St. John’s Falls to Marquette in BIG EAST Semifinal

Friday, April 2

Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)

2:30 PM ET

St. John's University

10-4

Marquette University

10-3

Marquette

St. John's

Photo by: Steven Branscombe

St. John’s Falls to Marquette in BIG EAST Semifinal

4/2/2021 5:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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Efrosini Alexakou and Rachele Rastelli combined for 22 kills

By: Jared Anderson

QUEENS, N.Y. (April 2, 2021) – Coming off five consecutive league victories to close out regular season play, the top-seeded St. John's volleyball team fell to No. 2 seed Marquette in three sets on Friday in the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship.

The Golden Eagles captured the first two frames, 25-17, and 25-17, before taking the third set in extra points, 27-25.

Despite the loss, St. John's (10-4, 6-2 BIG EAST) put together another successful season this spring, winning six of its eight league matches to secure first place in the conference's East Division.

Efrosini Alexakou led both programs with 13 kills while collecting seven digs, five blocks and one assist.

Rachele Rastelli racked up nine kills, four digs, three aces and two blocks for the Red Storm.

Senior setter Tiziana Baumrukova dished out 28 assists and notched six digs. Jordan McCalla led the team with 11 digs and picked up three kills, as Ariadni Kathariou posted a match-high six blocks.

The first set opened up as a tight battle between the two programs, as a kill from Rastelli knotted the score, 5-5. Marquette (10-3, 4-2 BIG EAST) responded with a 7-1 run to go on top by six, 12-6. The Golden Eagles continued to keep the Johnnies at arm's length with another kill from Rastelli putting St. John's within six, 15-9. Marquette took the next four points, 19-9, before a kill from Alexakou sparked a 6-1 spurt to cut the deficit to five, 20-15. However, the Golden Eagles pushed ahead, picking up five of the next seven points to take the first frame, 25-17.

Marquette got off to a hot start in the second as the Golden Eagles took an early 8-1 lead. After a kill from Hannah Vanden Berg, 10-4, the Red Storm scored four straight points to come within two, 10-8. The Golden Eagles answered with a 6-2 spurt to extend its lead to six, 16-10. A late attack error from St. John's put Marquette ahead by eight, 21-13. Despite a 4-1 stanza from the Johnnies, 22-17, the Golden Eagles notched the final three points to grab the second set, 25-17, and a 2-0 match lead.

The Red Storm trailed Marquette by one at the start of the third frame, 6-5, before Marquette picked up the next five points to go on top by six, 11-5. St. John's quickly came back as a kill from Alexakou capped off a 7-1 run to set the score at 12 apiece. The Golden Eagles scored on the following two plays, 14-12, but a 5-0 stanza put the Johnnies on top by three, 17-14. As the Red Storm tried to keep its lead, 19-18, a service ace from Marquette tied the score, 19-19. St. John's kept its foot on the gas, taking another three-point lead with a pair of aces from Rastelli closing out a 4-1 spurt, 23-20. However, the Golden Eagles powered through on a 7-2 run to capture the third set in extra points, 27-25, and earn a spot in the BIG EAST Championship match.