St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, September 7
Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)
12:00 PM
St. John's University
4-3
3
vs
0
Howard
2-5
1
2
3
F
Howard
23
21
20
0
St. John's
25
25
25
3
St. John’s Wins Fourth-Straight Jack Kaiser Classic
9/7/2019 4:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Red Storm knocked off Howard in three sets to go undefeated in the sixth-annual event
QUEENS, N.Y. (Sept. 7, 2019) – The St. John's volleyball team won the 2019 Jack Kaiser Classic for the fourth consecutive season after defeating Howard in straight sets on Saturday afternoon inside Carnesecca Arena.
After picking up 3-0 wins against Columbia and Canisius on Friday, St. John's also defeated Howard by scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20.
Efrosini Alexakou, Erica Di Maulo, Rachele Rastelli and Ariadni Kathariou were named to the All-Tournament Team following stellar performances over the two-day slate. Alexakou was named tournament MVP after registering a team-high 35 kills and 3.89 kills per set in three contests. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter also recorded 15 digs and five blocks.
Former Jack Kaiser Classic MVP Di Maulo racked up 100 assists and dug out 11 balls over the weekend, posting 11.1 assists per set. She dished out a tournament-high 35 of her 100 helpers in Saturday's matchup with Howard. The senior setter also became just the fourth Johnnie in program history to reach the 4,000-assist mark. Di Maulo's 4,020 career assists rank fourth all-time.
In the Red Storm's final contest against the Bison, Alexakou and junior outside hitter Klara Mikelova each recorded 11 kills while Rastelli put down 10 of her own.
The Johnnies kicked off the first set by jumping out to an early 7-3 lead following two service errors from the Bison. Howard fought back midway through the set, recording a pair of 4-0 runs to tie the game at 22. Alexakou and Rastelli each registered a kill to stop the Bison's run and lift the Johnnies in set one, 25-23.
Both programs struggled to garner a lead in the second set, as St. John's and Howard remained within just one point of each other throughout the majority of the frame. The Johnnies went on to take a six-point advantage, 21-15, before the Bison closed in with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 21-19. Rastelli countered Howard's run by closing out the set with three of the team's final four kills to win, 25-21.
The Red Storm and the Bison exchanged points through the third set, with neither team able to extend its lead past two, until the Johnnies went on a 5-0 run to take a 23-19 lead. A kill from Maria Angelica Palacios and a service ace from Rastelli closed out the set, giving the Johnnies their third-straight 3-0 win of the tournament, 25-20.
St. John's will head to Hempstead, N.Y., for a midweek contest against Hofstra on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
FINAL STANDINGS:
2019 Jack Kaiser Classic All-Tournament Team:
Efrosini Alexakou – St. John's (MVP)
Erica Di Maulo – St. John's
Rachele Rastelli – St. John's
Ariadni Kathariou – St. John's
Cassidy Ceriani – Canisius
Leah Simmons – Canisius
Chichi Ikwuazom – Columbia
Emily Teehan – Columbia
Jurnee Tipton – Howard
Kailyn Williams – Howard
Tamar Wells – Howard
After picking up 3-0 wins against Columbia and Canisius on Friday, St. John's also defeated Howard by scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20.
Efrosini Alexakou, Erica Di Maulo, Rachele Rastelli and Ariadni Kathariou were named to the All-Tournament Team following stellar performances over the two-day slate. Alexakou was named tournament MVP after registering a team-high 35 kills and 3.89 kills per set in three contests. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter also recorded 15 digs and five blocks.
Former Jack Kaiser Classic MVP Di Maulo racked up 100 assists and dug out 11 balls over the weekend, posting 11.1 assists per set. She dished out a tournament-high 35 of her 100 helpers in Saturday's matchup with Howard. The senior setter also became just the fourth Johnnie in program history to reach the 4,000-assist mark. Di Maulo's 4,020 career assists rank fourth all-time.
In the Red Storm's final contest against the Bison, Alexakou and junior outside hitter Klara Mikelova each recorded 11 kills while Rastelli put down 10 of her own.
The Johnnies kicked off the first set by jumping out to an early 7-3 lead following two service errors from the Bison. Howard fought back midway through the set, recording a pair of 4-0 runs to tie the game at 22. Alexakou and Rastelli each registered a kill to stop the Bison's run and lift the Johnnies in set one, 25-23.
Both programs struggled to garner a lead in the second set, as St. John's and Howard remained within just one point of each other throughout the majority of the frame. The Johnnies went on to take a six-point advantage, 21-15, before the Bison closed in with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 21-19. Rastelli countered Howard's run by closing out the set with three of the team's final four kills to win, 25-21.
The Red Storm and the Bison exchanged points through the third set, with neither team able to extend its lead past two, until the Johnnies went on a 5-0 run to take a 23-19 lead. A kill from Maria Angelica Palacios and a service ace from Rastelli closed out the set, giving the Johnnies their third-straight 3-0 win of the tournament, 25-20.
St. John's will head to Hempstead, N.Y., for a midweek contest against Hofstra on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
FINAL STANDINGS:
- St. John's: 3-0
- Columbia: 2-1
- Howard: 1-2
- Canisius: 0-3
2019 Jack Kaiser Classic All-Tournament Team:
Efrosini Alexakou – St. John's (MVP)
Erica Di Maulo – St. John's
Rachele Rastelli – St. John's
Ariadni Kathariou – St. John's
Cassidy Ceriani – Canisius
Leah Simmons – Canisius
Chichi Ikwuazom – Columbia
Emily Teehan – Columbia
Jurnee Tipton – Howard
Kailyn Williams – Howard
Tamar Wells – Howard
Team Stats
HOW
SJU
Kills
45
39
Errors
20
13
Attempts
105
87
Hitting %
.238
.299
Points
49.0
49.0
Assists
42
38
Aces
3
4
Blocks
1.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballRS
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