St. John’s to Host the Red Storm Invitational

Friday, September 15

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

9 a.m.

St. John's University

Bryant

9/14/2023 10:06:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Match Notes Live Stats Watch (St. John's vs Bryant)Watch (St. John's vs No. 16 Arkansas)Watch (St. John's vs Buffalo)

Red Storm to face Bryant, No. 16 Arkansas and Buffalo in second home tournament

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team continues its 2023 campaign when it hosts the Red Storm Invitational at Carnesecca Arena.

The Red Storm will open the tournament with two matches on Friday when it takes on Bryant at 9 a.m. and No. 16 Arkansas at 8 p.m. The Johnnies will close out the invitational on Saturday when they battle Buffalo at 5 p.m. All three matches will be broadcast on FloSports, with live stats available on RedStormSports.com.

St. John's and Bryant have met five times leading into Friday's match-up. The Red Storm lead the series 5-0 and have never surrendered a set to the Bulldogs. The last meeting between the two programs was at the 2022 Red Storm Invitational, where the Johnnies took down Bryant in straight sets.

The Red Storm will meet No. 16 Arkansas for the first time in program history on Saturday night. This marks the second SEC school St. John's will face this season. The Johnnies took down Ole Miss, 3-1, to kick off their season at the FGCU Homewood Suites Invitational.

The Johnnies and the Bulls have battled seven times throughout both programs' histories. The Johnnies own a 4-3 all-time advantage over Buffalo and are 1-0 at Carnesecca Arena. The Johnnies last faced the Bulls on Sept. 1, 2018, in Ithaca, N.Y., where they fell to Buffalo, 2-3.

Joanne Persico's squad is coming off a perfect 3-0 weekend, en route to the program's seventh straight Jack Kaiser Classic Championship. St. John's opened the tournament by taking down Siena, 3-1, and Stony Brook in straight sets on Friday. On Saturday, the Red Storm bested Loyola Maryland, 3-0.

Erin Jones was named Tournament MVP in addition to being named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after posting 47 kills, 18 digs, five blocks and one ace last weekend. Jones averaged a team-best 4.7 kills per set which led the BIG EAST last week. The Albuquerque, N.M. native now leads the Johnnies in total kills with 124. Jones' 3.65 kills per set ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.

Wiktoria Kowalczyk and Magda Stambrowska were both selected to the Jack Kaiser Classic All-Tournament Team. Kowalczyk continued her impressive junior campaign, posting 104 assists, 16 digs, six aces and four blocks. She now has totaled 323 helpers this season, the fourth most in the BIG EAST.

Stambrowska has added 60 kills, 18 blocks and 12 digs throughout the 2023 season. Over the weekend, the sophomore hit an impressive 58.3 percent and 55.6 percent clips against Stony Brook and Loyola Maryland.

The Bulldogs have started their season 7-5, most recently falling to Fairfield in five sets on Wednesday. Last weekend, they went 2-1 at the Providence Tournament. Aubrey Lapour is the kill leader for Bryant, tallying 173 at 3.76 per set, hit at a stellar 30.6 percent clip.

The Razorbacks have kicked off their season 7-2, with their only two losses coming against No. 1 Wisconsin. Arkansas has soared through the AVCA Top-25 rankings, clocking in at No. 16 entering this week. Jillian Gillen has had a phenomenal start to her season, tallying 151 total kills, the seventh most in the nation, at 4.44 per set. Gillen has also added 99 digs, 15 blocks and 10 aces.

Buffalo has had an impressive start to their season, opening at 8-1 after winning the Xavier Invitational Championship. Katrin Trebichavska has totaled 105 kills at 3.39 per set. The senior has also posted 21 aces, which is tied for eighth in the country.