Nov. 22, 2003

- Notre Dame, Ind.-St. John's volleyball sophomore Jackie Ahlers (Stony Point, N.Y.) was named All-BIG EAST first team, it was announced this evening at the conference banquet held before the conference tournament in Notre Dame, Ind. Ahlers is only the second Red Storm player in history to earn first team honors and first since alum Olga Roudvoski earned it during her senior season in 2000.

For the season, Ahlers set the BIG EAST conference and St. John's record for kills in a single season with 608 total kills. She ranked 23rd in the country and first in the BIG EAST in kills per game, averaging 5.02 and ranked first in the conference in total points. During the season Jackie was named to the four different all-tournament teams, including being named the 10th Annual SJU Classic Most Valuable Player. For her efforts over the course of the season, Jackie was named BIG EAST player of the week three times and ECAC player of the week once.

Ahlers led the Red Storm to its most successful season in the programs' 10-year history. The team set the single season record for wins with a 26-9 overall record and finished the season regionally ranked by the AVCA. The Red Storm finished conference play tied for fourth at 7-5, falling short of the BIG EAST tournament due to a three-way tiebreaker.

For her career, Ahlers' continues to take her play to the next level. She set the mark for kills by freshman with 512 during her first season and has totaled 1120 for her career. She currently ranks third on the career-kills list, 421 off the all-time mark with two full seasons of eligibility left. She has a career hitting percentage of .288, good for third on the all-time list.