The St. John’s Volleyball team won their second straight home game against the Butler University Bulldogs at Carnesecca Arena with ease on Oct. 25. The Red Storm won three straight sets without allowing more than 16 points. The Johnnies now have a 16-8 record on the season, with only two losses on their home court.

Junior right-side hitter Erin Jones led the way for the Red Storm with a game-high 12 kills and an impressive nine digs. Other standout performers included the junior and senior outside hitter duo of Lucrezia Lodi and Giorgia Walthers, scoring nine kills a piece. Senior setter Wiktoria Kowalczyk shined with her second straight double-double and fourth overall. Kowalczyk also had 32 assists and ten digs, which led both teams in both statistics. 

The first set started fairly close as St. John’s only led 9-8. A dominant Red Storm possession followed this run, leaving the score 22-11 before a Bulldogs time-out. The stoppage did not provide much help for Butler as the Red Storm closed out the set 25-12 after a kill from junior middle blocker Ludovica Zola won the set point. 

The second set saw St. John’s pull out to an early 10-3 lead. The Red Storm looked to be walking to a second-set win until Butler challenged a touch on a kill attempt. The call went the Johnnies’ way, making the score 16-5. The break allowed the Bulldogs to regroup and lead a late push, forcing  St. John’s into a timeout at 18-11. The team responded well after the stoppage as they finished the set 25-16, with a kill from Jones to cap it off.

The Bulldogs kept the start of the third set competitive with four kills and two blocks, which caused a Red Storm timeout when they were leading 11-9. This was followed by a commanding run by Lodi’s four kills and an ace from Kowalczyk. The Bulldogs tried ruining the Johnnies’ momentum by calling two timeouts, but it was ultimately no help. Jones ended the match with two back-to-back kills, finishing the third set 25-11. 

The Red Storm had control for most of the game, and Butler struggled to find a way in. There were only four tied scores and one lead change throughout all three sets. Although the Johnnies had an impressive performance, the Bulldogs did not provide much to help themselves. Butler committed 25 attack errors compared to St. John’s eight. 

This is the Red Storm’s fifth consecutive win against the Bulldogs, as they improve to  5-5 in conference play this season. The St. John’s Women’s Volleyball team will travel to Creighton for another Big East matchup on Nov. 1