St. John’s Falls to Temple in Three Sets

Saturday, February 6

Philadelphia, Pa. (McGonigle Hall)

3:00 PM ET

St. John's University

1-1,0-0Big East

Temple University

4-0,0-0AAC

St. John's (NY)

Temple

2/6/2021 5:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The Red Storm fell to the Owls in its second match of the spring 2021 season

By: Jared Anderson

Philadelphia, Pa. (Feb. 6, 2021) – The St. John's volleyball team dropped its second match of the season to Temple on Saturday afternoon at McGonigle Hall.

Set scores were 25-23, 25-20 and 25-17, all in favor of the Owls.

Efrosini Alexakou led the team with 13 kills while posting a .320 hitting percentage. Rachele Rastelli recorded 10 kills, five blocks and three digs.

Tiziana Baumrukova dished out 31 helpers for the Red Storm and collected four digs. Middle blocker Maria Angelica Palacios registered a match-high four blocks.

The two programs both struggled to take the lead early in the opening set, as a kill from Klara Mikelova knotted the score at 5-5. Back-to-back kills helped the Owls establish a three-point lead, 10-7, but the Johnnies quickly responded with a kill from Alexakou cutting the deficit to two, 10-8. After Temple went out in front, 19-18, late in the frame, the Red Storm grabbed the next two points to go on top by one, 20-19. The Owls worked their way back as an attack error from the Johnnies put Temple at match point, 24-22. Despite Rastelli putting down a kill on the following play, 24-23, a kill from Peyton Boyd helped give the Owls the first set, 25-23.

Temple grabbed a one-point lead to start off the second frame, 5-4, but St. John's responded with a 5-1 scoring to go up by three, 9-6. The two sides continued to trade points before the Owls rattled off three-straight kills to go on top by three, 15-12. The Red Storm picked up the next three points to knot the score at 15 apiece. Temple regained the lead late in the set, as a kill from Alexakou kept the Red Storm within two, 20-18. However, the Owls continued to push forward with a kill from Miray Bolukbasi giving Temple the second frame, 25-20, and a 2-0 match lead.

The Owls got off to a hot start in the third, taking a quick 7-1 edge over the Johnnies. A kill from Ariadni Kathariou cut the deficit to four, 10-6, but Temple kept its foot on the gas, taking an eight-point lead midway through the frame, 17-9. Despite the Red Storm's efforts to come back, 21-16, the Owls continued to push ahead and close out the third, 25-17, defeating St. John's in three sets.

The Johnnies return to action on Saturday, Feb. 13, when St. John's takes on Sacred Heart in its home opener inside Carnesecca Arena. The match is scheduled to fall underway at 2 p.m. ET.