St. John's University Athletics
Friday, August 26
Charleston, S.C. (Buccaneer Fieldhouse)
10 a.m.
St. John's University
vs
California Baptist
St. John’s to Open Season at VolleyBucs VolleyPalooza
8/25/2022 9:50:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Red Storm to face Cal Baptist, Charleston Southern and App State in opening tournament
QUEENS, N.Y. (Aug. 25, 2022) – The St. John's volleyball team will kick off its 2022 campaign in South Carolina on Friday morning when it faces off against a trio of unfamiliar foes.
St. John's will start the tournament against Cal Baptist at 10 a.m. inside the Buccaneer Fieldhouse. The Red Storm will then take on App State the next day at 1 p.m. The Johnnies will then close things out with their second matchup of the day, facing off against tournament host Charleston Southern at 5 p.m. The Red Storm's matchup with Charleston Southern will be streamed on ESPN +. Live stats for all three matches will be available on CSUSports.com.
The Red Storm will battle with Cal Baptist and Charleston Southern for the first time in program history and will meet App State for the first time since 1998.
Joanne Persico, the only head coach in program history, enters her 29th season at the helm of the Red Storm volleyball program. The Johnnies will begin their quest for a fourth BIG EAST regular season title, third BIG EAST Tournament Championship, and third NCAA Tournament appearance.
After finishing seventh in the BIG EAST in 2021, the program was picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Rachele Rastelli was unanimously chosen to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. This marks the third consecutive season Rastelli has been named to the preseason team and the second time she has done so in unanimous fashion.
Rastelli is set to cap her St. John's career this season. Last season, the Parma, Italy, native became the 16th player in program history to earn national recognition status as she was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and named to the AVCA All-Region team for the second time in her career. She led the BIG EAST with 4.44 kills per set and 5.19 points per frame over the course of the season.
Rastelli posted 10 or more kills in 25 of her 28 appearances with six outings of 20-plus kills and two 30-plus kill performances, including a career-high 35 kills at Georgetown on Oct. 29, 2021. On the national stage, Rastelli finished the season ranked within the top 50 of four different statistical categories.
Giorgia Walther, a member of the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team, enters her sophomore season ready to step up. Last season, the Cannobio, Italy, native played in 119 sets and appeared in all 32 matches for the Red Storm. Walther recorded 335 kills, 147 digs, 49.0 blocks and nine service aces over the course of her freshman campaign. She was tabbed to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 22 after she led the team in kills in two matches including 17 kills against Providence on Nov. 19.
Four newcomers are set to join the Red Storm in 2022 as well. Erin Jones comes from Albuquerque, N.M., where she won three consecutive state championships with La Cueva High School and was named to the AVCA All-American Watch. From overseas, the Johnnies welcome three freshmen in Magda Stambrowska, Lucrezia Lodi and Ludovica Zola. Stambrowska comes from Katowice, Poland, where she was selected as the best blocker in Poland in 2021. Zola and Lodi both hail from Italy and will continue the Red Storm's strong legacy of Italian players.
During the offseason, the volleyball program welcomed Ryan Cole as its Assistant Coach. The Holbrook, N.Y., native arrived in Queens, after serving as the head coach of the Purchase College men's and women's volleyball programs for four years. Prior to coaching, Cole enjoyed a decorated playing career at SUNY New Paltz from 2014-18. Cole was a member of the 2016 Division III National Championship team and earned all-conference honors in his final season.
Cal Baptist was chosen to finish sixth in the WAC preseason poll after ending last season in a tie for fourth place. The Lancers concluded the season with a 13-11 overall record and an 8-6 mark in conference play. The Lancers return 12 players from their 2021 roster, including All-WAC Second Team member Christine Graf. The senior capped off last season with 227 kills over 84 sets while averaging 3.0 points per set. Alongside Graf, the squad includes WAC All-Freshmen team member Laura Walewska who averaged 0.75 blocks per set and 1.51 kills per set during her freshman campaign.
App State is in its first season under Head Coach Sarah Rumely Noble and was projected to finish last in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. Last season, the Mountaineers went 7-22 and fell in the first round of the conference tournament to Louisiana. The Mountaineers return McCall Denny, who led the squad with 302 kills over 94 sets last season. Denny also paced the team with 3.46 blocks per set and finished second on the team with 199 digs. Defensively, App State will look to sophomore Lulu Ambrose, who ranked third on the team with 40 total blocks and finished with 46 digs across 92 sets.
St. John's won the lone matchup between the teams in 1998 in a 3-0 sweep.
Charleston Southern heads into the 2022 season after a 2021 campaign that saw the Buccaneers finish in seventh place in the Big South with a 5-11 conference record and a 9-17 overall mark. The Buccaneers return all six of their starters and their libero from last season, including All-Big South First Team member Peyton Thompson. The graduate student was tabbed to the league's team after leading the conference in both kills (386) and kills per set (4.06). Thompson was the only player in the Big South to average more than four kills per set. Charleston Southern also returns Indigo Young. Young, a junior, was named to the All-Big South Freshman team following her debut campaign and ranked second on the team with 45 blocks over 94 sets during her sophomore year.
St. John's will start the tournament against Cal Baptist at 10 a.m. inside the Buccaneer Fieldhouse. The Red Storm will then take on App State the next day at 1 p.m. The Johnnies will then close things out with their second matchup of the day, facing off against tournament host Charleston Southern at 5 p.m. The Red Storm's matchup with Charleston Southern will be streamed on ESPN +. Live stats for all three matches will be available on CSUSports.com.
The Red Storm will battle with Cal Baptist and Charleston Southern for the first time in program history and will meet App State for the first time since 1998.
Joanne Persico, the only head coach in program history, enters her 29th season at the helm of the Red Storm volleyball program. The Johnnies will begin their quest for a fourth BIG EAST regular season title, third BIG EAST Tournament Championship, and third NCAA Tournament appearance.
After finishing seventh in the BIG EAST in 2021, the program was picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Rachele Rastelli was unanimously chosen to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. This marks the third consecutive season Rastelli has been named to the preseason team and the second time she has done so in unanimous fashion.
Rastelli is set to cap her St. John's career this season. Last season, the Parma, Italy, native became the 16th player in program history to earn national recognition status as she was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and named to the AVCA All-Region team for the second time in her career. She led the BIG EAST with 4.44 kills per set and 5.19 points per frame over the course of the season.
Rastelli posted 10 or more kills in 25 of her 28 appearances with six outings of 20-plus kills and two 30-plus kill performances, including a career-high 35 kills at Georgetown on Oct. 29, 2021. On the national stage, Rastelli finished the season ranked within the top 50 of four different statistical categories.
Giorgia Walther, a member of the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team, enters her sophomore season ready to step up. Last season, the Cannobio, Italy, native played in 119 sets and appeared in all 32 matches for the Red Storm. Walther recorded 335 kills, 147 digs, 49.0 blocks and nine service aces over the course of her freshman campaign. She was tabbed to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 22 after she led the team in kills in two matches including 17 kills against Providence on Nov. 19.
Four newcomers are set to join the Red Storm in 2022 as well. Erin Jones comes from Albuquerque, N.M., where she won three consecutive state championships with La Cueva High School and was named to the AVCA All-American Watch. From overseas, the Johnnies welcome three freshmen in Magda Stambrowska, Lucrezia Lodi and Ludovica Zola. Stambrowska comes from Katowice, Poland, where she was selected as the best blocker in Poland in 2021. Zola and Lodi both hail from Italy and will continue the Red Storm's strong legacy of Italian players.
During the offseason, the volleyball program welcomed Ryan Cole as its Assistant Coach. The Holbrook, N.Y., native arrived in Queens, after serving as the head coach of the Purchase College men's and women's volleyball programs for four years. Prior to coaching, Cole enjoyed a decorated playing career at SUNY New Paltz from 2014-18. Cole was a member of the 2016 Division III National Championship team and earned all-conference honors in his final season.
Cal Baptist was chosen to finish sixth in the WAC preseason poll after ending last season in a tie for fourth place. The Lancers concluded the season with a 13-11 overall record and an 8-6 mark in conference play. The Lancers return 12 players from their 2021 roster, including All-WAC Second Team member Christine Graf. The senior capped off last season with 227 kills over 84 sets while averaging 3.0 points per set. Alongside Graf, the squad includes WAC All-Freshmen team member Laura Walewska who averaged 0.75 blocks per set and 1.51 kills per set during her freshman campaign.
App State is in its first season under Head Coach Sarah Rumely Noble and was projected to finish last in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. Last season, the Mountaineers went 7-22 and fell in the first round of the conference tournament to Louisiana. The Mountaineers return McCall Denny, who led the squad with 302 kills over 94 sets last season. Denny also paced the team with 3.46 blocks per set and finished second on the team with 199 digs. Defensively, App State will look to sophomore Lulu Ambrose, who ranked third on the team with 40 total blocks and finished with 46 digs across 92 sets.
St. John's won the lone matchup between the teams in 1998 in a 3-0 sweep.
Charleston Southern heads into the 2022 season after a 2021 campaign that saw the Buccaneers finish in seventh place in the Big South with a 5-11 conference record and a 9-17 overall mark. The Buccaneers return all six of their starters and their libero from last season, including All-Big South First Team member Peyton Thompson. The graduate student was tabbed to the league's team after leading the conference in both kills (386) and kills per set (4.06). Thompson was the only player in the Big South to average more than four kills per set. Charleston Southern also returns Indigo Young. Young, a junior, was named to the All-Big South Freshman team following her debut campaign and ranked second on the team with 45 blocks over 94 sets during her sophomore year.
Players Mentioned
S/RH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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