It wasn’t the trip to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament that the team from St. John’s University hoped for, but despite the relatively small roster size—just 12 players—the team played a solid season of which they can be proud. Erin Jones and Lucrezia Lodi were both named to the Big East’s All Conference Team, and Jones was also named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) East Coast All-Region Team. Coach Joanne Persico was named AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year.
“This group was very coachable,” said Persico, who is in her 30th season coaching the Red Storm. “We had a small number, but everyone dominated their role and we continued to improve. We prospered through injuries. We made adjustments, one girl had COVID in the middle of the season (thankfully no one else tested positive). There were a lot of ups and downs, but this team was able to be resilient and found its rhythm. We made it to the Big East Final.”
St. John’s volleyball went 13–5 in Big East Conference play. The team was strong in the Big East Tournament, winning its first two matches before dropping the title game to powerhouse Creighton University. The team advanced to post-season action in the National Volleyball Invitational Championship, defeating a strong Howard University team in its first match and then pushing South Florida University to five sets before succumbing to fatigue and defeat. They finish with a sense of pride in sticking together.
“We’re better as a group than individually,” said Persico. “Our synergy and our ability to be better as a team. We were really a team. We all needed each other.”
Persico described Jones as “the most versatile player I’ve ever had.” With the season now done and a couple of months until spring training and competition resumes, Persico is now in recruiting mode, searching for student-athletes who will join Jones and the other nine returning players next season. Spring training includes eight weeks of training and four weekend matches.
“I never stop recruiting,” Persico said. “I look at videos. I get emails. I respond. I physically go out when I’m close to signing someone. I go out in February, March and April. … To me, sports is problem-solving, like life.”
