St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, September 23
Queens, N.Y.
1 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Seton Hall
Volleyball Welcomes Seton Hall to Begin BIG EAST Action
9/22/2026 2:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The cross-Hudson rivals ready for mid-week tilt on Wednesday afternoon
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's volleyball team will begin its 2026 BIG EAST slate on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Seton Hall at 1 p.m.
The match between the cross-Hudson rivals will air on ESPN+. Live stats can be found at RedStormSports.com.
St. John's (10-3) and Seton Hall (8-3) will square off for the 45th time, tying Villanova as the most common opponent in program history. The Red Storm are 24-20 all-time against the Pirates and boast a 13-10 record in the friendly confines of Carnesecca Arena. In the last 10 matches, the Johnnies are 7-3 against their cross-Hudson rival. Each of those seven victories has been a four-set win. The last time St. John's swept Seton Hall was on March 12, 2021, during the spring COVID season.
Entering her 33rd season of BIG EAST play, Head Coach Joanne Persico currently ranks 10th in wins amongst active skippers and is three wins behind West Florida's Melissa Wolter (616) for ninth.
The Red Storm carried a four-match win streak into the 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic this past weekend and were able to extend the streak to six straight with wins over
Penn (3-1) and Bryant (3-0). The Johnnies were looking to prolong their winning ways to seven consecutive victories for the first time since the 2022 season but were stopped by Rutgers in a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat.
Heading into league action, St. John's leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (13.23), assists per set (13.92) and digs per set (15.58). The Johnnies also are holding opponents to a BIG EAST best .148 hitting percentage.
Rashanny Solano Smith was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week 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 (279) and digs per set (5.81).
She 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. She has 89 more digs than the next-best player in the BIG EAST in that category. This past weekend, the defensive maestro collected a staggering 88 digs in 12 sets of work (7.33 per set).
Her 41 digs are the second most in program history, trailing Nicole Colaluca's 44 against UConn on Nov. 13, 2004, during the 30-point rally format. It is believed that the 41 are the most in program history in the 25-point rally format.
Carola Tesoro appeared on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts last 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 has the most kills by a freshman in the NCAA Division I volleyball ranks (211) and sits second among rookies in kills per set (4.49). Her 211 kills rank third amongst all players in NCAA Division I.
Seton Hall will begin BIG EAST action with an 8-3 record. The Pirates have two common opponents with the Red Storm and played both last weekend. Seton Hall captured wins over NJIT and Iona, like St. John's wins over the Highlanders and Gaels at the Iona Invitational two weekends ago.
Last season, St. John's swept the season series against the Pirates by picking up wins in Queens and in South Orange. Both matches were decided in four sets. This season, the two will square off just once in Queens.
The Pirates are led offensively by Daria Safian with 127 kills, averaging 2.95 per frame. The reigning BIG EAST Setter of the Week, Gwen Adler, quarterbacks the offense with 306 helpers, dishing out 6.65 per set. Defensively, Seton Hall is paced by Rylee Nelson with 147 digs, who averages 3.59 per set. Mia Clyburn is the top netminder with 36 total blocks (3 BS, 33 BA), rejecting 0.84 shots per set.
Following the midweek match, St. John's will prepare for No. 25 Creighton on Saturday. First serve against the Bluejays is set for 7 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena.
The match between the cross-Hudson rivals will air on ESPN+. Live stats can be found at RedStormSports.com.
St. John's (10-3) and Seton Hall (8-3) will square off for the 45th time, tying Villanova as the most common opponent in program history. The Red Storm are 24-20 all-time against the Pirates and boast a 13-10 record in the friendly confines of Carnesecca Arena. In the last 10 matches, the Johnnies are 7-3 against their cross-Hudson rival. Each of those seven victories has been a four-set win. The last time St. John's swept Seton Hall was on March 12, 2021, during the spring COVID season.
Entering her 33rd season of BIG EAST play, Head Coach Joanne Persico currently ranks 10th in wins amongst active skippers and is three wins behind West Florida's Melissa Wolter (616) for ninth.
The Red Storm carried a four-match win streak into the 12th Annual Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic this past weekend and were able to extend the streak to six straight with wins over
Penn (3-1) and Bryant (3-0). The Johnnies were looking to prolong their winning ways to seven consecutive victories for the first time since the 2022 season but were stopped by Rutgers in a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat.
Heading into league action, St. John's leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (13.23), assists per set (13.92) and digs per set (15.58). The Johnnies also are holding opponents to a BIG EAST best .148 hitting percentage.
Rashanny Solano Smith was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week 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 (279) and digs per set (5.81).
She 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. She has 89 more digs than the next-best player in the BIG EAST in that category. This past weekend, the defensive maestro collected a staggering 88 digs in 12 sets of work (7.33 per set).
Her 41 digs are the second most in program history, trailing Nicole Colaluca's 44 against UConn on Nov. 13, 2004, during the 30-point rally format. It is believed that the 41 are the most in program history in the 25-point rally format.
Carola Tesoro appeared on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts last 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 has the most kills by a freshman in the NCAA Division I volleyball ranks (211) and sits second among rookies in kills per set (4.49). Her 211 kills rank third amongst all players in NCAA Division I.
Seton Hall will begin BIG EAST action with an 8-3 record. The Pirates have two common opponents with the Red Storm and played both last weekend. Seton Hall captured wins over NJIT and Iona, like St. John's wins over the Highlanders and Gaels at the Iona Invitational two weekends ago.
Last season, St. John's swept the season series against the Pirates by picking up wins in Queens and in South Orange. Both matches were decided in four sets. This season, the two will square off just once in Queens.
The Pirates are led offensively by Daria Safian with 127 kills, averaging 2.95 per frame. The reigning BIG EAST Setter of the Week, Gwen Adler, quarterbacks the offense with 306 helpers, dishing out 6.65 per set. Defensively, Seton Hall is paced by Rylee Nelson with 147 digs, who averages 3.59 per set. Mia Clyburn is the top netminder with 36 total blocks (3 BS, 33 BA), rejecting 0.84 shots per set.
Following the midweek match, St. John's will prepare for No. 25 Creighton on Saturday. First serve against the Bluejays is set for 7 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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