St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, December 7
Charlottesville, Va. (Memorial Gymnasium)
6 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
North Carolina A&T
Photo by: Steven Branscombe
St. John’s Set to Face North Carolina A&T in Opening Round of the 2024 NIVC Tournament
12/5/2024 4:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Red Storm will face the Aggies for the first time in program history
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team will kick off its third-straight trip to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) on Saturday against North Carolina A&T.
First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Virginia's Memorial Gymnasium in Charlottesville, Va. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com. Tickets are available for purchase on VirginiaSports.com.
St. John's comes into the NIVC for the third-straight season and the fourth time in program history. Additionally, this year's NIVC appearance marks the seventh postseason bid under Joanne Persico, the sole head coach in program history.
The Red Storm comes into the 2024 NIVC rocking a 21-12 overall record and a 10-8 mark in league play. The 20-win season marked the program's third-straight and 14th overall in its 31-year history.
Last week, the Johnnies made their third-consecutive and 13th overall appearance in the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship as the fifth seed. The squad fell to fourth-seeded DePaul in straight sets, 3-0, at Creighton's D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.
Erin Jones tallied her 11th double-double of the season in the first round of the conference tournament, logging 11 assists and 10 kills at a 30.4 hitting percentage. The junior also rang up seven digs and a block assist. Lucrezia Lodi joined Jones in the double-digit kills collum, registering 10 slams, two digs and a block against the Blue Demons.
Rashanny Solano Smith paced the match with 14 digs to go along with two helpers in Omaha. The Johnnies' standout libero has amassed a team-leading 440 digs at a clip of 4.0 per set. The sophomore has also registered 97 assists and 15 service aces, in 2024.
Jones capped off her monstrous regular season by receiving her second Unanimous All-BIG EAST Team selection, last Monday. The Albuquerque, N.M., product leads St. John's in points (523.5), kills (444), service aces (49), points per set (4.29), kills per set (3.64) and aces per set (0.40). The junior also logged nine total triple-doubles, including a BIG EAST record eight across league play this season.
Ludovica Zola and Magda Stambrowska are staples in front of the net for St. John's, leading the team with 109 and 83 total blocks, respectively. Zola has registered a team-best 18 solo rejections while Stambrowska has pounded 217 kills, in 2024.
The Red Storm will face off with North Carolina A&T for the first time in program history in the first round of the postseason tournament. The Aggies finished the 2024 campaign with a 17-10 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the CAA. Conference Coach of the Year Hal Clifton's squad made its first-ever trip to the CAA Tournament this season, falling to Hofstra in straight sets, 3-0.
CAA Rookie of the Year and all-conference first team selection Tyne Ross leads North Carolina A&T with 412 kills at 4.77 per set. The freshman has also totaled 197 digs, 29 blocks, 12 solo rejections and 21 service aces. Leonor Polezzi serves as the Aggies' setter, registering 920 total assists at 9.58 per set. She leads the team with 48 aces to go along with 265 digs and 50 blocks.
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the second round of the NIVC and take on host school Virginia. First serve of the second round is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday in Charlottesville, Va.
First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Virginia's Memorial Gymnasium in Charlottesville, Va. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com. Tickets are available for purchase on VirginiaSports.com.
St. John's comes into the NIVC for the third-straight season and the fourth time in program history. Additionally, this year's NIVC appearance marks the seventh postseason bid under Joanne Persico, the sole head coach in program history.
The Red Storm comes into the 2024 NIVC rocking a 21-12 overall record and a 10-8 mark in league play. The 20-win season marked the program's third-straight and 14th overall in its 31-year history.
Last week, the Johnnies made their third-consecutive and 13th overall appearance in the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship as the fifth seed. The squad fell to fourth-seeded DePaul in straight sets, 3-0, at Creighton's D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.
Erin Jones tallied her 11th double-double of the season in the first round of the conference tournament, logging 11 assists and 10 kills at a 30.4 hitting percentage. The junior also rang up seven digs and a block assist. Lucrezia Lodi joined Jones in the double-digit kills collum, registering 10 slams, two digs and a block against the Blue Demons.
Rashanny Solano Smith paced the match with 14 digs to go along with two helpers in Omaha. The Johnnies' standout libero has amassed a team-leading 440 digs at a clip of 4.0 per set. The sophomore has also registered 97 assists and 15 service aces, in 2024.
Jones capped off her monstrous regular season by receiving her second Unanimous All-BIG EAST Team selection, last Monday. The Albuquerque, N.M., product leads St. John's in points (523.5), kills (444), service aces (49), points per set (4.29), kills per set (3.64) and aces per set (0.40). The junior also logged nine total triple-doubles, including a BIG EAST record eight across league play this season.
Ludovica Zola and Magda Stambrowska are staples in front of the net for St. John's, leading the team with 109 and 83 total blocks, respectively. Zola has registered a team-best 18 solo rejections while Stambrowska has pounded 217 kills, in 2024.
The Red Storm will face off with North Carolina A&T for the first time in program history in the first round of the postseason tournament. The Aggies finished the 2024 campaign with a 17-10 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the CAA. Conference Coach of the Year Hal Clifton's squad made its first-ever trip to the CAA Tournament this season, falling to Hofstra in straight sets, 3-0.
CAA Rookie of the Year and all-conference first team selection Tyne Ross leads North Carolina A&T with 412 kills at 4.77 per set. The freshman has also totaled 197 digs, 29 blocks, 12 solo rejections and 21 service aces. Leonor Polezzi serves as the Aggies' setter, registering 920 total assists at 9.58 per set. She leads the team with 48 aces to go along with 265 digs and 50 blocks.
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the second round of the NIVC and take on host school Virginia. First serve of the second round is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday in Charlottesville, Va.
Players Mentioned
S/RH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballSt. John's Women's Volleyball vs Delaware State Highlights 9.13.2025
Saturday, September 13
Volleyball vs Marist Highlights 9.12.2025
Friday, September 12
Postgame Press Conference St. John's Volleyball vs Bowling Green 12.13
Saturday, December 14
Postgame Press Conference St. John's Volleyball vs UCONN 12.12
Thursday, December 12