A large and loud Carnesecca Arena crowd helped boost the St. John’s Volleyball team to a sweep (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) of Georgetown in their Big East opener on Friday.

“I am really proud of the team,” said head coach Joanne Persico. “The freshman had a solid, well played game and I liked the way our returners stepped up.”

Freshman Karin Palgutova and sophomore Aleksandra Wachowicz had positive performances with Palgutova racking up 10 kills and a .368 hitting percentage while Wachowicz notched 13 kills and a .257 hitting percentage.

Seniors Milica Krstojevic, Sabina Piegza, and Gabriela Petkova also had a productive match. Krstojevic had a team-high six blocks, seven kills, and two digs while Piegza continued her four-game streak of 30 assists.

There six lead changes in the first set for the Red Storm (14-3, 1-0). Georgetown (6-8, 0-1) lead by as many as five points in the first set, but the Johnnies continued to fight back until a net violation and back-to-back kills from Palgutova won the set for Persico’s team.

In the second set, Georgetown led St. John’s by as many as three points until the Red Storm tied the score 17-17 after a block from Wachowicz and Krstojevic. Two timeouts were called from by the Hoyas in an attempt to break up the Johnnies’ momentum, but the Red Storm continued to keep their energy high as Wachowicz scored three consecutive kills to end the set.

The final set saw the Hoyas lead by as many as five, but seven straight points, lead by four Wachowicz kills, allowed the Red Storm to take the lead, 15-13. The Johnnies maintained the lead and a kill from Wachowicz ended the set in a victory for a Red Storm victory.