NEW YORK – St. John’s sophomore Rachele Rastelli earns BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, her second-career weekly honor, after leading the Red Storm to a 2-0 weekend to move into fourth-place in the conference standings. Villanova’s Regan Lough earns Defensive Player of the Year accolades for the first time in 2019 after lifting the Wildcats to a 2-0 weekend highlighted by a sweep of then-No. 9 Creighton. Kathleen Johnson of Villanova earns her first Freshman of the Week award after cementing herself in the rotation for the Wildcats and recording a team-high 13 kills in the upset of the Bluejays.
Rachele Rastelli, St. John’s, So., RS (Parma, Italy)
Rastelli posted 27 kills over two matches to rank second in the conference in kills per set with 4.50 on .404 hitting in a 2-0 weekend for the Red Storm. The sophomore right side put down 16 kills while hitting at a .462 clip in Friday night’s sweep of Xavier to go along with two digs and one block. The Parma, Italy native followed up Friday’s performance with 11 kills at a .346 clip in a Sunday’s sweep of Butler. Rastelli currently ranks sixth in conference action in kills per set with an average of 3.27.
Regan Lough, Villanova, Sr., L (Riverside, Calif.)
Lough led the conference in digs last week with 36 overall to average 6.00 per set in a 2-0 week for the third-place Wildcats. The senior libero collected 20 digs in a win over then-No.9 Creighton holding the Bluejays to their second lowest hitting percentage on the season at a .134 clip. Lough followed up Friday night’s performance with 16 digs on Saturday in a sweep over Providence. Lough ranks fourth in BIG EAST action with 4.67 digs per set.
Kathleen Johnson, Villanova, Fr., RS/MB (Houston, Texas)
Johnson had a breakout weekend for the Wildcats leading VU to two victories. The freshman posted a team-high 13 kills on 18 attacks for a .667 hitting percentage against then-No. 9 Creighton. The rookie posted eight kills with just two errors to hit .333 in Sunday’s sweep of Providence. She also picked up a pair of blocks. Johnson is now hitting .514 on the season and is yet to hit below .300 in any match that she has played more than a single set. Johnson leads the Wildcats in kills per set in conference play with 3.36.
Honor Roll
Brittany Witt, Creighton, Sr., L (Omaha, Neb.)
Witt ranked second in digs per set last week in the BIG EAST with 5.83. Witt posted 26 of Creighton’s 50 kills in a three-set loss at Villanova. The senior added nine digs and five assists in a sweep of Georgetown.
Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton, So., OH (Lincoln, Neb.)
Zimmerman tallied 15 kills on .323 hitting to go along with six digs and two aces in Creighton’s setback at Villanova on Friday night. The sophomore followed up with an all-around performance of eight kills, nine digs, three blocks and four assists in Saturday’s sweep of Georgetown.
Hope Werch, Marquette, Jr., OH (Neenah, Wis.)
Werch turned in two all-around performances in two wins over DePaul last weekend for then-No. 10 Marquette. In Friday night’s victory, Werch recorded nine kills on .438 hitting to go along with six service aces and four digs. Saturday evening, Werch posted seven kills at a .417 clip with six digs and a block.
Maria Angelica-Palacios, St. John’s, Jr., MB (Medellin, Columbia)
Angelica-Palacios paced the Red Storm at the net last weekend with six blocks to rank fifth in the conference with 1.20 per set. The junior posted six kills last weekend including a .429 hitting outing on Friday night against Xavier.
Carrigan O’Reilly, Xavier, Fr., S (Westerville, Ohio)
O’Reilly posted 84 assists over two matches to average 10.50 per set. The rookie posted 64 assists, a BIG EAST match-high, to go along with four blocks in a five-set win over Seton Hall.