St. John’s Tops Fairfield, 3-2, Behind Career Night From Erin Jones

Wednesday, September 18

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

6 p.m.

St. John's University

8-3,0-0Big East

Fairfield

2-8,0-0MAAC

Fairfield

St. John's (NY)

St. John’s Tops Fairfield, 3-2, Behind Career Night From Erin Jones

9/18/2024 10:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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Erin Jones posted a career-high 23 kills and 18 digs

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team came back to take down Fairfield, 3-2, behind a career night from Erin Jones on Wednesday inside Carnesecca Arena.

After winning the first set, St. John's (8-3) dropped the next two before rebounding to claim the final two frames of the match. The scores of the sets were 25-22, 24-26, 16-25, 25-22 and 15-12.

With the win, the Johnnies snapped a three-match skid against Fairfield (2-8) dating back to the 2007 season.

Jones led the way with her fourth double-double of the season on a career-high 23 kills and 18 digs. The junior also registered four assists, two aces and a block.

Giorgia Walther finished with a season-best 28 kills on 30.8 percent hitting with three digs and a block. Magda Stambrowska tacked on seven kills, four blocks, two aces and a dig. Kya Harris notched a season-high four kills.

Rashanny Solano Smith registered a season-best 25 digs paired with three assists. Bree Martin rang up a season-high nine digs against the Stags.

Wiktoria Kowalczyk produced a season-high 58 assists, five digs, a block and a kill. Ludovica Zola led the contest with six total blocks.

The Red Storm began the match with a 6-2 lead that was sparked by three consecutive Walther kills to open the first set. The Stags quickly scored four straight points to tie the stanza at 6-all but St. John's went on a 5-2 spurt to take a three-point advantage, 11-8. The Red Storm grew its three-point lead to six, 16-10, with a 5-2 stretch that featured kills from Walther and Stambrowska. Fairfield proceeded to go on an 8-2 run, knotting the set back up at 18 which forced the Johnnies to burn both of their timeouts. Tied at 21, St. John's found its rhythm on the back of three Jones kills to take the opening frame, 25-22. Walther registered a set-high seven kills while Jones added another six slams.

The second set opened to a 4-4 tie before the Red Storm used a 4-1 stretch to lead by three, 8-5. The Stags fired off four straight scores to take a one-point, 9-8, edge until the Johnnies tied the frame back up at 9, off a Stambrowska slam. The two teams went on trading four-point spurts until the frame was even at 16. Down 22-20, St. John's battled back taking a 24-23 set point before Fairfield tied the set again on a service error. The Stags took the frame on their first set point, 26-25, off a Svenja Rodenbusch kill. Walther fired off another seven kills in the second stanza.

Fairfield immediately took a 7-0 lead in the third set, forcing the Red Storm to take its first timeout. Both teams traded points as the Stags kept their seven-point advantage, 14-7, but St. John's clawed its way back into the set with a 7-1 run to trail, 15-14. Fairfield got back in a groove with a 5-1 rally to grow its lead back to five, 20-15. The Stags continued to control the remainder of the set, taking it 25-16. Jones led the period with six kills.

The two teams exchanged blows to a 12-12 stalemate to open the fourth game, until Fairfield took a two-point edge, 14-12. The Red Storm responded with back-to-back points of its own to reknot the match at 14 and force Fairfield to call a timeout. The programs battled to a 17-17 tie before the Red Storm capitalized on back-to-back Fairfield attack errors to lead, 19-17. The Stags knotted the set again at 20, but St. John's went on a decisive 5-2 stretch to win the fourth frame, 25-22 and even the match at two sets apiece. Walther and Jones each produced six kills in the penultimate frame.

The Johnnies raced out to an 8-4 advantage that featured kills from Walther, Stambrowska and Jones prior to the two teams switching sides. Fairfield threatened with three straight points, cutting its deficit down to one, 8-7. The Johnnies proceeded to go on a 7-4 rally, despite a contested match point, to close out the final set, 15-12, on a Stambrowska kill.

St. John's will continue its homestand when it hosts Iona, LIU and Bryant at the 10^th annual Jack Kaiser Classic this weekend.