Rastelli’s 23 Kills Leads St. John’s Past Stony Brook, 3-2

Sunday, February 14

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

2:00 PM ET

St. John's University

3-1

Stony Brook University

0-1

Stony Brook

St. John's

Rastelli’s 23 Kills Leads St. John’s Past Stony Brook, 3-2

2/14/2021 7:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The right-side hitter posted the highest kill total in the BIG EAST this season

By: Jared Anderson

QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 14, 2021) – After sweeping Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon, the St. John's volleyball team wrapped up its two-match homestand with a five-set victory against Stony Brook on Sunday at Carnesecca Arena.

The Seawolves narrowly took the first set, 25-21, before the Johnnies grabbed the second frame in extra points, 30-28. Stony Brook captured the third, 25-22, but the Red Storm responded by earning a comfortable win in the fourth, 25-15. St. John's continued to build off its momentum, closing out the match in the fifth set, 15-11.

Rachele Rastelli led the way with the best offensive performance by a BIG EAST player this season, putting down a match-high 23 kills and hitting at a .568 clip. The right-side hitter also racked up nine digs, six blocks, one service ace and one assist. Rastelli's kill total matches her career-high set in 2018 during a five-set win against Central Connecticut.

Senior setter Tiziana Baumrukova dished out 57 helpers in the win, as she collected seven digs, three kills, three blocks and one service ace. Baumrukova recorded the most assists in a single match since Erica Di Maulo notched 60 in the Red Storm's five-set win against DePaul in 2018.

Efrosini Alexakou got it done on both sides of the ball for the Johnnies, registering a double-double of 14 kills and 13 digs.

Sophomore Iliana Rodriguez produced a career-high 22 digs in the win, while junior middle blocker Ariadni Kathariou led both programs with eight blocks.

St. John's (3-1) got off to a slow start in the first set, as Stony Brook (0-1) jumped out to an early 10-5 lead. After a service error set the score at 15-11, the Red Storm rattled off a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to one, 16-15. As the set wore on, the Johnnies stayed within striking distance, 20-18. Despite a service ace from Sheena Yoshioka and an attack error with the Seawolves sitting at match point, 24-21, a service error helped give Stony Brook frame number one, 25-21.

The second set was a back-and-forth battle between the two programs with a Rastelli kill giving the Johnnies an early three-point edge, 11-8. Eleonora Tosi helped the Red Storm extend its lead midway through with a kill of her own, 15-11, but the Seawolves quickly fought back with a 3-0 spurt, 15-14. The Johnnies scored four-straight points to go out in front by four, 20-16, but Stony Brook worked its way back with a service ace giving the team a late one-point lead, 23-22. The two sides continued to trade points into extra sets, as a kill from Enitan Omolewa put the Seawolves on top, 27-26. Rastelli sent out two kills to grab the Johnnies' next two points, knotting the match at 28 apiece. An attack error from Stony Brook put the Red Storm up by one, 29-28. A kill from Tosi secured the frame for St. John's, 30-28, and tied the match score, 1-1.

St. John's came back in the third with an early 8-6 lead. After a kill from Alexakou kept the Johnnies on top by two, 9-7, the Seawolves grabbed the next four points, 11-9. Back-to-back kills from Alexakou and Kathariou knotted the score, 17-17, but Stony Brook stayed on course with a 3-0 spurt to go back up by three, 20-17. Kills from Rastelli and Jovana Askovic cut the deficit to one toward the end of the set, 23-22. However, the Seawolves took the next two points, 25-22, and a 2-1 match lead.

The Red Storm came out determined in the fourth, as the squad took a 9-5 lead. A kill from Stony Brook brought the Seawolves within three, 10-7, but the Johnnies continued to push forward with a 3-0 dash, 13-7. A service ace from Stony Brook cut the lead to two, 15-13, but St. John's unleashed an 8-1 stanza with a pair of kills from Alexakou and Rastelli giving the Red Storm a nine-point edge, 23-14. The Seawolves took the next point, 23-15, but another kill from Rastelli and an attack error helped the Johnnies push the match into a fifth set, 25-15.

The fifth and final frame proved to be another tight battle. A kill from Rastelli put the Red Storm up by two, 8-6, but the Seawolves grabbed the next two points to tie it up, 8-8. After Stony Brook went on top by two, 11-9, the momentum swung in the Johnnies' favor. St. John's went on a 6-0 run to close out the fifth set, 15-11, and secure its third win of the season.

The Red Storm will head back out on the road tomorrow to face Northeastern at the Cabot Center. The match is slated to fall underway at 4 p.m. ET.