St. John's University Athletics
Tuesday, March 23
Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)
5 PM ET
St. John's University
vs
Villanova University
St. John’s Secures Spot in BIG EAST Tournament, Closes Regular Season against Villanova on Tuesday
3/22/2021 5:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The reigning BIG EAST champions will head to Omaha for the 2021 conference tournament
QUEENS, N.Y. (March 22, 2021) – The reigning BIG EAST Champions will officially return to the conference tournament on April 2-3, which will be held in Omaha at Creighton's D.J. Sokol Arena. The St. John's volleyball team's sweep of Providence over the weekend, along with Villanova's loss to Seton Hall on Saturday night, helped the Red Storm clinch its third straight playoff berth.
St. John's (9-3, 5-2 BIG EAST) will host the Wildcats (4-3, 3-2 BIG EAST) at Carnesecca Arena for its final regular season contest on Tuesday.
The two programs are set to square off at 5 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network's YouTube channel.
The Red Storm has won its last four league contests. The Johnnies picked up a pair of victories against the Pirates on March 12 and March 13 before earning back-to-back wins over the Friars on Friday and Saturday.
"The road to Omaha this year was perhaps the most challenging one ever, as our strongest and most dangerous opponent was COVID-19," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "I am extremely pleased to work at a university that lets me thank God publicly for keeping our players and all of their parents safe. Our team continues to exhibit tremendous mental toughness and adaptability. This has enabled them to continue to improve throughout the year and compete at the highest level, even though training and game protocols were so different for everyone involved."
St. John's currently leads the conference in team hitting percentage (.254), kills per set (13.93), and assists per set (13.2) this season. The Red Storm also ranks first in league's East Division.
"Our team is pumped up to be representing our prestigious university, New York City community, friends, and family in Omaha, as we compete for the opportunity to bring home our sixth BIG EAST trophy," said Persico. "I could not be more proud of our squad."
Rachele Rastelli sits in first place on the BIG EAST leaderboard with 4.90 points per set and 4.24 kills per set this spring. Efrosini Alexakou ranks second in the league with 4.45 points per set and 4.15 kills per set.
Tiziana Baumrukova also ranks sixth in the nation with a conference-leading 11.62 assists per set this season.
Villanova enters Tuesday's contest after suffering a five-set loss to Seton Hall at home on Saturday. The Wildcats are currently ranked second in the league standings behind St. John's.
Freshman Riley Homer leads the team with 74 kills this season, averaging 3.08 kills per set.
Graduate student Averi Salvador ranks third in the conference with 4.65 digs per set. The Wildcats' libero also sits in second on the BIG EAST leaderboard with 0.45 aces per set.
Freshman middle blocker Kiera Booth was named the league's freshman of the week on March 16.
The Red Storm will look to avenge its four-set loss to Villanova earlier this month.
St. John's (9-3, 5-2 BIG EAST) will host the Wildcats (4-3, 3-2 BIG EAST) at Carnesecca Arena for its final regular season contest on Tuesday.
The two programs are set to square off at 5 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network's YouTube channel.
The Red Storm has won its last four league contests. The Johnnies picked up a pair of victories against the Pirates on March 12 and March 13 before earning back-to-back wins over the Friars on Friday and Saturday.
"The road to Omaha this year was perhaps the most challenging one ever, as our strongest and most dangerous opponent was COVID-19," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "I am extremely pleased to work at a university that lets me thank God publicly for keeping our players and all of their parents safe. Our team continues to exhibit tremendous mental toughness and adaptability. This has enabled them to continue to improve throughout the year and compete at the highest level, even though training and game protocols were so different for everyone involved."
St. John's currently leads the conference in team hitting percentage (.254), kills per set (13.93), and assists per set (13.2) this season. The Red Storm also ranks first in league's East Division.
"Our team is pumped up to be representing our prestigious university, New York City community, friends, and family in Omaha, as we compete for the opportunity to bring home our sixth BIG EAST trophy," said Persico. "I could not be more proud of our squad."
Rachele Rastelli sits in first place on the BIG EAST leaderboard with 4.90 points per set and 4.24 kills per set this spring. Efrosini Alexakou ranks second in the league with 4.45 points per set and 4.15 kills per set.
Tiziana Baumrukova also ranks sixth in the nation with a conference-leading 11.62 assists per set this season.
Villanova enters Tuesday's contest after suffering a five-set loss to Seton Hall at home on Saturday. The Wildcats are currently ranked second in the league standings behind St. John's.
Freshman Riley Homer leads the team with 74 kills this season, averaging 3.08 kills per set.
Graduate student Averi Salvador ranks third in the conference with 4.65 digs per set. The Wildcats' libero also sits in second on the BIG EAST leaderboard with 0.45 aces per set.
Freshman middle blocker Kiera Booth was named the league's freshman of the week on March 16.
The Red Storm will look to avenge its four-set loss to Villanova earlier this month.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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