St. John's University Athletics
Friday, October 24
Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center)
6 p.m.
St. John's University
at
Xavier
St. John’s Continues Midwest Road Trip at Xavier and Butler
10/23/2025 4:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Match at Xavier Live StatsMatch at Butler Live StatsWatch at Xavier on GoXavier.comWatch at Butler on ESPN+Tickets at XavierTickets at ButlerMatches 22&23 Xavier/Butler Match Notes
Head Coach Joanne Persico is one win away from 600th career victory
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team (6-15, 2-6 BIG EAST) heads back to the Midwest for a pair of league road matches. The Red Storm make their first stop in Cincinnati, Ohio to square off against Xavier (18-2, 7-1 BIG EAST) on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. The next day, the Johnnies travel to Indianapolis to battle Butler (9-12, 2-6 BIG EAST) at 5 p.m.
Live stats are available on redstormsports.com. Friday evenings match at Xavier will be streamed on GoXavier.com and Saturdays match is set to stream on ESPN+. Tickets for the Cintas Center can be purchased here and tickets for Hinkle Fieldhouse can be purchased here.
Head Coach Joanne Persico is one win away from 600 career victories. In her 32nd season at the helm, Persico ranks 16th among active head coaches in career wins and is the winningest head coach at a single BIG EAST program. In her last ten matches against Xavier and Bulter, Persico has led St. John's to identical 7-3 record against both the Musketeers and Bulldogs.
Last Tuesday, the Red Storm wrapped up its homestand with a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday afternoon, earning its first BIG EAST home win of the season. Martina Ghezzi powered the Red Storm offense setting a new career-high firing 18 kills. Erin Jones and Martina Capponcelli each tallied 20 assists in the four-set victory, while Rashanny Solano Smith anchored the defense with 16 digs. Last weekend, St. John's fell to No. 13 Creighton in D.J. Sokol Arena to begin its three-match Midwest road trip, 3-0. Jones led the Johnnies with eight kills, while Capponcelli dished out 18 assists. On the defensive end, Solano Smith once again paced the team with 13 digs.
At the halfway point of the conference slate, Xavier boasts the best overall record in the BIG EAST at 18-2. After starting the season on a six-match win streak, the Musketeers dropped a 0-3 decision at Cincinnati and quickly rebounded to start conference play with an 11-1 record. In league play Xavier sits second with a 7-1 record, as their only conference loss- and second overall- came at the hands of Creighton.
Xavier has been perfect when playing in the Cintas Center this year, winning all seven matches during the 2025 campaign. In its last five matches at the Cintas Center, St. John's holds a 3-2 record dating back to 2018.
The Musketeers rank in the top half of the BIG EAST in all but one statistical category, most notably ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.190) and digs (14.73 digs per set). Xavier has five players that have recorded over 100 kills on the season. Emma Grace leads the team with 245 kills and averages 3.31 kills per set. Macy Hatkevich quarterbacks the offense with 676 total assists and averages 8.89 assists per set. The Musketeers defensive efforts see an identical five players recording over 100 digs thus far. Kelsey Niesen leads the way with 300 total digs, averaging 3.90 digs per set. The blocking tandem of McKinley Boehm and Margo Kemp each swat over 1.09 shots per set.
Head Coach Cristy Pfeffenberger is in her 10th season at the helm. All time, Pfenffenberger holds an 8-10 record against the Red Storm since beginning her tenure in 2015.
Heading into the weekend, Butler holds a 9-12 record.
The Bulldogs have a 2-6 record in league play, with wins over DePaul and Providence. Over the last five matches at Hinkle Fieldhouse, St. John's holds a 4-1 record when in Indianapolis.
Alaleh Tolliver currently sits fourth in the BIG EAST in kills with 286 and tops the team with 3.86 kills per set. In addition to Tolliver, Elise Ward has also notched over 200 kills, and two other Bulldogs have recorded over 125 kills. Kaylee Finnegan also sits fourth in the league with 663 total assists, averaging 9.21 assists per set. On the defensive side of the net, Lauren Evans has dug up 313 balls, and three other players have recorded more than 100 digs throughout the season. Zoe McDonald is the top net minder for Butler, recording 74 total blocks, sending back 1.01 shots per set.
Head Coach Kyle Shondell is in his third season at the helm leading the Bulldogs volleyball program. All time, Shondell is 0-4 against the Red Storm since beginning his tenure in 2023.
Following this weekend, the Johnnies return to Queens for a pair of home matches. On Friday, Oct. 31, UConn makes its way to Carnesecca Arena for a 7 p.m. match. Guests in attendance are encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costume for a chance to win candy prizes. The next day, the St. John's volleyball program will welcome back past players for Alumni Day. A pre-match reception is set to take place in the Hall of Fame room at 1 p.m., with a 3 p.m. first serve against Providence. Any alumni that are interested in participating can register here.
Live stats are available on redstormsports.com. Friday evenings match at Xavier will be streamed on GoXavier.com and Saturdays match is set to stream on ESPN+. Tickets for the Cintas Center can be purchased here and tickets for Hinkle Fieldhouse can be purchased here.
Head Coach Joanne Persico is one win away from 600 career victories. In her 32nd season at the helm, Persico ranks 16th among active head coaches in career wins and is the winningest head coach at a single BIG EAST program. In her last ten matches against Xavier and Bulter, Persico has led St. John's to identical 7-3 record against both the Musketeers and Bulldogs.
Last Tuesday, the Red Storm wrapped up its homestand with a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday afternoon, earning its first BIG EAST home win of the season. Martina Ghezzi powered the Red Storm offense setting a new career-high firing 18 kills. Erin Jones and Martina Capponcelli each tallied 20 assists in the four-set victory, while Rashanny Solano Smith anchored the defense with 16 digs. Last weekend, St. John's fell to No. 13 Creighton in D.J. Sokol Arena to begin its three-match Midwest road trip, 3-0. Jones led the Johnnies with eight kills, while Capponcelli dished out 18 assists. On the defensive end, Solano Smith once again paced the team with 13 digs.
At the halfway point of the conference slate, Xavier boasts the best overall record in the BIG EAST at 18-2. After starting the season on a six-match win streak, the Musketeers dropped a 0-3 decision at Cincinnati and quickly rebounded to start conference play with an 11-1 record. In league play Xavier sits second with a 7-1 record, as their only conference loss- and second overall- came at the hands of Creighton.
Xavier has been perfect when playing in the Cintas Center this year, winning all seven matches during the 2025 campaign. In its last five matches at the Cintas Center, St. John's holds a 3-2 record dating back to 2018.
The Musketeers rank in the top half of the BIG EAST in all but one statistical category, most notably ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.190) and digs (14.73 digs per set). Xavier has five players that have recorded over 100 kills on the season. Emma Grace leads the team with 245 kills and averages 3.31 kills per set. Macy Hatkevich quarterbacks the offense with 676 total assists and averages 8.89 assists per set. The Musketeers defensive efforts see an identical five players recording over 100 digs thus far. Kelsey Niesen leads the way with 300 total digs, averaging 3.90 digs per set. The blocking tandem of McKinley Boehm and Margo Kemp each swat over 1.09 shots per set.
Head Coach Cristy Pfeffenberger is in her 10th season at the helm. All time, Pfenffenberger holds an 8-10 record against the Red Storm since beginning her tenure in 2015.
Heading into the weekend, Butler holds a 9-12 record.
The Bulldogs have a 2-6 record in league play, with wins over DePaul and Providence. Over the last five matches at Hinkle Fieldhouse, St. John's holds a 4-1 record when in Indianapolis.
Alaleh Tolliver currently sits fourth in the BIG EAST in kills with 286 and tops the team with 3.86 kills per set. In addition to Tolliver, Elise Ward has also notched over 200 kills, and two other Bulldogs have recorded over 125 kills. Kaylee Finnegan also sits fourth in the league with 663 total assists, averaging 9.21 assists per set. On the defensive side of the net, Lauren Evans has dug up 313 balls, and three other players have recorded more than 100 digs throughout the season. Zoe McDonald is the top net minder for Butler, recording 74 total blocks, sending back 1.01 shots per set.
Head Coach Kyle Shondell is in his third season at the helm leading the Bulldogs volleyball program. All time, Shondell is 0-4 against the Red Storm since beginning his tenure in 2023.
Following this weekend, the Johnnies return to Queens for a pair of home matches. On Friday, Oct. 31, UConn makes its way to Carnesecca Arena for a 7 p.m. match. Guests in attendance are encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costume for a chance to win candy prizes. The next day, the St. John's volleyball program will welcome back past players for Alumni Day. A pre-match reception is set to take place in the Hall of Fame room at 1 p.m., with a 3 p.m. first serve against Providence. Any alumni that are interested in participating can register here.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S/RH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
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