St. John’s Overwhelms Butler, 3-0

Friday, October 25

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

16-8,5-5Big East

Butler

5-16,3-6Big East

Butler

St. John's (NY)

Wiktoria Kowalczyk notched her second consecutive double-double on 32 assists and 10 digs against the Bulldogs.

10/25/2024 9:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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Wiktoria Kowalczyk earned her second consecutive double-double

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team bested Butler in straight sets, 3-0, behind Wiktoria Kowalczyk's second straight double-double on Friday night inside Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm won by set scores of 25-12, 25-16 and 25-11.

"Our ability to finish on the offensive end was permeated by our strong defensive effort tonight," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "So proud of our team's defensive poise."

Kowalczyk notched her second consecutive and fourth double-double of the season on Friday night. The senior led the match with 32 assists and 10 digs to go along with two blocks.

Erin Jones paced St. John's (16-8, 5-5 BIG EAST) with 12 kills on a 47.6 percent hitting clip. The right-side hitter also added nine digs and two total blocks.

Lucrezia Lodi mashed nine kills on a 47.1 percent success rate and six digs. Giorgia Walther rang up nine slams on a 36.4 hitting percentage with a pair of digs and blocks.

Rashanny Solano Smith was all over the court against Butler (5-16, 3-6 BIG EAST), racking up nine kills and four helpers.

Magda Stambrowska led the match with four block assists paired with three kills and two aces. Bree Martin shined against the Bulldogs, picking up five digs and an ace, off the bench.

The Red Storm started the match by building an 8-4 lead in the first stanza, taking advantage of five kills between Jones, Kowalczyk and Lodi. After exchanging points off multiple long rallies to a 15-11 St. John's advantage, the Johnnies erupted for a 10-1 run, leading to a 25-12 first-set victory. Jones, Ludovica Zola and Walther each tallied three kills apiece in the first frame.

The Red Storm raced out to a 9-2 lead behind six slams from Lodi, Jones, Walther and Stambrowska to kick off the second game, causing a Bulldog timeout. St. John's grew its lead up to 11, 16-5, from a 7-3 scoring stretch that featured five Butler errors. The Bulldogs responded quickly with a 6-3 spurt of their own, cutting their deficit down to seven, 18-11, and forcing a Johnnie timeout. The Red Storm held firm, using a final 7-5 rally to claim the second set, 25-16, on a Jones slam. Jones and Walther each tallied another four kills in the frame.

St. John's built an initial 9-4 lead in the third game capped by an impressive setter dump from Kowalczyk. Butler answered with a 5-2 rally that cut the Johnnies' lead down to two, 11-9, leading to the Red Storm talking things over. Following the timeout, St. John's put together a massive 12-1 run that burned both of the Bulldogs' timeouts to go ahead, 23-10. The Johnnies took the match on back-to-back Jones kills, securing the final set and the sweep, 25-11.

St. John's will head to the Midwest next weekend for a pair of matches against No. 6 Creighton and RV Marquette on Nov. 1 and Nov. 3.