Erin Jones Triple-Doubles For the Third Straight Match as St. John’s Takes Down Villanova, 3-1

Wednesday, November 13

Villanova, Pa. (Jake Nevin Field House)

7 p.m.

St. John's University

19-10,8-7Big East

Villanova

14-12,7-8Big East

St. John's (NY)

Villanova

Erin Jones Triple-Doubles For the Third Straight Match as St. John’s Takes Down Villanova, 3-1

11/13/2024 9:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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Erin Jones notched her seventh triple-double of the season

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Erin Jones notched her third straight triple-double as the St. John's volleyball team took down Villanova, 3-1, on Wednesday night inside Jake Nevin Field House.

After falling in the opening set, St. John's (19-10, 8-7 BIG EAST) battled back and took the following three frames. The scores of the sets were 17-25, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-23.

"Huge comeback win at Jake Nevin Field House," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "After dropping the first set, we stuck together, stayed strong, and battled hard for a road win. So excited to see great leadership from our juniors and seniors under pressure, as we push toward the playoffs."

Jones tallied her third straight and seventh triple-double of the season on Wednesday night. The junior lit up the stat sheet with 26 assists and 18 kills at a 31.4 hitting percentage with a match-leading 17 digs.

With her sixth triple-double of conference play, the right-side hitter is now one shy of tying the BIG EAST single-season conference record.

Lucrezia Lodi led all hitters in the match with 19 kills at a 36.8 percent attack clip. The junior also logged seven digs and two blocks. Giorgia Walther tacked on 15 slams, five digs, two blocks and an ace. Magda Stambrowska registered seven kills at a 31.2 percent success rate.

Wiktoria Kowalczyk paced the match with 28 helpers paired with six digs, three aces and a block.

Rashanny Solano Smith continued to shine against Villanova (14-12, 7-8 BIG EAST), ringing up 15 digs, four assists and an ace. Bree Martin dug out three balls in the contest. Ludovica Zola produced a team-leading three block assists.

With the win, St. John's snapped a five-match loss steak at Jake Nevin Field House dating back to the 2018 season. The Red Storm's last win at the venue came on Nov. 4, 2017.

After a 4-4 stalemate to start the first set, Villanova went on a 6-2 run, taking advantage of three St. John's errors to lead, 10-6, and force the Red Storm's first timeout of the set. Trading short runs to a 16-12 Wildcat advantage, Villanova recorded back-to-back scores to lead by six, 18-12, and cause St. John's to call its last timeout of the frame. The Wildcats didn't look back claiming the first set, 25-17. Jones put up four kills, four assists and four digs in the first stanza.

Villanova took an early 3-0 lead in the second set off three Red Storm errors, but the Johnnies responded rapidly, taking a slim 4-3 edge off a 4-0 rally. Knotted at 7-7, St. John's fired off four straight points that included a pair of Lodi kills, taking an 11-7 advantage. After exchanging blows through the middle of the frame to a 19-15 St. John's lead, the Red Storm went on a decisive 6-3 run capped by a Jones slam, closing out the second set with a 25-18 victory. Lodi pounded eight kills in the second game.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 9-6 lead at the beginning of the third period, leading to an early Red Storm timeout. Down 10-7, a Stambrowska kill sparked a 4-0 stretch for the Red Storm, giving them a one-point advantage, 11-10. Even at 14, the Johnnies exploded for a 7-0 run after capitalizing on four Villanova errors, taking a 21-14 lead and burning both Wildcats' timeouts. St. John's cruised to its first set-point, 24-17, but had to battle off four Villanova points en route to a 25-21 victory in the third game. Walther and Lodi each tacked on four kills in the third stanza.

Villanova raced out to a 9-5 advantage at the top of the fourth set, but the Red Storm put together a 7-3 scoring stretch that knotted the frame up at 12. Trading points to a 17-17 tie, the Wildcats registered three straight points to lead, 20-17, before the Johnnies put together a 4-0 run of its own, taking a slim 21-20 edge. Even at 23, St. John's used a Zola, Lodi and Kowalczyk triple block with a Jones slam to clinch the set and the match, 25-23. Jones slammed down eight kills at an 88.9 percent success rate in the final stanza.

St. John's will travel to Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday for a match with Butler. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.