Bittersweet finish for St. John’s
History-breaking volleyball season ends

It would have been the perfect comeback to go along with the perfect season.
Trailing by two games to No. 5 USC in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Gainesville, Florida, St. John’s came storming back, forcing a fifth and deciding game.
They eventually fell short, however, falling to the Trojans, 3-2 (30-27, 30-22, 26-30, 24-30, 15-10).
Although St. John’s battled USC closely in the first game, ultimately falling 30-27, the Red Storm came apart a bit in the second game, allowing the Women of Troy to open up the scoring and win the game by eight.
“I told these ladies here, we are not going to give up,” St. John’s head coach Joanne Persico-Smith said. “We are going to do everything that we can to get back in the match.”
The Red Storm responded to Persico-Smith.
After trading leads to start game three, St. John’s finally got its first comfortable lead of the night, going up 15-8. USC continued to put the pressure on, edging its way back into the contest and pulling within two at 26-24. St. John’s refused to let up, though, and was able to hang on for a four-point victory, extending its season for at least one more game.
“We just needed to relax,” said St. John’s outside hitter Latoya Blunt, who finished her collegiate career with 1,398 kills in addition to 17 kills and a team-high six blocks against USC. “Once we were able to do that, we were able to come through with the big plays.”
Game four proved to be a nail-bitter throughout, as neither team was willing to give an inch. The score changed hands multiple times, as USC took a timeout, trailing St. John’s 21-20. The Red Storm came back out strong, going on a 9-3 run to seal the game four victory and send the match into a fifth and final game.
“You need to appreciate how good St. John’s is,” USC head coach Mick Haley said. “That was a superb effort to change, come back and win games three and four.”
USC came out flying in game five, dominating St. John’s and jumping out to a quick 8-1 lead. In keeping with the match’s competitive tenor, the Red Storm once again rallied back, tying the score at eight. USC subdued St. John’s momentum to close it out, 15-10.
Senior middle hitter Hui Ping Huang, the Big East Player of the Year led the way with a match- and career-high 29 kills. Senior setter Wioleta Leszczynska added 61 assists and 13 digs and senior outside Dana DeMayo produced a double-double of 14 kills and 29 digs, a career high.
The loss ended the most successful season in the history of the St. John’s volleyball program. The Red Storm set program records by going 33-4, earned its highest national ranking, No. 13, in the latest CSTV/AVCA national coaches poll, won its first Big East Tournament Championship, second consecutive regular season crown, and went deeper than ever before in the NCAA Tournament in addition to hosting the first two rounds at Carnesecca Arena.
“We really had a great experience,” Persico-Smith said. “It’s disappointing that we didn’t win, but we created great memories.”