Boston College
St. John's
Volleyball Downs St. John's To Clinch Spot In Postseason
November 14, 2004 | Volleyball
Nov. 14, 2004
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - The Boston College volleyball team is headed to its first Big East Tournament in 11 years. The Eagles topped St. John's 3-1 today at Power Gym to clinch the fourth and final spot for the postseason. Dorota Niemczewska led the Eagles with a match-high 19 kills.
In the opening game, the Eagles fell behind 13-10. Katie Andersen got BC's attack going with a kill on a pass from Verena Rost. St. John's (15-14, 1-9) committed two attacking errors to bring the score to 13-13. The two teams exchanged point-for-point until they reached a lock at 19-19. The Red Storm won the next two points to take a 21-19 lead.
BC (20-11, 6-4) responded when Abigail Hasebroock slammed down one of her five kills in the first game. The Eagles evened the score at 22 with a block assist from Hasebroock and Kelsey Johnson. On the next play, the defense again came up big for BC. Hasebroock and Dorota Niemczewska stuffed a St. John's attack with another block assist.
Johnson finished off the game with four consecutive kills to give BC a 30-25 victory. The freshman ended the match with seven kills and two blocks (one solo, one assist).
The Red Storm fought back to beat the Eagles 30-22 in the second game. This is the only game BC has dropped in its last ten.
In the third game the Eagles answered with a strong attack. With a quick 9-7 lead, BC extended it by winning four straight points. Kills from Andersen and Niemczewska and a key block solo by Shardai Davis gave the Eagles a 13-7 edge.
Niemczewska was on fire in game three with nine kills and three block solos. The sophomore converted four kills in a row to put BC up 23-11. Lia Krautmanis ended the third game with one of her four kills on the day. BC took the game 30-17.
BC continued to play solid defense in the final game. Libero Allison Anderson remained a dominant force for the Eagles with 10 of her 30 digs coming in game four. With a 13-11 advantage, the Eagles went on a four point unanswered run. Morgan Woodcock controlled from the backcourt with two service aces and helped BC take a 17-11 lead.
Andersen stepped up offensively with six of her 15 kills in game four. BC finished off the match by winning the final four points with Niemczewska serving. The Eagles won the game 30-22.
Before the match, BC honored its two seniors who played in their final home match. Both Andersen and Liz Aron started for the Eagles in their last home appearance.
BC ends the season with 20 regular season wins. This is the first time in program history that the Eagles have reached the 20-win mark. BC also finishes with its first winning record in the Big East.
BC will head to its first Big East Tournament since the field was cut from eight to four teams in 1993. The Eagles will face top-seeded Notre Dame at 1 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Saturday, November 20. Syracuse and Pittsburgh will play in the second match on Saturday.
