St. John's University Athletics
Solano Smith Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week; Tesoro Named to Honor Roll
9/21/2026 2:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
This is the first time this season that St. John’s has landed a pair on student-athletes on the weekly honor roll
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team landed a pair of student-athletes on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Senior star Rashanny Solano Smith was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, and rookie standout Carola Tesoro was named to the Honor Roll, the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
This marks the first time this year that the Red Storm have placed a pair of players on the weekly honor roll. This is the second major weekly award that Solano Smith has garnered in 2026 and the first honor roll selection for Tesoro. Monday's announcement also marks the fourth consecutive week that a Johnnie has been selected for a major weekly award.
Solano Smith continued her dominant form, collecting a staggering 88 digs in 12 sets of work as the Johnnies went 2-1 during the 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic. The libero recorded an eye-popping 41 digs in a 3-1 win over Penn, the most by any player in the NCAA since 2024 and the most by any player in the BIG EAST this season. In the first set alone, she notched 20 digs.
Against Bryant, she tallied 20 digs in a 3-0 sweep and 27 digs over five sets of action against Rutgers.
Heading into BIG EAST play, the Limon, Costa Rica, native leads the country with 279 digs and 5.81 digs per set. She has 89 more digs than the next-best player in the BIG EAST in that category.
It was another high-caliber weekend for Tesoro, helping St. John's to a 2-1 weekend. The rookie fired 56 kills in 12 sets of action (4.66 kills per set), while registering 37 digs and a pair of double-doubles.
Tesoro began the weekend with a 16-kill, 16-dig performance during a 3-1 victory over Penn. On Saturday, she exploded for a BIG EAST-best 30 kills in five sets against Rutgers.
In addition, she tied her weekend-best 16 digs for her second double-double of the weekend. Her 30 kills are the 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.
Solano Smith, Tesoro and the rest of the Johnnies will now turn their 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.
This marks the first time this year that the Red Storm have placed a pair of players on the weekly honor roll. This is the second major weekly award that Solano Smith has garnered in 2026 and the first honor roll selection for Tesoro. Monday's announcement also marks the fourth consecutive week that a Johnnie has been selected for a major weekly award.
Solano Smith continued her dominant form, collecting a staggering 88 digs in 12 sets of work as the Johnnies went 2-1 during the 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic. The libero recorded an eye-popping 41 digs in a 3-1 win over Penn, the most by any player in the NCAA since 2024 and the most by any player in the BIG EAST this season. In the first set alone, she notched 20 digs.
Against Bryant, she tallied 20 digs in a 3-0 sweep and 27 digs over five sets of action against Rutgers.
Heading into BIG EAST play, the Limon, Costa Rica, native leads the country with 279 digs and 5.81 digs per set. She has 89 more digs than the next-best player in the BIG EAST in that category.
It was another high-caliber weekend for Tesoro, helping St. John's to a 2-1 weekend. The rookie fired 56 kills in 12 sets of action (4.66 kills per set), while registering 37 digs and a pair of double-doubles.
Tesoro began the weekend with a 16-kill, 16-dig performance during a 3-1 victory over Penn. On Saturday, she exploded for a BIG EAST-best 30 kills in five sets against Rutgers.
In addition, she tied her weekend-best 16 digs for her second double-double of the weekend. Her 30 kills are the 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.
Solano Smith, Tesoro and the rest of the Johnnies will now turn their 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.
Players Mentioned
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