St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
19-12,10-8Big East
Georgetown
4-25,2-16Big East
St. John’s Sweeps Georgetown in Regular Season Finale
11/20/2022 4:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Red Storm earns the fourth seed in the BIG EAST Championships
QUEENS, N.Y. (NOV. 18, 2022) – The St. John's volleyball team swept Georgetown in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon in a packed Carnesecca Arena.
The Red Storm finishes the regular season 19-12 overall and 10-8 in the BIG East. The Johnnies will start postseason play on Wednesday in the first quarterfinal of the BIG EAST Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. The Red Storm will be the fourth seed and will play the fifth-seeded Connecticut Huskies at 2 p.m. E.T. on Wednesday. Georgetown concludes its season 4-24, 2-16.
Before the match, the Red Storm honored five players and two student support staff on senior day. The Johnnies recognized graduate students, Rachele Rastelli and Sheena Yoshioka, seniors Iliana Rodriguez and Mimi Larry, and graduating junior Angela Crosetti. St. John's also honored graduating student manager, Janeva Holland, and athletic trainer, Kate Matava.
Lucrezia Lodi notched her eighth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 11 digs. Rastelli co-led the team with Lodi with 15 kills. Giorgia Walther was the other Johnnie to notch double-digit kills, with 12.
Wiktoria Kowalczyk tallied a match-high 34 helpers.
Freshman Ludovica Zola led the team with five blocks in the contest.
The Red Storm asserted its dominance in the first set. After being tied 1-1, the Johnnies broke out on a 4-0 spurt fueled by three Rastelli kills. After a Georgetown point, the Red Storm strung seven more points together to take a commanding 11-2 lead. The Hoyas were able to cut the deficit to 12-8, but the Johnnies closed out the Hoyas, 25-19. Rastelli led all individuals with seven kills hitting at a .545 clip.
In the second frame, the Hoyas posed a threat throughout the entirety of the stanza. In a set that featured four ties and four lead changes the Hoyas held a late lead 20-17. The Red Storm responded with a 4-0 burst to take a one point lead, 21-20. The two teams traded points until a kill by Walther tied the score at 22. Magda Stambrowska broke the tie on an ace before Walther culminated the comeback with a booming kill giving St. John's the 25-23 victory.
The thrilling third set included nine ties and four lead changes. The Red Storm started out of the gates hot, leading 6-2. But, the Hoyas weren't going to go down easily. Georgetown tied the frame at 13 and a back-and-forth battle ensued. Neither team was able to establish a safe lead until the Hoyas had set point, leading 24-22. The Red Storm fought back with a kill by Lodi and back-to-back kills by Walther to give the Johnnies set point advantage. Neither team wanted to give up, with the score tied for the final time at 26. Walther silenced the Hoyas with a pair of booming kills to finish the sweep on a 28-26 victory.
The Red Storm will travel to Omaha, Nebraska for the BIG EAST Championships starting on Wednesday November 23rd. Fourth-seeded St. John's will face fifth-seed UConn at 2 p.m. E.T. in the first quarterfinal. The winner will then advance to battle the top-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles on Friday, November 25th at 5 p.m. E.T.
