St. John’s Defeats Stony Brook in Four Sets

Tuesday, September 14

Stony Brook, NY (Pritchard Gymnasium)

6 p.m.

St. John's University

7-4,0-0Big East

Stony Brook

4-7,0-0America East

St. John's (NY)

Stony Brook

9/14/2021 9:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Rachele Rastelli contributed a match-high 18 kills in the win

STONY BROOK, N.Y. (Sept. 14, 2021) – The St. John's volleyball team rolled to its sixth straight victory on Tuesday night, defeating Stony Brook in four sets at Pritchard Gymnasium.

St. John's won the first set, 25-15, before dropping the second set, 25-19. The Red Storm came back to win sets three and four by scores of 25-12, and 25-21, respectively.

Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week Rachele Rastelli led the Red Storm's efforts with 18 kills, two service aces, three blocks and three digs. On the season, the senior from Parma, Italy, is now averaging 4.4 kills per set and hitting at a .317 clip. She has recorded no fewer than 14 kills in any of her last nine appearances.

Klara Mikelova tallied 10 kills, two service aces and the lone Red Storm solo block while Ariadni Kathariou added in eight kills and three blocks. Tiziana Baumrukova, the BIG EAST's leading setter so far this season, dished out 43 assists along with a service ace and a block while Iliana Rodriguez recorded two service aces. Eleonora Tosi added in three blocks and seven kills on a .455 hitting percentage while Giorgia Walther who recorded five kills and a pair of blocks.

St. John's came out of the gate strong, using an early 5-0 run to move ahead by as many as seven in the opening minutes of the match. The Seawolves narrowed the Red Storm lead to as little as three, 15-12, before the Johnnies closed the set on a 10-3 run. Tosi tallied two kills during that final spurt.

In the second set, the Red Storm led 10-8 before Stony Brook responded with seven straight points to take a 15-10 edge. St. John's was able to get within one at 20-19, before the Seawolves went on a final 5-0 run to take the set, 25-19.

With the Johnnies leading 8-7 near the start of the third set, Kathariou tallied a kill that started an 8-1 run as part of a larger 17-5 burst to close the set. As a team, the Red Storm hit an astounding .692 in the third frame, committing just one error and recording 10 kills on 13 total attacks.

The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair, complete with eight ties and neither team taking a lead larger than four. Trailing 19-15, Stony Brook managed to knot the score at 20 before the Johnnies rattled off five of the frame's final six points, taking the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.

St. John's returns to action this weekend at the Western Kentucky Invitational starting on Friday at 11:30 a.m. The Red Storm will open against Austin Peay before facing Lipscomb and the host Hilltoppers.