St. John’s Picks Up 3-1 Win Over Fordham in Season Opener

Wednesday, February 3

Bronx, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gymnasium)

5:00 PM (ET)

St. John's University

1-0,0-0Big East

Fordham University

0-1,0-0Atlantic 10

St. John's (NY)

Fordham

St. John’s Picks Up 3-1 Win Over Fordham in Season Opener

2/3/2021 8:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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Efrosini Alexakou led both teams with a match-high 16 kills

By: Jared Anderson

QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 3, 2021) – The St. John's volleyball team picked up its first win of the season on Wednesday night, defeating Fordham in four sets inside Rose Hill Gymnasium.

The Rams took the opening frame, 25-20, but the Johnnies quickly found their footing and captured the second set, 25-20. The Red Storm dominated Fordham in the third, 25-10, before closing out the match in the fourth frame, 26-24, securing its first win of the spring 2021 season.

Efrosini Alexakou was a force for St. John's on the offensive end, putting down a match-high 16 kills. The BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year posted also notched 11 digs and three blocks in the win.

Senior Klara Mikelova racked up 15 kills and posted a .303 hitting percentage, as right side hitter Rachele Rastelli added 11 kills of her own.

Tiziana Baumrukova registered a double-double of 46 assists and 10 digs while junior Sheena Yoshioka led both teams with 21 digs and collected two service aces. Senior Maria Angelica Palacios recorded nine blocks on the night.

The Rams got out to a hot start in the opening set, taking an early 7-3 lead. The Red Storm quickly cut away at the deficit to bring it within two, 9-11. A kill from Eleonora Tosi and back-to-back attack errors from Fordham gave St. John's the lead midway through the frame, 12-11. The two teams continued to exchange points as a setting error from McKenna Lahr kept the Johnnies out in front, 20-19. However, the Rams bounced back and put together a 6-0 run to take the first set, 25-20.

Neither team was able to pull away at the start of the second frame, as an attack error from Fordham knotted the score, 9-9. A kill from Ariadni Kathariou gave the Red Storm a two-point lead, 18-16, but an attack error kept the Rams within striking distance, 18-17. St. John's continued to push forward, going on a quick 4-0 run, 22-17. As Fordham tried to its way back, 24-20, an attack error helped the Johnnies secure the second frame, 25-20.

St. John's came out swinging in the third set, as a service ace from Yoshioka put the Red Storm out in front by four, 9-5. After a service error from Alexakou set the score at 13-9, the Johnnies erupted on an 11-0 scoring run with a kill from Mikelova giving St. John's a 15-point lead, 24-9. The Rams picked up the following point, 24-10, but a kill from Palacios gave the Red Storm the third set, 25-10, and a 2-1 match lead.

St. John's got off to a slow start in the fourth frame, 9-14. Back-to-back kills from Mikelova tied up the score, 15-15, but Fordham picked up the next two points to stay out in front, 17-15. The two sides continued to trade blows as a kill from Rastelli tied things up late in the frame, 23-23. Fordham took the next point, 24-23, but a kill from Mikelova and two attack errors from the Rams allowed the Red Storm to take the fourth set, 26-24, and secure its first win of the season.

The Johnnies travel to Philadelphia this Saturday to take on Temple inside McGonigle Hall. The start time is slated for 3 p.m. ET.