Nov. 15, 2003

Villanova, Pa.-The St. John's women's volleyball team fell to Villanova this afternoon, 2-3 (28-30, 30-25, 30-25, 28-30, 9-15), in a match played at John Nervin Field House in Villanova, Pa. The Red Storm fall to 25-9 overall and 6-5 in the BIG EAST, while the Wildcats improve to 14-13 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

Villanova jumped out to an early 5-10 game one advantage, but the Red Storm chipped away at the lead and tied the game at 21. Freshman Puna Richardson (Honolulu, Hawaii) led the comeback with two total blocks and a pair of kills. With the score tied at 21, the two teams engaged in a slugfest with neither team pulling away by more than a point. With the game knotted at 28, the Wildcats reeled off two straight points to take game one, 28-30. For the game, sophomore Jackie Ahlers (Stony Point, N.Y.) recorded five kills, while junior Yana Ruban (Kiev, Ukraine) added two total blocks and a pair of kills in the middle.

Game two started out better for the Red Storm as they took an early 9-5 advantage. Ahlers led the attack, recording four kills on St. John's first five points. In a reversal of game one, it was the Wildcats who clawed back into the game, tying the game at 22. With the score tied at 22, two kills by senior Robyn Kurasaki (Milliani, Hawaii) and blocks by Ruban, Richardson, Kurasaki and senior Rosalyn Dang (Honolulu, Hawaii)highlighted an 8-3 run that closed out the second game, 30-25, and tying the match at one game apiece. For game two, Ahlers totaled eight kills, while Ruban recorded three total blocks. Freshman setter Erin Poglits (West Bloomfield, Mich.) continued to spread the ball around, dishing out a total of 27 assists in two games.

St. John's jumped out to a 10-7 game three advantage thanks to the hitting of Ruban and Richardson. Ruban tallied two kills and one block, while Richardson totaled one kill and one block during the early going. The teams traded points with the Red Storm maintaining a slim two-point lead throughout. With St. John's ahead 20-18, the Red Storm closed out game three on a 10-7 run for a 30-25 victory. The run was highlighted by two kills by Ahlers and two kills and a block solo on game point by Richardson. For the game, Richardson finished with four kills and three total blocks. Poglits dished out 13 assists and freshman libero Nicole Colaluca (Naperville, Ill.) recorded five digs on the back row bringing her match total to 16.

St. John's took a 15-10 game four lead, using a well-balanced offensive attack. The Red Storm received kills from six different players, led by Dang's two. St. John's maintained its lead through out the middle part of the game but Villanova pulled even late, tying the game at 26. With the score tied at 26, the Wildcats pulled it out with a 28-30 game four victory. For game four, Dang totaled four kills, while Poglits dished out 14 assists.

In game five, Villanova jumped out to an early lead and maintained it throughout, winning 9-15.

For the match, Ahlers tallied 21 kills, while Dang and Richardson tallied 13 kills each. Richardson finished with six total blocks and Poglits dished out a match-high 59 assists. Colaluca finished with 24 digs in the back row.

The Red Storm return to action tomorrow, Sunday, November 16 when they travel to Washington, D.C. to close out their regular season with a match versus Georgetown. First serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.