St. John's University Athletics
Rashanny Solano Smith Named Libero of the Year; Jones Collects Third Straight Unanimous All-BIG EAST Selection
11/21/2025 10:02:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Solano Smith garners first major award and first All-League honor
NEW YORK –Rashanny Solano Smith became the 15th player in St. John's volleyball history to win a BIG EAST major award on Friday morning, earning BIG EAST Libero of the Year honors as voted upon by the league's coaches.
Solano Smith and teammate Erin Jones was selected to the All-BIG EAST Team. It marked the third unanimous All-BIG EAST selection of Jones' stellar St. John's tenure.
St. John's has now placed a player on the All-BIG EAST squad in each of the past 13 seasons.
Solano Smith doubled down on her Preseason All-BIG EAST selection by becoming the program's first major award winner since Joanne Persico and her staff captured Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023. The Coata Rica native becomes the first player to win Libero of the Year since Amanda Sanabia did so in 2018. She is the third player in program history to be named Libero of the Year, as Lena Yee won the award three straight seasons from 2006-2008.
Solano Smith collected 443 total digs this season (4.10 per set), which ranked third in the BIG EAST. In conference play, she led the BIG EAST in digs with 280 over 62 sets of work. She posted double-digit digs in 23 of her 29 matches. Over the span of four matches from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, she logged more than 20 digs in each contest, including two 24-dig performances and a season-high 25 digs against Butler.
Starting every match this season, she notched her 1,000th career dig against Auburn during the second contest of the 2025 campaign. Solano Smith currently ranks seventh in program history with 1,420 career digs.
Jones becomes the first player in program history to be unanimously selected to the All-BIG EAST Team in three consecutive seasons, further cementing herself as one of the greatest players to wear a Red Storm uniform. The Albuquerque, N.M., native is the third Johnnie in program history to receive three straight all-league honors and just the sixth to earn three or more all-league nods, joining Efrosini Alexakou (2018-21), Hui Ping Huang (2005-07), Rachele Rastelli (2018-2021), Karin Palgutova (2012-2015) and Erica DeMaulo (2016-2019).
The first player in program and conference history to record 1,000 career kills, 1,000 career assists and 1,000 career digs, Jones set a career high with 532 assists during her senior campaign in addition to logging 294 kills and 269 digs. She registered a career-high 28 kills during a 3-1 win at Providence on Oct. 3, become the first Johnnie to record 25 kills in a game since 2021. Just over four week later, she dished a staggering 55 assists against the Friars in Carnesecca Arena to set a career best.
The setter/opposite hitter ranked seventh in the BIG EAST with 379 total assists and 6.11 assists per set and concludes her career with 1,323 kills, 1,295 digs and 1,014 digs. She ranks eighth in program history in kills.
St. John's volleyball will be hosting their annual Walk-A-Thon on Monday, Dec. 8. More information will be released at a later date. To track the Red Storm, follow the team on Instagram and X.
2025 BIG EAST Volleyball Regular Season Awards
*Denotes unanimous selection
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
BIG EAST Setter of the Year: Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton
BIG EAST Libero of the Year: Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John's
BIG EAST Co-Freshmen of the Year: Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul & Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: Xavier (Christy Pfeffenberger)
All-BIG EAST
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn*
Jaya Johnson, So., RS, Creighton
Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton*
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul
Hattie Bray, Gr., MB, Marquette*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Natalie Ring, Sr., OH, Marquette*
Hadley Pride, RS-Sr., L, Providence
Erin Jones, Sr., S/OPP, St. John's*
Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova*
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova*
Emma Grace, RS-Sr., OH, Xavier*
Macy Hatkevich, Jr., S, Xavier
Anna Taylor, RS-Sr., RS, Xavier
All-Freshman
Abbey Hayes, Fr., OH, Creighton
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul*
Samantha Soderlund, Fr., OH, Georgetown*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Reagan McGivern, Fr., MB, Villanova
McKinley Boehm, RS-Fr., MB, Xavier
Solano Smith and teammate Erin Jones was selected to the All-BIG EAST Team. It marked the third unanimous All-BIG EAST selection of Jones' stellar St. John's tenure.
St. John's has now placed a player on the All-BIG EAST squad in each of the past 13 seasons.
Solano Smith doubled down on her Preseason All-BIG EAST selection by becoming the program's first major award winner since Joanne Persico and her staff captured Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023. The Coata Rica native becomes the first player to win Libero of the Year since Amanda Sanabia did so in 2018. She is the third player in program history to be named Libero of the Year, as Lena Yee won the award three straight seasons from 2006-2008.
Solano Smith collected 443 total digs this season (4.10 per set), which ranked third in the BIG EAST. In conference play, she led the BIG EAST in digs with 280 over 62 sets of work. She posted double-digit digs in 23 of her 29 matches. Over the span of four matches from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, she logged more than 20 digs in each contest, including two 24-dig performances and a season-high 25 digs against Butler.
Starting every match this season, she notched her 1,000th career dig against Auburn during the second contest of the 2025 campaign. Solano Smith currently ranks seventh in program history with 1,420 career digs.
Jones becomes the first player in program history to be unanimously selected to the All-BIG EAST Team in three consecutive seasons, further cementing herself as one of the greatest players to wear a Red Storm uniform. The Albuquerque, N.M., native is the third Johnnie in program history to receive three straight all-league honors and just the sixth to earn three or more all-league nods, joining Efrosini Alexakou (2018-21), Hui Ping Huang (2005-07), Rachele Rastelli (2018-2021), Karin Palgutova (2012-2015) and Erica DeMaulo (2016-2019).
The first player in program and conference history to record 1,000 career kills, 1,000 career assists and 1,000 career digs, Jones set a career high with 532 assists during her senior campaign in addition to logging 294 kills and 269 digs. She registered a career-high 28 kills during a 3-1 win at Providence on Oct. 3, become the first Johnnie to record 25 kills in a game since 2021. Just over four week later, she dished a staggering 55 assists against the Friars in Carnesecca Arena to set a career best.
The setter/opposite hitter ranked seventh in the BIG EAST with 379 total assists and 6.11 assists per set and concludes her career with 1,323 kills, 1,295 digs and 1,014 digs. She ranks eighth in program history in kills.
St. John's volleyball will be hosting their annual Walk-A-Thon on Monday, Dec. 8. More information will be released at a later date. To track the Red Storm, follow the team on Instagram and X.
2025 BIG EAST Volleyball Regular Season Awards
*Denotes unanimous selection
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
BIG EAST Setter of the Year: Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton
BIG EAST Libero of the Year: Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John's
BIG EAST Co-Freshmen of the Year: Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul & Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: Xavier (Christy Pfeffenberger)
All-BIG EAST
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn*
Jaya Johnson, So., RS, Creighton
Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton*
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul
Hattie Bray, Gr., MB, Marquette*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Natalie Ring, Sr., OH, Marquette*
Hadley Pride, RS-Sr., L, Providence
Erin Jones, Sr., S/OPP, St. John's*
Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova*
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova*
Emma Grace, RS-Sr., OH, Xavier*
Macy Hatkevich, Jr., S, Xavier
Anna Taylor, RS-Sr., RS, Xavier
All-Freshman
Abbey Hayes, Fr., OH, Creighton
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul*
Samantha Soderlund, Fr., OH, Georgetown*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Reagan McGivern, Fr., MB, Villanova
McKinley Boehm, RS-Fr., MB, Xavier
Players Mentioned
S/RH
/ Women's Volleyball
RH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
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