St. John's University Athletics
10 for IX: Queens Native Joanne Persico Continues to Elevate St. John’s Volleyball
8/25/2022 2:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Only coach in program history enters 29th season leading the Red Storm in 2022
The following story is the fifth in a 10-part feature series celebrating the legacy of Title IX at St. John's and its effects on the generations of student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have benefited in the 50 years since its passing.
QUEENS, N.Y. – The only coach in the history of the St. John's volleyball program, Joanne Persico will begin her 29th season at the helm of the Red Storm tomorrow morning in Charleston.
The owner of more than 500 career victories in three decades leading the Johnnies, Persico's journey to coaching success began in her home borough of Queens, just a few years after Title IX's passing. Like so many generations of youth in The Five Boroughs, she first experienced organized athletics through her local CYO at St. Gregory the Great in Bellerose, where she was coached by her father in a number of sports.
When she arrived at St. Francis Prep as a high school freshman, she was thrilled to learn that the school's athletic department not only sponsored girls' sports, but actively encouraged students of both genders to participate.
Once in high school, it didn't take long for Persico to start turning heads on the volleyball court. A star setter, Persico went on to earn a scholarship offer from Syracuse, where she starred for three years before graduating early. During her final season with the Orange in 1986, Perisco was named BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Upon graduating from Syracuse, Persico began a successful career in the world of marketing and advertising, working for both CBS and Cablevision.
"I loved it," Persico said. "But it wasn't my passion."
One day while sitting in her cubicle, Persico, who had completed an MBA from St. John's in 1991 and had several familial connections to the school, saw a job posting in The Tablet, the Diocese of Brooklyn's weekly newspaper. St. John's was starting a volleyball team and looking for a coach. Despite a promising career in the private sector and the fact that she had never coached in college before, Persico knew that this was something she wanted to do.
She applied and, after interviewing with Athletic Director Jack Kaiser, was given the reins to the first varsity volleyball team in St. John's history. While the institutional support was miles ahead of what it was for the first women's teams in the mid-70s, a few obstacles still existed that Persico had not foreseen.
When she went to set up the nets for her first practice at what was then Alumni Hall, she was surprised to learn that the "sleeves," the holes in the court that anchor the net posts, did not exist. Getting sleeves installed meant performing work, no matter how small, on the court that housed the St. John's basketball teams. Persico quickly realized that this meant securing the blessing of Lou Carnesecca, the recently retired men's basketball coach. After some initial worries that the sleeves would ruin the court, Persico convinced Carnesecca with one caveat; they would use the same company that recently installed sleeves at Georgetown, meaning that the workers and their craftsmanship had been personally vetted by John Thompson Jr., Carnesecca's longtime BIG EAST rival.
Persico, who first met Carnesecca at a CYO Dinner in 1975 and asked for his autograph, enters 2022 with 525 wins at St. John's, one shy of Carnesecca's legendary mark of 526.
Persico experienced early success at St. John's, going 24-10 and reaching the 1995 BIG EAST Tournament in the program's second year of existence. Her most successful stretch came from 2006-08, when the Johnnies won three straights BIG EAST Regular Season Championships, including a combined record of 64-9 in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, the Red Storm became the first-ever team from the Tri-State Area to reach the NCAA Round of 16.
Persico attributes some of that success to the University's investment in building on-campus dormitories, which allowed her to more easily recruit talent from across and the country and around the world.
"I feel like it's getting better and better," said Persico when asked about the University's continued investment in women's athletics. "I've never felt like I had less than [men's teams]. My ladies have never felt like we didn't have what we needed to be great and to love what we do. We've grown a lot at St. John's."
For Persico, that commitment began with Kaiser, the athletic director who hired her and immediately made her feel like a valued member of the St. John's family. She recalled that during her first week on the job, Kaiser invited her to a weekly meeting of high-level University officials and made the newest coach of the school's newest sport feel valued.
Long after his retirement, Kaiser, who passed away this summer at the age of 95, remained a staunch supporter of all St. John's teams, especially the volleyball squad. After each match, Kaiser would send Persico a hand-written note applauding the team's effort, sharing detailed observations and offering suggestions.
In recognition of his longtime support, the team hosts a home tournament, The Jack Kaiser Classic, every September.
"I'm grateful to St. John's for believing in me and believing in the program, but also having an athletic department that really is collegial and wants all the teams to be great," said Persico. "I've been really lucky to coach in my hometown and build a program from scratch."
Persico continues to elevate her hometown program to new heights. In 2019, the Red Storm captured its third BIG EAST Tournament title, defeating a pair of nationally ranked opponents in Creighton and Marquette on back-to-back days. The following season, St. John's finished atop the East Division of the BIG EAST. Last fall, the Red Storm took down No. 16 Creighton at home and produced the BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year in Rachele Rastelli.
The Red Storm will begin its quest for another BIG EAST title on Friday morning at 10 a.m. against Cal Baptist in Charleston, S.C.
QUEENS, N.Y. – The only coach in the history of the St. John's volleyball program, Joanne Persico will begin her 29th season at the helm of the Red Storm tomorrow morning in Charleston.
The owner of more than 500 career victories in three decades leading the Johnnies, Persico's journey to coaching success began in her home borough of Queens, just a few years after Title IX's passing. Like so many generations of youth in The Five Boroughs, she first experienced organized athletics through her local CYO at St. Gregory the Great in Bellerose, where she was coached by her father in a number of sports.
When she arrived at St. Francis Prep as a high school freshman, she was thrilled to learn that the school's athletic department not only sponsored girls' sports, but actively encouraged students of both genders to participate.
Once in high school, it didn't take long for Persico to start turning heads on the volleyball court. A star setter, Persico went on to earn a scholarship offer from Syracuse, where she starred for three years before graduating early. During her final season with the Orange in 1986, Perisco was named BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Upon graduating from Syracuse, Persico began a successful career in the world of marketing and advertising, working for both CBS and Cablevision.
"I loved it," Persico said. "But it wasn't my passion."
One day while sitting in her cubicle, Persico, who had completed an MBA from St. John's in 1991 and had several familial connections to the school, saw a job posting in The Tablet, the Diocese of Brooklyn's weekly newspaper. St. John's was starting a volleyball team and looking for a coach. Despite a promising career in the private sector and the fact that she had never coached in college before, Persico knew that this was something she wanted to do.
She applied and, after interviewing with Athletic Director Jack Kaiser, was given the reins to the first varsity volleyball team in St. John's history. While the institutional support was miles ahead of what it was for the first women's teams in the mid-70s, a few obstacles still existed that Persico had not foreseen.
When she went to set up the nets for her first practice at what was then Alumni Hall, she was surprised to learn that the "sleeves," the holes in the court that anchor the net posts, did not exist. Getting sleeves installed meant performing work, no matter how small, on the court that housed the St. John's basketball teams. Persico quickly realized that this meant securing the blessing of Lou Carnesecca, the recently retired men's basketball coach. After some initial worries that the sleeves would ruin the court, Persico convinced Carnesecca with one caveat; they would use the same company that recently installed sleeves at Georgetown, meaning that the workers and their craftsmanship had been personally vetted by John Thompson Jr., Carnesecca's longtime BIG EAST rival.
Persico, who first met Carnesecca at a CYO Dinner in 1975 and asked for his autograph, enters 2022 with 525 wins at St. John's, one shy of Carnesecca's legendary mark of 526.
Persico experienced early success at St. John's, going 24-10 and reaching the 1995 BIG EAST Tournament in the program's second year of existence. Her most successful stretch came from 2006-08, when the Johnnies won three straights BIG EAST Regular Season Championships, including a combined record of 64-9 in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, the Red Storm became the first-ever team from the Tri-State Area to reach the NCAA Round of 16.
Persico attributes some of that success to the University's investment in building on-campus dormitories, which allowed her to more easily recruit talent from across and the country and around the world.
"I feel like it's getting better and better," said Persico when asked about the University's continued investment in women's athletics. "I've never felt like I had less than [men's teams]. My ladies have never felt like we didn't have what we needed to be great and to love what we do. We've grown a lot at St. John's."
For Persico, that commitment began with Kaiser, the athletic director who hired her and immediately made her feel like a valued member of the St. John's family. She recalled that during her first week on the job, Kaiser invited her to a weekly meeting of high-level University officials and made the newest coach of the school's newest sport feel valued.
Long after his retirement, Kaiser, who passed away this summer at the age of 95, remained a staunch supporter of all St. John's teams, especially the volleyball squad. After each match, Kaiser would send Persico a hand-written note applauding the team's effort, sharing detailed observations and offering suggestions.
In recognition of his longtime support, the team hosts a home tournament, The Jack Kaiser Classic, every September.
"I'm grateful to St. John's for believing in me and believing in the program, but also having an athletic department that really is collegial and wants all the teams to be great," said Persico. "I've been really lucky to coach in my hometown and build a program from scratch."
Persico continues to elevate her hometown program to new heights. In 2019, the Red Storm captured its third BIG EAST Tournament title, defeating a pair of nationally ranked opponents in Creighton and Marquette on back-to-back days. The following season, St. John's finished atop the East Division of the BIG EAST. Last fall, the Red Storm took down No. 16 Creighton at home and produced the BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year in Rachele Rastelli.
The Red Storm will begin its quest for another BIG EAST title on Friday morning at 10 a.m. against Cal Baptist in Charleston, S.C.
Players Mentioned
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