Oct. 28, 2005
TAMPA, Fla. - St. John's women's volleyball celebrated a 3-0 victory over the University of South Florida Friday night. The Red Storm was led by sophomore LaToya Blunt (Vacaville, Calif.) who hit .393 overall off 15 kills. Blunt's blistering .625 hitting percentage in game three helped secure the win for the Red Storm. St. John's improves to 19-7 overall and 5-4 in the BIG EAST, while USF falls to 3-17 overall, 1-9 in the conference. Also leading the Red Storm was Anicia Wood (Wotton Terrace, Barbados) with seven total blocks, while freshmen Hui Ping Huang (The Republic of China) recorded 16 kills, Kathleen Yee (Honolulu, Hawaii) notched 13 digs and Casie Brooks (Victorville, Calif.) gained 48 assists. St. John's out hit USF 33 to 13 percent, while hitting a blazing .615 in the third game. Although co-captain Shameka Mitchell (Lakeland, Fla.) was unable to play in the game against her undergraduate alma mater, her constant source of encouragement and advice from the bench was well-received by her teammates on the court as St. John's continues its journey to the BIG EAST tournament.
The first game was kept tied through the fifth point when St. John's took a 7-5 lead. USF brought the score within one several times but St. John's answered back each time continuing to hold the lead. Three intense kills from Huang and a tip from Wood increased the Red Storm's lead to five. Huang tucked away a kill in the left corner to bring the score to 23-17 and then gave the Red Storm a 30-25 win with a kill up the middle.
South Florida took control early in game two with an opening score of 8-4. The Bulls continued to dominate the game with solid blocks from Kristina Fabris and Michelle Stalbaum. The Red Storm bounced back with kills from Caitlin Rimgaila (Trooper, Pa.) and Huang, bringing the score within one, 15-14. St. John's brought the score within one three times before tying the score at 18. St. John's kept the game tied to the 22nd point before USF grabbed the lead again. St. John's tied the game again at 29 before taking game two 32-30 off a block from Wood. The Red Storm came into game three ready, willing and able taking an early 12-6 lead. Blunt increased the lead for the Red storm to 19-13 with two kills. St. John's never trailed in game three, while USF fought hard to close the gap. St. John's close the match 30-23 off a service error from USF. Fabris lead South Florida and the match with 19 kills. Stalbaum grabbed a double double with 14 kills and 15 digs. The Red Storm returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 30 against the Hoyas of Georgetown. First serve is at 3 p.m. at McDonough Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. For the most up-to-date information and statistics on St. John's Athletics, please visit www.RedStormSports.com, or call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.
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