Coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Buffalo Blue and White Classic, the St. John’s Women’s Volleyball team got
a much needed win in straight sets against local rival Fordham on Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena.
The win improves the Red Storm’s overall record to 11-3 on the season,
as they continue their remarkable turnaround from a 9-21 campaign last year.
The Red Storm dominated Fordham in almost every way imaginable in a match that lasted just over an hour long. Fordham never led once throughout the three sets.
“It was a huge win for us today. We tried to turn a stumbling block into a
stepping stone,” said head coach Joanne Persico. “Today was just about
regrouping, and getting that ‘W’ that we need.”
The win moved the Red Storm to a 7-0 mark at home this season, much
to the delight of Persico.
“It’s funny with this team particularly,” she said. “We need to win on the road, of course, but I feel like
when we’re home there’s a little bit of a better vibe going on, and I’m going to
have to try to get that vibe in the bus somehow, and take it with us on the road.”
St. John’s wasted no time taking control of the first set, jumping out to an early 12-6 lead. St. John’s had set point and a 24-14 lead when Sabina Papala earned a kill to end to the first set, 25-14.
In the second set, the Red Storm led by as many as 14 points, and despite a four-point rally late in the set by
Fordham, the Red Storm took the second set, 25-12.
The Red Storm led by as many as 15 points in the third set before Fordham went on a 8-2 run. But any hope
Fordham had disappeared on a service error, which ended the set and the match, giving the Red Storm the relatively
easy three-set win, 25-15.
Brunna Kronbauer led the team with eight kills, three service aces, and three digs. Darlene Ramdin led the team with seven blocks.
“It was very important for us to win this game and have a good game, so it was important for us to pick our
motivation up,” said Kronbauer. “We’ve been working a lot with hitting, and especially hitting outside like line and two, so we’ve been working hard this week trying to get better and improve.”
The Red Storm will take their good home vibes on the road this weekend, when they play in the Penn State Classic, where they’ll face Princeton, George Washington, and No. 2 Penn State.
“It’s a huge weekend coming up,” Persico said. “We’re going to see what we’re made of. I think we’re looking to get back on the road, make some adjustments tomorrow and watch some tape. We cannot overlook Princeton, and we cannot overlook George Washington. We’re going to bring what we can, and I definitely want to make sure we’re ready and focused, and that’s our goal, is to win matches no matter where we play.”
