St. John’s Upsets RV Marquette, 3-2, in a Five Set Thriller

Saturday, October 14

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

5 p.m.

St. John's University

15-5,7-1Big East

RV Marquette

11-8,7-1Big East

Marquette

St. John's (NY)

St. John’s Upsets RV Marquette, 3-2, in a Five Set Thriller

10/14/2023 10:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score St. John's vs Marquette Box Score (PDF)Highlights

Erin Jones recorded the first triple double for the Red Storm in over a decade

QUEENS, N.Y. – The first triple-double for the St. John's volleyball team in over a decade by Erin Jones catapulted the Johnnies to a five set, 3-2, upset victory over RV Marquette inside Carnesecca Arena on Saturday night.

After taking the first set, the Red Storm (15-5, 7-1 BIG EAST) dropped its next two before storming back to claim the match in set five. The scores of the match were 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13.

The win marks the first victory for the Johnnies over the Golden Eagles since the 2019 BIG EAST Championship game, where they stunned No. 12 Marquette in four sets. It also snapped a 42-match win streak for Marquette against all teams in the BIG EAST besides Creighton, which dates back to March 5, 2021, when they fell to Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

"Once again this amazing group of student-athletes had adversity come knocking on their door when our BIG EAST Freshman of The Week was unable to play, but Bree Martin not only held down the fort, she was simply amazing as our defensive floor captain," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "I could not be happier and prouder of this squad for the way they kept battling through an incredible high-level volleyball match. It was a great day to be a Johnnie."

Jones powered St. John's by securing her first career triple-double which consisted of a match-high 22 kills, 17 digs and 14 assists to go along with four total blocks. The Albuquerque, N.M. native is the second player in the BIG EAST to notch a triple-double this season.

Lucrezia Lodi, Giorgia Walther and Wiktoria Kowalczyk all notched double doubles in the win. Lodi posted 19 slams and 16 digs while Walther added 19 kills and 12 digs.

Kowalczyk yet again paced the Johnnies in assists, posting 51 helpers paired with a career-high 13 digs. She also tacked on a team-high three aces.

In her second straight start at libero, Martin generated a team-high 21 digs and six assists.

Aubrey Hamilton paced Marquette (11-8, 7-1 BIG EAST) in kills, recording 21 to go along with seven digs. Yadhira Anchante led her squad with 49 assists, eight digs, three aces and three total blocks. Sarah Kushner registered 22 digs for the Golden Eagles.

Walther posted six kills and three digs in a first set that saw nine ties and one lead change. The Johnnies and the Golden Eagles battled from the jump, throwing blows to a 13-12 St. John's lead. The Johnnies put together their biggest run of the frame, a 4-2 stretch that featured three kills from Walther and Lodi, to take a four-point, 17-13 lead. Marquette responded right back, using an 8-4 run of its own to tie the game at 21-all. St. John's used a final 4-2 stretch, capping off the set with a Lodi kill to take it, 25-23.

Jones paced the Johnnies in the second frame, racking up a team-high four kills, five digs and three total blocks. The Golden Eagles ran out to a 6-3 lead to open the set, benefiting from three Red Storm attack errors. St. John's answered right back however, scoring four straight points off Marquette errors and two kills from Jones and Walther to take a one-point, 7-6 lead. Both programs exchanged points until the Golden Eagles were able to manufacture a 6-2 run, taking a 22-16 lead. St. John's ended the second game on a 7-3 stretch, but its deficit was too great as Marquette closed the set, 25-23.

Both Jones and Lodi contributed six kills each in the third set for the Red Storm. Both squads battled to an 11-11 tie midway through the set, answering each other's points every step of the way. The Johnnies were able to grow a three-point lead, 16-13, off a 5-2 stretch but Marquette responded quickly, retying the match at 21-all. A final 4-1 run for the Golden Eagles that featured three kills put the set away, 25-22, giving them a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The fourth frame was highly contested as it featured 12 ties and four lead changes. Kowalczyk contributed a stellar 16 assists and two aces in the set for St. John's. Just like the previous three games, neither team was able to generate significant momentum, leading to a 13-13 tie. The Red Storm generated a 7-4 run to take a three-point, 20-17 lead at the end of the set, but Marquette responded with a 4-1 stretch of its own to tie the frame back up, 21-21. Tied at 22, St. John's threw down three slams from Magda Stambrowska, Walther and Lodi to secure the frame, 25-22.

The Johnnies never surrendered their lead in the final frame, leading by as much as five points. The Johnnies started the fifth set on fire, running out to a 5-1 lead on the back of four kills from Lodi and Jones which forced a Marquette timeout. After the timeout St. John's grew its lead up to 10-5, but Marquette fought to get back into the set, using a 4-1 run to cut the St. John's lead down to two, 11-9. Even with the Red Storm increasing its lead back to four at match point, 14-10, the Golden Eagles challenged the Johnnies, scoring three unanswered points to cut their deficit down to 14-13. A Marquette service error secured the win for the Johnnies, sealing the set, 15-13 and the match, 3-2.

St. John's will hit the road on Friday, Oct. 20 for a battle with Georgetown in Washington D.C. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.