-NFR-

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The No. 22 St. John's volleyball team defeated the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University Sunday afternoon at Rutgers' College Ave. Gym. The scores of the match were 30-14, 30-15, 30-22. With the win, the Red Storm improved to 21-3 overall, 6-1 in BIG EAST play, while Rutgers fell to 3-14, and 1-7 in conference action.

Senior Hui Ping Huang had a remarkable match, registering a match-high 18 kills with only one error on 31 attacks for a .548 hitting percentage, she also recorded four digs and three total blocks. Senior Wioleta Leszczynska recorded the match-high with 39 assists, while getting five kills, six digs and two blocks as well. Juniors Lena Yee and Valeria Kovaleva also had a stand-out performances for the Red Storm, Yee had a match-high 12 digs, while Kovaleva had nine kills and 10 digs.

St. John's scored the first five points of game one before the Scarlet Knights got on the board. The Red Storm dominated throughout the game, building its lead up to 10 points at 18-8. Rutgers could not battle back into it as St. John's ran away with game one easily, 30-14. For the game, the Red Storm had a .389 hitting percentage to Rutgers' .000.

A service ace by Leszczynska started things off in game two, the Red Storm grabbed another point on a Scarlet Knights attack error. Rutgers came back to tie it up at 2-2. The points went back and forth from there through 4-4, before Rutgers grabbed its first lead of the day at 5-4. Tied at 9-9, St. John's took the next three points and the lead for good. The Scarlet Knights used their first timeout with the Red Storm leading 21-13. St. John's rode out a 9-4 run after the timeout to end the second game 30-15, going up 2-0 in the match.

After the intermission, the Red Storm jumped out early in game three, only to have Rutgers answer right back. The game was close through 8-8, when Huang got one of her game-high nine kills to break the tie. St. John's didn't look back from there, as they held off the Scarlet Knights the rest of the way, until big block by junior Chen Chen and sophomore Ruisa Scheffel ended the game 30-22, and St. John's took the match 3-0.





For Rutgers, sophomore Kyra Thompson led the team with 10 kills, junior Roxy Calder had a team-high 14 assists, while freshman Emma Chrystal and sophomore Stephanie Moore tied for the team-high with eight digs.

The Red Storm returns to action Friday, Oct. 14, 2007, when the team travels Storrs, Conn. to take on the Huskies of the University of Connecticut. First serve of the match is set to take place at 2 p.m. at UConn's Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.