St. John’s Rolls Past UConn, 3-1, in the NIVC Great Eight; Advances to NIVC Fab Four

Thursday, December 12

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7:30 p.m.

St. John's University

24-12,10-8Big East

UConn

26-8,12-6Big East

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UConn	20	23	29	24	1
St. John's (NY)	25	25	27	26	3

Erin Jones notched a double-double with 15 kills and 17 digs.

St. John’s Rolls Past UConn, 3-1, in the NIVC Great Eight; Advances to NIVC Fab Four

12/12/2024 11:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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Wiktoria Kowalczyk, Erin Jones and Lucrezia Lodi all notched double-doubles

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team rolled past UConn, 3-1, in the Great Eight round of the NIVC on Thursday night inside Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm won by set scores of 25-20, 25-23, 27-29 and 26-24.

With the win, St. John's (24-12, 10-8 BIG EAST) has advanced to the NIVC Fab Four where it will take on Bowling Green. The semifinal match will mark the furthest round the Red Storm has advanced to in any national postseason tournament.

"Tonight, our squad etched themselves in the record books earning the first national postseason tournament semifinal appearance in program history," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "So exciting to be back at home in front of Johnnie Nation. Our theme this week has been 'Win for Lou' and we know that Coach Carnesecca is smiling down on these players."

Wiktoria Kowalczyk shined against UConn (26-8, 12-6 BIG EAST) earning her second-straight and fifth double-double of the season. The senior racked up a match-high 49 assists and 17 digs, paired with six blocks and a pair of setter dumps.

Erin Jones double-doubled for the 12^th time this season on a match-best 15 kills and 17 digs. The junior also tallied four helpers, three blocks and two service aces. In the first set, Jones surpassed the 1,000-career kill mark on her sixth kill of the match.

Lucrezia Lodi notched her sixth double-double of the season, digging out 11 balls and pounding 10 kills. The Italy native also secured three blocks. Magda Stambrowska slammed 12 kills at a 29.6 percent hitting clip with five total blocks and two assists. Giorgia Walther logged 13 kills and three digs in the match.

Rashanny Solano Smith posted 16 digs in the contest, while Bree Martin added another 10 digs to the Red Storm's total of 77.

St. John's erupted for a 9-4 lead at the beginning of the match, behind four kills, a solo block and an ace from Walther. Battling to a 15-10 Red Storm lead, UConn posted four points on a Hanna Tylska kill and three Johnnie errors, cutting its deficit down to one, 15-14. Tied at 17, St. John's engineered a 3-0 spurt on a trio of Lodi kills, taking a 20-17 edge and causing the Huskies to talk things over. The Red Storm used a final 5-3 rally to take the opening set, 25-20. Jones slammed down six kills while Walther tallied five in the opening frame.

Following a 5-5 start to the second stanza, UConn earned four consecutive scores to go ahead 9-5. Swinging to a 17-13 Husky advantage, St. John's went on a 4-0 scoring stretch that featured a pair of Walther kills, knotting the game up at 17-all. Even at 21-21, a clutch Kowalczyk setter dump sparked a final 4-2 Red Storm rally to win the second set, 25-23. Kowalczyk picked up 11 assists and six digs in the second frame.

The Huskies kicked the third period off with a 6-2 lead, capitalizing on two Johnnie attack errors. St. John's ripped off a 4-1 run, cutting the lead down to one, 7-6, but UConn rallied with a short 4-1 burst to go back up by four, 11-7. Down 16-12, the Red Storm used an 8-4 surge on the back of four kills between Lodi, Jones and Stambrowska with a massive Ludovica Zola block, to tie the frame up at 20. Throwing punches to a 23-23 stalemate, the Johnnies fended off a Husky set point, before UConn battled off a Red Storm match-point, 25-25. Trading set points, 27-27, the Huskies found two straight scores to win the third frame, 29-27. Stambrowska registered four kills and two blocks in the third set.

The Huskies claimed two straight points to open the fourth frame, but St. John's responded with a 6-1 run to lead, 6-3. Trading punches to a 10-7 St. John's edge, the Johnnies produced a 3-0 spurt, growing its lead to six, 13-7. Trading side outs to a late 20-14 Red Storm lead, the Huskies logged a kill and a block that cut their deficit to four, 20-16, leading to a St. John's timeout. The two teams continued point-for-point play, until the Johnnies took their first match point, 24-19, but UConn fended it off with a 5-0 rally, evening the set at 24. The Red Storm was able to claim the set and the match, 26-24, off an Ana Franca Benjamim kill and a Husky attack error. Walther pounded five kills in the final stanza.

The Red Storm will keep its postseason run alive when it takes on Bowling Green in the NIVC Fab Four inside Carnesecca Arena. First serve is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 14, in Queens.