St. John’s Tackles DePaul to Wrap Up Road Swing, 3-1

Saturday, November 8

Chicago, Ill. (McGrath-Phillips Arena)

5 p.m.

St. John's University

9-18,5-9Big East

DePaul

13-12,6-8Big East

St. John's (NY)

DePaul

Volleyball celebrates point during 3-2 win over Providence.

St. John’s Tackles DePaul to Wrap Up Road Swing, 3-1

11/8/2025 8:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score DePaul Box Score

The Red Storm notched 12 service aces as a team

CHICAGO – The St. John's volleyball team (9-18, 5-9 BIG EAST) picked up a BIG EAST road win over DePaul (13-12, 6-8 BIG EAST) on Saturday afternoon at McGrath-Phillips Arena, 3-1. After dropping the first frame, the Red Storm defense shut down the Blue Demons from sets two to four, holding them to a .150 hitting percentage.

At the service line, the Johnnies collected 12 aces as a team, their second-highest total of the season. The set scores were 18-25, 25-19, 25-16 and 25-20.

"This was a fantastic, gritty BIG EAST road win by our squad," said Head Coach Joanne Persico. "Our youngest Johnnies, Ella [Parker], Martina [Capponcelli], Ana [Franca Benjamim] and Chloe [Bell], each made crucial plays in crucial moments. Our game strategy, led by coach Ryan Cole, was on point today."

Martina Ghezzi led the attacking unit with 16 kills, while Ella Parker chipped in 13 of her own and Chloe Bell notched a career-high 11 kills. Martina Capponcelli also set a career-high with seven kills. Erin Jones paced the offense with 41 assists. Rounding out the offense, Parker served a match-high four aces to tie her career mark.
On the defensive end, Rashanny Solano Smith collected a team-high 14 digs, while Ghezzi registered two of the team's seven total blocks.

DePaul got off to a hot start in the opening frame, taking off on a 12-3 run. After extending the lead to 11 at 20-9, St. John's roared back with a 9-3 run to trim the deficit to 23-18. In the end, the Blue Demons took the first frame, 25-18.

The Red Storm found their rhythm offensively in the second set, taking a 10-5 edge to start. St. John's used service aces from Parker and Capponcelli to build its lead to as many as six at 19-13, and after aces from Bell and Jones, the Johnnies secured the set, 25-19, leveling the match at 1-1.

Similarly to the previous stanza, the Red Storm took control early in the third set, 9-3. Following a 6-0 St. John's scoring run, the squads traded points to 18-8. In the latter portion of the frame, the visitors used the service game to extend the lead. DePaul fought off set point twice before Ghezzi delivered her ninth kill of the match to close the set, 25-16, giving St. John's a 2-1 match advantage.

The fourth game saw a back-and-forth start before St. John's called timeout up 7-6. Out of the break, the Red Storm used a 3-0 run to create separation, but DePaul responded with a run of its own to take the lead, 13-11. The Johnnies answered back with multiple kills from Parker and forced the hosts into a timeout at 20-17. After exchanging points, the Blue Demons were able to fight off match point once, before Ghezzi capped the afternoon with her match-high 16th kill to secure the win.

St. John's will wrap up the regular season with a home-and-away series. On Friday, Nov. 14, the Red Storm welcome No. 12 Creighton to Queens as the program celebrates Senior Night. First serve against the Bluejays is set for 7 p.m., with Senior Night festivities taking place prior to the start of the match. On Sunday, the Johnnies will travel across the Hudson River to take on Seton Hall for the final match of the 2025 regular season in the Walsh Gym. First serve is set for 1 p.m.