QUEENS, NY—The St. John’s volleyball team continued its dominance at home by snagging the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic title at Carnesecca Arena this weekend.
Rebounding from a difficult tournament in Hawai’i last week where they finished 1-2, The Red Storm (8-3) reignited the fire they started the season with by finishing the tournament 3-1. Senior Aleksandra Wachowicz was crowned Tournament MVP for her commanding performance in the clinching match against Fresno State, in which she had 22 kills and a .444 attacking percentage. Junior Deniz Mutlugil and senior Ashley Boursiquot were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts as well.
Although the Johnnies dropped their first match of the tournament to Dartmouth (6-1) on Friday, they did not go down quietly. After dominating the Big Green in the first set by a score of 25-10, St. John’s was beat 25-21 in a much closer second set. They won the next set 25-22, but dropped the following one 25-22. For the first time all season, the Johnnies were forced to play five sets in a match. Dartmouth prevailed with a score of 17-15.
However, that’s just about where the losing would end for the Red Storm. They swept New Hampshire (4-5) later in the day (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) in a match that Mutlugil would lead both sides of the court in with 38 assists, marking the sixth time this season she has had 35 or more in a match.
St. John’s would complete another sweep (25-11, 25-10, 25-20) the following morning against St. Francis (2-11), their sixth of the year. Junior Shawna-Lei Santos notched her first double-double of the season with 17 assists and 24 digs as the Red Storm rolled through with ease.
The Johnnies’ brooms were brought to a halt later that afternoon against Fresno State, settling for a 3-1 match victory. After snagging the first two sets to create an eight-set winning streak, the Bulldogs took advantage of a poor attacking performance from St. John’s, who had just a .103 hitting percentage as a team in the third set. However, they would never trail in the fourth set as the Red Storm won the match 25-21 and solidified their tournament victory.
Head coach Joanne Persico will take on her former player, 2006 graduate Caitlin Rimigalia, as she welcomes La Salle into Carnesecca Arena on Sept. 17.
