St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Lands a Pair of Major BIG EAST Volleyball Weekly Awards
10/5/2026 2:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Solano Smith and Tesoro each recognized for the fourth time this season
NEW YORK – St. John's Volleyball secured a pair of BIG EAST Weekly Awards this week. Rashanny Solano Smith was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and Carola Tesoro was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.
This is the fourth time that the pair of Johnnies has appeared on the weekly honor roll, and the first time that both have won a respective player of the week award in the same award cycle.
Solano Smith continued to anchor the back line for the Red Storm during an unblemished 2-0 week. The senior recorded 50 digs in nine sets of play (5.55 per set) and added 11 assists and a pair of aces to her weekend log.
Against Xavier, she picked up a match-high 28 digs and dished out six assists in a five-set thriller in Queens. The next day, she tallied 22 digs, five assists and a service ace as the Johnnies earned a 3-1 win over Butler.
Heading into this weekend, the libero leads the nation in total digs (379) and is second in digs per set (5.83). Among active Division I student-athletes, Solano Smith ranks second with 1,793 career digs. She trails Wake Forest's Andrea Roman by 24 digs, as the pair are the only active players to have logged more than 1,700 digs across their careers. The Costa Rican product trails Amanda Sanabia for second all-time in St. John's history by 61 digs.
Tesoro put together yet another high-caliber weekend. The freshman phenom tallied 34 kills, 18 digs, three service aces and 2.5 total blocks (2 BS, 1 BA) in a 2-0 week for the Red Storm. The outside hitter continues to pace the league in total kills with 263 and averages 4.17 per set.
Against Xavier, Tesoro recorded an 18-kill, 11-dig double-double as the Johnnies secured a critical 3-2 win over the Musketeers. The next day against the Bulldogs, she led all players with a match-best 16 kills and added seven digs, two service aces and 1.5 total blocks (one solo, one assist).
Solano Smith, Tesoro and the Red Storm hit the road this weekend for two conference tilts at UConn on Friday and Providence on Saturday.
This is the fourth time that the pair of Johnnies has appeared on the weekly honor roll, and the first time that both have won a respective player of the week award in the same award cycle.
Solano Smith continued to anchor the back line for the Red Storm during an unblemished 2-0 week. The senior recorded 50 digs in nine sets of play (5.55 per set) and added 11 assists and a pair of aces to her weekend log.
Against Xavier, she picked up a match-high 28 digs and dished out six assists in a five-set thriller in Queens. The next day, she tallied 22 digs, five assists and a service ace as the Johnnies earned a 3-1 win over Butler.
Heading into this weekend, the libero leads the nation in total digs (379) and is second in digs per set (5.83). Among active Division I student-athletes, Solano Smith ranks second with 1,793 career digs. She trails Wake Forest's Andrea Roman by 24 digs, as the pair are the only active players to have logged more than 1,700 digs across their careers. The Costa Rican product trails Amanda Sanabia for second all-time in St. John's history by 61 digs.
Tesoro put together yet another high-caliber weekend. The freshman phenom tallied 34 kills, 18 digs, three service aces and 2.5 total blocks (2 BS, 1 BA) in a 2-0 week for the Red Storm. The outside hitter continues to pace the league in total kills with 263 and averages 4.17 per set.
Against Xavier, Tesoro recorded an 18-kill, 11-dig double-double as the Johnnies secured a critical 3-2 win over the Musketeers. The next day against the Bulldogs, she led all players with a match-best 16 kills and added seven digs, two service aces and 1.5 total blocks (one solo, one assist).
Solano Smith, Tesoro and the Red Storm hit the road this weekend for two conference tilts at UConn on Friday and Providence on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballFriday, October 02
Wednesday, September 23
Friday, September 04
Friday, September 04