The Hofstra Invitational got off to an incredible start on Thursday, Sept. 19, as St. John’s University took down No. 14-ranked University of Oregon in a stunning four-set victory. The Red Storm defeated the Ducks in a 25-23, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-22 match, improving to 7-5 on the season. Oregon fell to 3-4.
With the odds stacked against them, St. John’s got off to a red-hot start against the Ducks in the first set. They went on an early 5-1 run, led by sophomore Efrosini Alexakou, who had a kill and an ace. Oregon took the next two points to cut their deficit to one, but the Red Storm regained their momentum to go on their second 5-1 run of the set. That streak gave St. John’s a 10-5 lead, forcing Oregon to use their first timeout.
The Ducks and Red Storm traded the next 11 points after Oregon’s timeout, with both teams making outstanding plays. The Ducks took control with kills by Ronika Stone, Kylie Robinson and Karson Bacon to help them go on an impressive 8-1 tear and lead 18-16. St. John’s did not trail for long and quickly went back in front 21-19, thanks to Alexakou’s sixth kill.
St. John’s did not look back and won the first set by a score of 25-23. Alexakou dominated with seven total kills. Erica Di Maulo also played well for the Red Storm, tallying 13 assists. Brooke Nuneviller had a strong set for Oregon, registering five kills.
Oregon came out much stronger in the second set but faded off later on and fell 25-23 once again to trail 2-0 in the match. The Ducks looked like they were pulling away in that second set after Stone’s ace put them ahead 8-4, but the Red Storm answered, winning the next two rallies. St. John’s continued to battle back and tied the score at 14. The Red Storm finally took their first lead of the second set when an attack error by Oregon’s Taylor Williams put them ahead 18-17.
Nuneviller led the Ducks right back by tallying three kills and helping Oregon win six of the next eight rallies. With Oregon trailing by only one, the resilient Red Storm finished them off by winning the next three points, two of those coming by Rachele Rastelli kills.
The Ducks avoided the sweep by winning the third set, 25-22. Oregon was in front the entire way, but almost let it slip at the end. Just like in the second set, the Ducks started strong. They took a 10-5 lead and did not let St. John’s gain any momentum, forcing them to use an early timeout.
The Ducks stayed hot after the timeout and took their largest lead of the night at 18-11. The Red Storm showed their resilience once again and started to climb out of the hole. St. John’s pulled within two points, trailing 24-22, but Stone delivered a massive spike to finish them off.
That one win was all Oregon could get, as St. John’s pulled off the upset by winning set four, 25-22. The Ducks once again started off strong in this set but were overpowered in the end. They went on a 5-0 run and then led 7-3, but it was all St. John’s from there. A kill by Maria Angelica Palacios brought the Red Storm within two, trailing 10-8. That kill turned out to be a turning point in the set, as it started an incredible 9-1 run, putting them ahead 16-11. Oregon could not bounce back, dropping the set and the match.
“I’m so proud of my team,” said St. John’s head coach Joanne Persico. “I’m so proud of our entire staff and we came to play today, and we did a great job against a top 10 team in the country.”
“We’ve played a very difficult schedule this year and that’s kind of prepared us to be more consistent under pressure … for a longer period of time,” she added.
The Red Storm were led by Alexakou’s 28 kills, while Rastelli and Klara Mikelova both recorded 11 kills. Di Maulo added 46 assists in the win.
“We’re going to let them enjoy this today until about midnight and then we have to get ready for a really good Duke team,” Persico said. “We’re going to try and keep them going, keep them trying and be ready for the [Blue Devils].”
With this upset win, St. John’s has won three out of their last four matches. Oregon has dropped four out of their last five.
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics