 10 Marquette on Saturday night inside the Al McGuire Center. The start time is slated for 6 p.m. ET.