Early in Rachele Rastelli’s career with St. John’s, the team traveled to Philadelphia to face Big East foe Villanova. Coach Joanne Persico decided it would be fun to take Rastelli and her other Italian player, Erica Di Maulo, to see one of the city’s most famous tourist attractions.
No, not the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall. What else would an Italian appreciate more than the statue of Rocky Balboa, “The Italian Stallion?”
The statue of the fictional boxing hero, of course, stands at the bottom of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The steps were made famous in the 1976 movie when Sylvester Stallone’s character raced to the top to conclude a training run.
It actually was an appropriate destination.
Persico, the only coach in the 29-year history of St. John’s volleyball, had taken to calling Rastelli “Rocky.” Her first name, pronounced Rah-KEH-leh (don’t forget to roll the R), sounds a bit like Rocky. She’s a left-hander. And she hits hard.
“Boy, she’s just like Rocky,” Persico said. “She just keeps pounding.”
Rastelli, a 6-foot-4 right side, was the Big East Co-Player of the Year in 2021, averaging 4.44 kills per set while hitting .264 clip. She also averaged 1.83 digs and 0.82 blocks per set.
This season, the graduate student from Parma again leads St. John’s in kills with 224 after 15 matches (3.61/set).
They’re part of a line of international players who have helped the Red Storm to two Big East Tournament titles, four regular-season titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a round of 16 (2007), all since 2006.
Persico said she believes she was one of the first volleyball coaches in the Mid-Atlantic to recruit international players.
“Now it’s flourished,” she said. “There’s a ton of international players in every sport.”
Eight of Persico’s players this season are from overseas. Five hail from Italy, though one of those, sophomore outside Giorgia Walther, is German. She, by the way, is two kills behind Rastelli this season.
Among the other 10 Big East schools, there is only one other Italian, and only a few Big East schools have more than one international player on the roster.
“The recruiting really evolved into that because, at one point, I wasn’t able to get the top California girl,” Persico said. “They would say…
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