St. John’s Drops BIG EAST Opener at Connecticut

Saturday, September 25

Storrs, C.T. (Gampel Pavillion)

5 p.m.

St. John's University

9-6,0-1Big East

Connecticut

10-4,2-0Big East

St. John's (NY)

UConn

9/25/2021 8:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Red Storm falls to Connecticut in three close sets.

STORRS, Conn. (Sept. 25, 2021) – The St. John's volleyball team fell to Connecticut in three sets during its BIG EAST opener on Saturday night.

Set scores were 25-23, 25-22 and 26-24, respectively.

The BIG EAST's leader in kills entering conference play, Rachele Rastelli led the Johnnies with a match-high 13 kills and a service ace.

Efrosini Alexakou narrowly missed a double-double, recording nine kills and 12 digs to go along with two service aces. Klara Mikelova logged six kills, nine digs and a solo block. Eleonora Tosi notched a match-high four service aces while Sheena Yoshioka tallied a team-high 11 digs.

Tiziana Baumrukova, who entered the game ranked 12th nationally in assists per set, dished out a match-high 30 helpers against the Huskies (10-4, 2-0 BIG EAST).

St. John's (9-6, 0-1 BIG EAST) and Connecticut were fairly even in most statistical categories with the exception of blocks, where the Huskies recorded 17 Red Storm's five.

With the Red Storm up 11-10 following a back-and-forth start to the first set, the Huskies took off on a 13-4 spurt to take a 23-15 lead. St. John's would not go down quietly, grabbing eight of the next nine points to pull within one, 24-23, before Connecticut closed out the set on a Red Storm attack error.

In the second set, the Red Storm fell in an early 6-0 hole before quickly responding to tie the set at seven a side. Tosi recorded two straight service aces to highlight the 7-1 spurt. The teams traded blows before a 6-0 run gave Connecticut set point at 24-17. Much like the first set, the Red Storm battled late to get within two before a Caylee Parker kill gave the Huskies the set, 25-22.

St. John's led early in the third set, 8-7, before Connecticut rattled off five straight points to take a 12-8 lead. With her team trailing 20-14, Baumrukova sent over three kills in a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead, 21-20. The Johnnies were one point away from closing the set at 24-23, but UConn answered with three straight points to take the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-0.

St. John's will continue conference play against Seton Hall on Sunday at 2 p.m. inside the Walsh Gymnasium.