St. John's University Athletics
Friday, October 2
Queens, N.Y.
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Xavier
Volleyball Concludes Homestand with Pair of BIG EAST Matches
10/1/2026 2:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Watch vs. Xavier (ESPN+)Watch vs. Butler (SJU-TV)Live Stats vs. XavierLive Stats vs. ButlerVolleyball Match Notes 16-17
Red Storm to battle Xavier and Butler in Carnesecca Arena
QUEENS, N.Y. (Oct. 1, 2026) –The St. John's volleyball team will close out its seven-match homestand with a pair of battles with Midwest opponents in Xavier and Butler.
The Red Storm will look to end its longest homestand of the year with wins over of a pair of teams with 2-0 records in BIG EAST play.
Friday's match against the Musketeers will be streamed on ESPN+, while Saturday's tilt will air on SJU-TV on YouTube. Also on Saturday, the team will celebrate "Pink Day", presented by Main Street Radiology, by honoring a breast cancer survivor during the match. Live stats for both contests can be found at RedStormSports.com.
The Johnnies opened league action with a split decision week, picking up a win over Seton Hall on Wednesday to start but fell to No. 25 Creighton, 3-1, on Saturday evening. Both Xavier and Butler won their pair of matches to start BIG EAST action, with wins over Georgetown and Villanova.
Rashanny Solano Smith was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday afternoon, and the libero has arguably been one of the best liberos in the country thus far. The senior leads the country in digs (323) and digs per set (5.87). Heading into this weekend, she is one of four players in the NCAA Division I volleyball ranks to record 300 or more digs. She has 80 more digs than the next-best player in the BIG EAST in that category.
Against the nationally ranked Bluejays, the Costa Rican product she notched a match-best 27 digs, her best mark against Creighton over her Johnnie tenure and added three assists as the Johnnies went toe-to-toe with CU in four sets.
Carola Tesoro and Lejla Hadziredzepovic rank among the best hitters in the conference, with Tesoro pacing the league with 229 kills and Hadziredzepovic tied for second with 188.
This past weekend, Hadziredzepovic paced the Johnnie attacking unit with 27 kills and ranks third in conference play with that kill total.
Heading into league action, St. John's leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (13.67), assists per set (12.95) and digs per set (15.38). The Johnnies also are holding opponents to a BIG EAST best .149 hitting percentage.
St. John's and Xaiver will square off for the 24th time, with the Musketeers holding a 13-10 advantage. In the last five matches against Xavier, St. John's is 3-2, and in the last five contests in Queens, the Red Storm are 4-1. Last year, St. John's fell in a 3-1 decision in the Cintas Center. The Johnnies have not been swept in Queens by Xaiver since the 2013 season.
Xavier enters the weekend boasting a 9-4 record and an undefeated 2-0 mark in league play. The team started conference play by picking up wins at home against Villanova and Georgetown.
The Musketeers are led offensively by Charlotte Moriarty, who has fired 156 kills and averages 3.18 tallies per frame. Ava Tilden follows with 111 kills. Kelsey Niesen leads the defensive efforts for the Musketeers, collecting 212 digs. Xavier has a pair of netminders with over 1.25 rejections per set in Margo Kemp and McKinley Boehm.
St. John's and Butler will meet for the 22nd time in each program's history, with the Bulldogs holding a slight 11-10 advantage. In the last five meetings against Butler, St. John's is 4-1, following a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in Indianapolis last year. Prior to the loss, the Red Storm had won six straight against Butler. The Johnnies have not lost to the Bulldogs in Carnesecca Arena since 2021, and since Butler joined the BIG EAST in 2013, they have never swept St. John's in Queens.
Butler comes to Queens with an 8-6 record and an unblemished 2-0 record in BIG EAST action. The team started conference play securing wins over Georgetown and a five-set thriller over Villanova in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs are led by Kaylee Durbin and Chase Lemming, who each have tallied 107 kills. Three players have dished out more than 100 assists, but Sarah Kempf leads the pack with 203. Jersey Loyer anchors the backline with 216 digs, while three players average more than 1.00 blocks per set and are led by Carly Slusser.
Next weekend, St. John's hits the road for the first time since the Iona Invitational and for the first time in BIG EAST play. The Johnnies will head north to take on UConn on Oct. 9 and Providence on Oct. 10.
The Red Storm will look to end its longest homestand of the year with wins over of a pair of teams with 2-0 records in BIG EAST play.
Friday's match against the Musketeers will be streamed on ESPN+, while Saturday's tilt will air on SJU-TV on YouTube. Also on Saturday, the team will celebrate "Pink Day", presented by Main Street Radiology, by honoring a breast cancer survivor during the match. Live stats for both contests can be found at RedStormSports.com.
The Johnnies opened league action with a split decision week, picking up a win over Seton Hall on Wednesday to start but fell to No. 25 Creighton, 3-1, on Saturday evening. Both Xavier and Butler won their pair of matches to start BIG EAST action, with wins over Georgetown and Villanova.
Rashanny Solano Smith was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday afternoon, and the libero has arguably been one of the best liberos in the country thus far. The senior leads the country in digs (323) and digs per set (5.87). Heading into this weekend, she is one of four players in the NCAA Division I volleyball ranks to record 300 or more digs. She has 80 more digs than the next-best player in the BIG EAST in that category.
Against the nationally ranked Bluejays, the Costa Rican product she notched a match-best 27 digs, her best mark against Creighton over her Johnnie tenure and added three assists as the Johnnies went toe-to-toe with CU in four sets.
Carola Tesoro and Lejla Hadziredzepovic rank among the best hitters in the conference, with Tesoro pacing the league with 229 kills and Hadziredzepovic tied for second with 188.
This past weekend, Hadziredzepovic paced the Johnnie attacking unit with 27 kills and ranks third in conference play with that kill total.
Heading into league action, St. John's leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (13.67), assists per set (12.95) and digs per set (15.38). The Johnnies also are holding opponents to a BIG EAST best .149 hitting percentage.
St. John's and Xaiver will square off for the 24th time, with the Musketeers holding a 13-10 advantage. In the last five matches against Xavier, St. John's is 3-2, and in the last five contests in Queens, the Red Storm are 4-1. Last year, St. John's fell in a 3-1 decision in the Cintas Center. The Johnnies have not been swept in Queens by Xaiver since the 2013 season.
Xavier enters the weekend boasting a 9-4 record and an undefeated 2-0 mark in league play. The team started conference play by picking up wins at home against Villanova and Georgetown.
The Musketeers are led offensively by Charlotte Moriarty, who has fired 156 kills and averages 3.18 tallies per frame. Ava Tilden follows with 111 kills. Kelsey Niesen leads the defensive efforts for the Musketeers, collecting 212 digs. Xavier has a pair of netminders with over 1.25 rejections per set in Margo Kemp and McKinley Boehm.
St. John's and Butler will meet for the 22nd time in each program's history, with the Bulldogs holding a slight 11-10 advantage. In the last five meetings against Butler, St. John's is 4-1, following a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in Indianapolis last year. Prior to the loss, the Red Storm had won six straight against Butler. The Johnnies have not lost to the Bulldogs in Carnesecca Arena since 2021, and since Butler joined the BIG EAST in 2013, they have never swept St. John's in Queens.
Butler comes to Queens with an 8-6 record and an unblemished 2-0 record in BIG EAST action. The team started conference play securing wins over Georgetown and a five-set thriller over Villanova in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs are led by Kaylee Durbin and Chase Lemming, who each have tallied 107 kills. Three players have dished out more than 100 assists, but Sarah Kempf leads the pack with 203. Jersey Loyer anchors the backline with 216 digs, while three players average more than 1.00 blocks per set and are led by Carly Slusser.
Next weekend, St. John's hits the road for the first time since the Iona Invitational and for the first time in BIG EAST play. The Johnnies will head north to take on UConn on Oct. 9 and Providence on Oct. 10.
Players Mentioned
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