St. John’s Sweeps UConn to Start BIG EAST Play

Friday, September 22

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

9-4,1-0Big East

UConn

5-8,0-1Big East

UConn

St. John's (NY)

Ludovica Zola posted nine kills at 69.2 percent clip in the win.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

Giorgia Walther provided five kills and 10 digs for the Johnnies

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

Wiktoria Kowalczyk recorded 36 assists, four digs, three aces and two kills.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

Kowalczyk now moves into sixth all-time in career assists.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

Magda Stambrowska added two kills and a block.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

St. John's swept UConn in straight sets to open BIG EAST play.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

Eleonora Tosi posted nine kills and two blocks in the win.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

Erin Jones recorded a team-high 18 kills and seven digs in the BIG EAST opening victory.

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

9/22/2023 9:52:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score St. John's Vs. UConn Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

Wiktoria Kowalczyk moves into sixth all-time in career assists

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team kicked off BIG EAST play by sweeping UConn in straight sets, 3-0, on Friday night.

The scores of the sets were 25-18, 25-13 and 25-13.

Erin Jones paced the Johnnies (9-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) in kills yet again, posting 18 on a 48.3 percent clip. The sophomore tallied seven digs and an assist. Jones Is the team leader in kills with 184.

Eleonora Tosi and Ludovica Zola posted nine kills apiece. Zola hit an impressive 69.2 percent from the floor in the sweep to go along with five blocks.

Wiktoria Kowalczyk put up 36 assists, paired with three aces, four digs, two blocks and two kills. Kowalczyk now passes Gabriela Petkova to claim sixth all-time in program history with 2,143 career helpers.

Rashanny Solano Smith continued her freshman success, posting 14 digs at 4.67 per set. Solano Smith also provided an ace and an assist. She currently leads St. John's in digs with 174.

Cera Powell led the Huskies (5-8, 0-1 BIG EAST) in kills with eight. UConn's Doga Kutlu led her team in helpers with 14.

Jones and Zola opened the match on fire recording five kills apiece in the first game. Zola hit an impressive 71.4 percent in the frame. The Johnnies opened the match taking a 6-2 lead sponsored by three Zola kills. The Huskies came right back, scoring four straight points to retie the match at 6-all. Tied up at 11, a block from Kowalczyk and Magda Stambrowska as well as five straight Solano Smith serves ignited a 10-1 run, gave St. John's a 20-12 lead. UConn put together a 6-5 run at the end of the frame, but the Johnnies slammed the door on the Huskies with a Giorgia Walther kill to take the set, 25-18.

Jones contributed four of St. John's 12 kills in the second game. Both squads exchanged points to an early 4-4 tie. Seven UConn errors and nine straight points helped the Johnnies engineer a 15-4 stretch to take an 11-point, 19-8 lead. The Red Storm never looked back, using kills from Zola, Tosi, Walther and Stambrowska to close out the second set 25-13.

Both squads battled hard early, leading to a one-point, 8-7 lead for St. John's. For the third time in the match, the Johnnies put together a large 12-1 run on the back of six Jones kills to take match point, 24-12. A Tosi kill put away the third set and the match, 25-13, securing the third sweep of the Red Storm's season.

St. John's will continue BIG EAST competition tomorrow, Sept. 23, when it hosts Providence at 5 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena.