St. John’s Drops Heartbreaker to Rutgers in 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic Finale, 3-2

Saturday, September 19

Queens, N.Y.

5 p.m.

St. John's University

10-3,0-0Big East

Rutgers

9-3,0-0Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Rutgers	25	25	25	24	15	3
St. John's (NY)	27	19	23	26	13	2

Photo by: Vincent Dusovic

St. John’s Drops Heartbreaker to Rutgers in 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic Finale, 3-2

9/19/2026 9:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Lejla Hadziredzepovic and Kendall White named to All-Tournament Team

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team concluded action in the 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic with a heartbreaking loss to Rutgers in Carnesecca Arena on Saturday night, 3-2.

In a battle of former BIG EAST foes, both St. John's (10-3) and Rutgers (9-3) put up nearly identical numbers across the stat sheet, but it was the advantage at the service line that gave the Scarlet Knights the edge. The set scores were 27-25, 19-25, 23-25, 26-24 and 13-15. The match featured 40 tied scores and 17 lead changes.

Lejla Hadzriedzepovic and Kendall White represented the Johnnies on the All-Tournament Team for their play over the three-match weekend.

Carola Tesoro turned in a career-high 30 kills and added 16 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. The total is a most by a Johnnie since Erin Jones put up 28 kills at Providence last season. The last St. John's player that notched 30 or more kills was Rachelle Rastelli, who fired 35 against Georgetown on Oct. 29, 2021.

Hadziredzepovic chipped in 13 kills and added five digs, a service ace and 1.0 total block (2 BA) and White added 11 kills. Amanda Caputi dished out a season-high 40 assists and added 15 digs for her second double-double of the year. Rashanny Solano Smith recorded a match-best 27 digs, and Teodora Stamenkovic rejected 4.5 total shots (1 BS, 7 BA).

Set one was tightly contested throughout, featuring nine tied scores and four lead changes. After St. John's initially took a 7-3 lead, the Scarlet Knights fought back to knot the contest at 10-10. Both sides exchanged points before Rutgers ripped off a 5-1 run to the media timeout at 15-11. The Johnnies answered with a 6-2 run to tie the set again at 17-17. Both teams never let the opposition go up by a pair. After St. John's triggered set point, the Scarlet Knights used a 3-0 run for a set point of their own at 25-24, but a 3-0 run by the Johnnies ended a thrilling first set, 27-25.

The second frame played into Rutgers' favor early, going up 9-8. A quick 6-1 run allowed for a sizeable cushion all the way to 17-10. The Red Storm refused to go down quietly, clawing its way back to within two and forcing a visitor's timeout at 20-18. A pair of quick points allowed Rutgers to go back up by four and hold the lead for good to 25-19, leveling the match at a set apiece.

Game three began similarly to the previous set, with Rutgers jumping out to an early 7-3 lead. The Scarlet Knights continued to push and grabbed a 13-5 lead. St. John's ripped off five unanswered points to pull within three at 13-10 and force a Rutgers timeout. After a short 3-0 run by the visitors, the Johnnies ripped off another 6-0 run to level the match at 16-16. Both teams exchanged haymakers into the red zone, but Rutgers pulled it out in the end at 25-23, taking a 2-1 match lead.

In frame four, the squads went point-for-point to 6-6 to start. The Red Storm rattled off a 7-2 run and forced a Rutgers timeout at 13-8. The Scarlet Knights were able to claw back and eventually take the lead at 19-18. After exchanging points, St. John's scored a trio of points to reclaim the lead at 22-21. The Johnnies were the first to trigger set point and held on for a 26-24 set victory, sending the match into an ultimate fifth set.

The fifth set was tightly contested from the start, with the team's trading points through a 4-4 tie. Rutgers then used a 4-0 run to take an 8-5 lead, but St. John's answered with three straight points to pull even at 8-8. The teams continued to trade points until Rutgers took a 12-10 advantage. A Tesoro kill brought the Red Storm within one at 14-13, but Rutgers closed out the set on the next rally for a 15-13 win and 3-2 win.

St. John's will turn its attention to BIG EAST play for the rest of the campaign. Action gets underway on Wednesday afternoon, as Seton Hall makes its way to Queens for a 1 p.m. first serve on Field Trip Day.