Volleyball Captures BIG EAST Opener, Defeats St. John’s in Four Sets

Friday, September 23

Queens, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Xavier University

7-7, 1-0BE

St. John's

10-5, 1-1BE

Xavier

SJU

Volleyball Captures BIG EAST Opener, Defeats St. John’s in Four Sets

09.23.16 | Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats (PDF)Box Score (PDF)

Xavier moved to 8-0 all-time versus the Red Storm

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

QUEENS, N.Y. – Sofia Peterson posted a match-high 12 kills on Friday night as Xavier volleyball opened BIG EAST play with a four-set win (25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23) at St. John's.

Xavier improved to 7-7 (1-0 BIG EAST), while the Red Storm moved to 10-5 (1-1 BIG EAST). The Musketeers won their conference opener for the second straight year.

MATCH NOTES

• Xavier moved to 8-0 in the all-time series against St. John's.

• Xavier had 10 or more blocks in a match for the fifth time this season, recording 13 total team blocks. Brooke Betts paced Xavier with seven, while Alexis Newsome added six and Kristen Massa chipped in five.

• Abbey Bessler posted her eighth double-double of the year with 10 kills and a match-high 19 digs. The senior outside hitter also added three of the Musketeers six aces on the night.

• Kristen Massa was the final Xavier player with double-figure kills with 10. The junior now has nine games with 10 or more kills this season.

• Mackenzi Humm posted a match-high 22 assists, while McKena Estes added 20. Defensively, Meredith Klare added 16 digs, while Samantha Foti chipped in 10.

SET ONE

• Xavier trailed 12-4 before going on a 9-1 run to tie the match. The two teams exchanged points with the final tie at 18. Xavier scored seven of the final 11 points in the frame to win the opening set, 25-22.

• Xavier held St. John's to a .031 hitting percentage in the opening set. Xavier also held a 5-3 advantage in blocks.

• Brooke Betts led Xavier with three kills and four blocks, while Abbey Bessler also chipped in three kills.

SET TWO

• Xavier jumped out to an early 13-5 lead in the second set. The Musketeers led by at least six points for the remainder of the set as they pulled away for a 25-16 victory.

SET THREE

• Xavier led by as many as six, 16-10, before St. John's rallied with a 12-5 run to take its first lead of the set, 22-21. The Red Storm scored three of the final four points to win their first set of the night, 25-22.

SET FOUR

• Neither team led by more than three points in the set as it featured five ties and three lead changes. Tied at 23, Xavier got back-to-back kills from Sofia Peterson and Alexis Newsome to win the match.

UP NEXT

• Xavier continues its BIG EAST road swing at Seton Hall on Saturday night in South Orange, N.J. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.