St. John's University Athletics
Friday, August 27
Orlando, Fla (The Venue at UCF)
4 p.m.
St. John's University
0-1,0-0Big East
0
vs
3
Penn State
1-1,0-0Big Ten
1
2
3
F
St. John's (NY)
14
22
9
0
Penn St.
25
25
25
3
St. John’s Drops Season Opener to No. 12 Penn State
8/27/2021 6:38:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Efrosini Alexakou posted a match-high 10 kills in the Johnnie’s three-set loss
The St. John's volleyball team fell to No. 12 Penn State in three sets during its season opener at The Venue at UCF on Friday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions took the first frame, 25-14, but only narrowly secured the second set, 25-22. Penn State closed out the match in the third, 25-9.
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Efrosini Alexakou put down a match-high 10 kills. The senior also collected nine digs and one block.
Sophomore Eleonora Tosi added six kills while setter Tiziana Baumrukova notched a team- high 24 assists.
The Red Storm came out of the gate strong, taking a 6-5 lead in the first set. After Penn State recorded the next four points to move ahead by three, St. John's kept it close before a Kaitlin Hord kill sparked a 12-3 run to close the set for the Nittany Lions.
The Red Storm held its own at the start of the second frame, staying within four points before Penn State scored three straight to move ahead 14-7. Kills by Rachele Rastelli and Ariadni Kathariou, however, kick-started a 4-0 run to quickly pull the Johnnies back within three. With the Johnnies trailing by five, 18-13, Giorgia Walther kill began a 6-1 spurt to tie the set at 19. Alexakou punctuated the run with consecutive kills. Penn State jumped back ahead with four straight points before closing out the set, 25-22.
The third set started like the others, with the Johnnies holding their own against the No. 12 Nittany Lions. The Red Storm trailed by just two, 7-5, before an Adanna Rollins kill began 17-4 Penn State run to close the final set, 25-9.
The Red Storm returns to action against UCF tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN +.
The Nittany Lions took the first frame, 25-14, but only narrowly secured the second set, 25-22. Penn State closed out the match in the third, 25-9.
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Efrosini Alexakou put down a match-high 10 kills. The senior also collected nine digs and one block.
Sophomore Eleonora Tosi added six kills while setter Tiziana Baumrukova notched a team- high 24 assists.
The Red Storm came out of the gate strong, taking a 6-5 lead in the first set. After Penn State recorded the next four points to move ahead by three, St. John's kept it close before a Kaitlin Hord kill sparked a 12-3 run to close the set for the Nittany Lions.
The Red Storm held its own at the start of the second frame, staying within four points before Penn State scored three straight to move ahead 14-7. Kills by Rachele Rastelli and Ariadni Kathariou, however, kick-started a 4-0 run to quickly pull the Johnnies back within three. With the Johnnies trailing by five, 18-13, Giorgia Walther kill began a 6-1 spurt to tie the set at 19. Alexakou punctuated the run with consecutive kills. Penn State jumped back ahead with four straight points before closing out the set, 25-22.
The third set started like the others, with the Johnnies holding their own against the No. 12 Nittany Lions. The Red Storm trailed by just two, 7-5, before an Adanna Rollins kill began 17-4 Penn State run to close the final set, 25-9.
The Red Storm returns to action against UCF tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN +.
Team Stats
SJU
PSU
Kills
31
35
Errors
26
7
Attempts
98
78
Hitting %
.051
.359
Points
37
57
Assists
27
31
Aces
1
7
Blocks
5
15
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballRH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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