St. John's University Athletics
Friday, October 9
Storrs, Conn.
5 p.m.
St. John's University
at
UConn
Photo by: Vincent Dusovic
St. John’s Volleyball Travels for First BIG EAST Road Test
10/8/2026 12:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Watch at UConn (ESPN+)Live Stats (UConn)Tickets (UConn)Watch at Providence (ESPN+)Live Stats (Providence)Volleyball Match Notes 18-19
Red Storm to take on the Huskies and Friars
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team is set to take its first BIG EAST road trip of the season this weekend, traveling up I-95 to UConn and Providence for a pair of matches.
St. John's will first stop in Storrs, Conn., to take on the Huskies as 5 p.m. on Friday evening in the UConn Volleyball Center. The next day the Johnnies make their way to Providence, R.I., and take on the Friars at 3 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at RedStormSports.com.
This is the first of two times the Red Storm will play both UConn and Providence this season.
The Red Storm went 2-0 last weekend, picking up a critical victory against Xavier in a five-set thriller in Carnesecca Arena on Friday night. The next day, the Johnnies powered past Butler in a 3-1 decision.
Rashanny Solano Smith and Carola Tesoro each secured BIG EAST major weekly awards on Monday. 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 was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week as the Red Storm went 2-0 last weekend. 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. The libero currently leads the NCAA Division I in digs (373) 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.
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) during the unblemished
weekend.
Across the last five matches, the Red Storm are averaging 53.8 kills per contest. Across that same five match span, the Johnnies are holding opponents to a .183 hitting percentage.
Through two weeks of conference play, St. John's leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (13.56), assists per set (12.88) and digs per set (15.30). The Johnnies also are holding opponents to a BIG EAST best .159 hitting percentage.
Tesoro leads the BIG EAST in kills with 263, while averaging 4.17 per set. She is followed by Lejla Hadziredzepovic with 215 total kills which is third most in the conference. Amanda Caputi sits ninth in the conference by averaging 6.34 assists per frame, and Teodora Stamenkovic ranks sixth in blocks per set (1.19). Chloe Bell sits seventh in hitting percentage, swinging .322.
St. John's and UConn are set to square off for the first time this season and the 37th time overall on Friday evening. The Red Storm aim to pick up a key road victory in league play and its first win in Storrs since the 2023 season. Over the last five matches, the Huskies hold a 3-2 lead.
Last year, the pair split the season series as each home team won their respective match. The Johnnies earned a 3-1 win in Queens last year as Head Coach Joanne Persico secured her 600th career win, becoming the first head volleyball coach in BIG EAST history to collect 600 wins.
UConn most recently fell on the road at Georgetown and Villanova last weekend, each in straight sets. The Huskies rank fourth in NCAA Division I Volleyball with 135 service aces and ranks third with 2.18 aces per set.
St. John's and Providence will battle for the 37th all-time tilt between the two and the first of two contests during the 2026 slate. The Johnnies have won eight straight against the Friars and have not lost in Providence since the 2016 campaign.
Last season the Red Storm swept the season series, claiming a 3-1 win in Friartown and a thrilling 3-2 win in Queens on Alumni Day.
After an impressive 8-1 start to the season, the Friars have stumbled in its last six outings. Last weekend, Providence fell at Villanova in straight sets and at Georgetown in four sets.
Following this weekend, the Red Storm will host Marquette and DePaul to mark the end of the first half of the BIG EAST slate on Oct. 16 and Oct. 18, respectively.
St. John's will first stop in Storrs, Conn., to take on the Huskies as 5 p.m. on Friday evening in the UConn Volleyball Center. The next day the Johnnies make their way to Providence, R.I., and take on the Friars at 3 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at RedStormSports.com.
This is the first of two times the Red Storm will play both UConn and Providence this season.
The Red Storm went 2-0 last weekend, picking up a critical victory against Xavier in a five-set thriller in Carnesecca Arena on Friday night. The next day, the Johnnies powered past Butler in a 3-1 decision.
Rashanny Solano Smith and Carola Tesoro each secured BIG EAST major weekly awards on Monday. 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 was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week as the Red Storm went 2-0 last weekend. 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. The libero currently leads the NCAA Division I in digs (373) 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.
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) during the unblemished
weekend.
Across the last five matches, the Red Storm are averaging 53.8 kills per contest. Across that same five match span, the Johnnies are holding opponents to a .183 hitting percentage.
Through two weeks of conference play, St. John's leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (13.56), assists per set (12.88) and digs per set (15.30). The Johnnies also are holding opponents to a BIG EAST best .159 hitting percentage.
Tesoro leads the BIG EAST in kills with 263, while averaging 4.17 per set. She is followed by Lejla Hadziredzepovic with 215 total kills which is third most in the conference. Amanda Caputi sits ninth in the conference by averaging 6.34 assists per frame, and Teodora Stamenkovic ranks sixth in blocks per set (1.19). Chloe Bell sits seventh in hitting percentage, swinging .322.
St. John's and UConn are set to square off for the first time this season and the 37th time overall on Friday evening. The Red Storm aim to pick up a key road victory in league play and its first win in Storrs since the 2023 season. Over the last five matches, the Huskies hold a 3-2 lead.
Last year, the pair split the season series as each home team won their respective match. The Johnnies earned a 3-1 win in Queens last year as Head Coach Joanne Persico secured her 600th career win, becoming the first head volleyball coach in BIG EAST history to collect 600 wins.
UConn most recently fell on the road at Georgetown and Villanova last weekend, each in straight sets. The Huskies rank fourth in NCAA Division I Volleyball with 135 service aces and ranks third with 2.18 aces per set.
St. John's and Providence will battle for the 37th all-time tilt between the two and the first of two contests during the 2026 slate. The Johnnies have won eight straight against the Friars and have not lost in Providence since the 2016 campaign.
Last season the Red Storm swept the season series, claiming a 3-1 win in Friartown and a thrilling 3-2 win in Queens on Alumni Day.
After an impressive 8-1 start to the season, the Friars have stumbled in its last six outings. Last weekend, Providence fell at Villanova in straight sets and at Georgetown in four sets.
Following this weekend, the Red Storm will host Marquette and DePaul to mark the end of the first half of the BIG EAST slate on Oct. 16 and Oct. 18, respectively.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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