Joanne Persico-Smith

Position: Head Coach
Experience: 13th Season
Alma Mater: Syracuse ‘87

Joanne Persico-Smith has been at the helm of the St. John's volleyball program since the beginning, as it transformed from a one-time club team into one of the most successful programs in the East.  Her hard work and commitment came full-circle on September 28, 2004, as Persico-Smith and the Red Storm program reached another milestone, notching  its 200th win, as they defeated Iona 3-1 at home, and then again on November 17, 2005, when she coached the Red Storm to its first BIG EAST Tournament appearance since 1996.

Persico-Smith begins her 13th season on the sidelines for the Red Storm, having become the first full-time female head coach in school history in 1994.  Of the current 15 BIG EAST Conference mentors, she ranks fifth in total wins (228) among league head coaches at their respective schools.

A 1987 graduate from the New House School of Communications and the Maxwell School of Business of Syracuse University, Persico-Smith was one of the first New York City volleyball players to receive a volleyball scholarship to play for the Orange and finished her remarkable career by being inducted into the Orange Plus Hall of Fame in 1988.  As a senior, she was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Syracuse’s Most Valuable Player and team captain.  A scholar-athlete, Persico-Smith finished her dual degree in three years from the Newhouse School of Public Communications and the business school.  She was named a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.  In 1985, she received the Verhulst Award, which is given to Syracuse's Sportswoman of the Year.
 
After posting a 10-25 record in her first season as St. John’s head coach in 1994, Persico-Smith guided the Red Storm to a 24-10 overall record, including a 7-4 slate in conference play, marking one of the biggest turnarounds in BIG EAST history in just her second season.  The 1995 squad, which finished fifth in the conference standings, qualified for the program's first BIG EAST Tournament appearance.

In 1996, the winning continued as the Red Storm finished with a 24-7 record and again qualified for the conference tournament.  In 1997, the Red Storm finished 11-15 overall, with freshman Joi Thomas being named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team.

In 1998, the Red Storm posted a 19-15 record and gained conference recognition as Connie Chae was honored as an All-BIG EAST second team selection and Stasha Levi was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team.  In 1999, St. John's finished with a 16-16 record, as Persico-Smith picked up her 100th career victory with a 3-0 sweep of conference foe West Virginia on Oct. 9.  In 2000, Persico-Smith guided the Red Storm to a 25-8 overall record and 7-4 BIG EAST mark. Senior Olga Roudovski became St. John's first All-BIG EAST first team honoree in addition to being named to the All-Northeast Region team.  Freshman Robyn Kurasaki was honored as both the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Northeast Region Freshman of the Year.

Persico-Smith followed up the successful 2000 campaign with her fourth consecutive winning season in 2001, as the Red Storm went 18-9 overall and 6-6 in the conference.  St. John's began the season 12-2, marking its best start since 1996, including two in-season tournament victories.  In 2002, Jackie Ahlers earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors during the season and earned All-BIG EAST honorable mention postseason accolades.

During the 2003 season, Ahlers set what was then a BIG EAST Conference and St. John's record for kills in a single season (608) and led the Red Storm to its most successful season in the program's 10-year history, setting a single-season mark for wins with a 26-9 overall record.  Ahlers was also named First Team All-BIG EAST, All-Northeast Region and Honorable Mention All-American, becoming the first Red Storm player to earn national honors.  Despite their first losing season in the last seven (15-16), the 2004 Red Storm took home two in-season tournament titles, along with collecting its 200th program victory.  Ahlers again broke the school and conference record for kills in a season with 646, in addition to taking home the same three postseason honors from the previous campaign.

The 2005 Red Storm put together one of the top three strongest campaigns in program history.  Finishing 23-9 overall, and 9-5 in the BIG EAST Conference, the Red Storm made its third postseason appearance in 12 years and finished regionally ranked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).  The team posted one of the greatest turnarounds in program and conference history, improving from its 15-16 overall record and 1-9 BIG EAST mark in 2004.  The squad also made program history by recording 20 three game sweeps in a single season, the previous record was 17 shutouts in the 2003 season.  The Red Storm earned two tournament titles at the William and Mary Invitational and the Bucknell Invitational, and brought home the Queens/Nassau Cup for the first time in four years.

Persico-Smith's athletes have not only been successful on the court but have also excelled in the classroom.  Since the program's inception in 1994, the cumulative team grade point average has never fallen below a 3.0.  A total of 50 student-athletes have earned BIG EAST Academic All-Star honors.

Members of the Red Storm volleyball team have not only received acclaim from the University, but also from the BIG EAST Conference. Kristine Knobel, Victoria Migliore and Amanda Berg received $2,000 post-graduate scholarships for excelling on the court and in the classroom.  In 2004, Robyn Kurasaki received the prestigious NIT Daniel E. Quilty Student-Athlete Award that is given to the top male and female athlete that illustrates academic achievement, excellence in athletics and active participation in community service.

Still active on the court herself, Persico-Smith is a 24-year veteran and is one of the most decorated players in history at the Empire State Games. This summer the New York City women’s volleyball team captured the gold medal for the third consecutive year. Persico-Smith led teams to the gold medal in 1998, 2004, and 2005, the silver in 2002 and 2003 and the bronze medal in 1999. For the past five years, Smith has been acting as player/coach for the New York City team, which included former Red Storm standouts Lynn Klein ('96), Roudovski ('00), Ahlers and Yana Ruban ('05). Persico-Smith has also played for the prestigious nationally-recognized club team Creole, which finished fifth in the nation in 1993 and 1995.

Persico-Smith has had vast and varied experiences working with players at many age and talent levels.  She has worked camps and clinics for many years for St. Anthony's High School in Dix Hills, N.Y., Kellenberg, St. Francis Prep as well as universities such as Hofstra and Syracuse.  During the summer of 2003, Persico-Smith successfully initiated a volleyball clinic for children of all ages at St. John's with the summer of 2005 being its most successful year.

In 1991, St. Francis Prep grad Persico-Smith was selected as a Catholic High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame inaugural member. In 2004 she was inducted into the St. Francis Prep High School Hall of Fame, which also includes Joe Torre and Vince Lombardi.   In addition, she was recently awarded a seat on the St. Francis Prep Board of Trustees.  In May 2004, she received the Outstanding Administrator’s Award for her accomplishments at St. John's from University President Donald J. Harrington, C.M.  Persico-Smith is currently three credits away from completing a professional diploma and is pursuing a doctorate in education in instructional leadership.

Persico-Smith also serves on several committees to promote the sport of volleyball.  From 2001-03, she served on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Board, representing the BIG EAST Conference, as well as the AVCA Television Committee, a subcommittee of the Coaches Board. The board is charged with improving and promoting Division I Volleyball across the country.  It was on this committee that Persico-Smith helped secure collegiate volleyball cable television contracts that include a volleyball game of the week on College Sports Television (CSTV).  She is also a sponsor of the Alexia Foundation for World Peace, a non-profit organization set up in memory of her friend and Syracuse teammate Alexia Tsairis, who was a victim of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbei, Scotland, at the age of 20.

In 2000, Persico-Smith established the Carmine John Persico Volleyball Award in loving memory of her father, a loyal supporter of the St. John's volleyball program. This award is presented to a fan or supporter of the volleyball program for distinguished, devoted and loyal support, the qualities most exemplified by Mr. Persico.  Persico-Smith also established the Carmine John Persico Memorial Fund.  Generous donations to this fund have brought about the institution of two other volleyball awards. The Margaret Fitzpatrick, S.C., Award is presented to a member of the volleyball team who exhibits athletic excellence, sportsmanship and exceptional academic standing as a model student-athlete.  The Kathleen Murphy Meehan Award is presented to a member of the volleyball team who exhibits the leadership, integrity, sponsorship and dedication for whom the award is named.

Those awards are two of the many presented annually at the St. John's University Athletic Awards Dinner.  Additionally, the Rickard F. McSwiney Award is awarded to the male and female student-athlete who best typifies the “St. John's man and woman.” During the past few years, several members of the volleyball team have been the proud recipient of this award.  In 1997, Paula and Victoria Migliore shared the honor; in 1998, the award was presented to Connie Chae; in 1999, Kristine Knobel took home the award; in 2000, Amanda Berg was honored and in 2004 Robyn Kurasaki received the award.  In 2005, Caitlin Rimgaila joined eight other former volleyball players to be named to the prestigious President’s Society.  They include Rimgaila, Berg, Kurasaki, the Migliore twins, Knobel, Stephanie Luehr, Jenna Panatier and Meaghan Creedon.  In 2001, Allison Heckl received the Kathleen Murphy Meehan award and in 2002, she was selected to represent St. John's at the International Peace and Development Conference in Vietnam, becoming a member of the honor society and earning BIG EAST Academic All-Star honors.  In 2004, Kurasaki received the Kathleen Murphy Meehan Award along with earning BIG EAST academic All-Star honors for four straight years.

Away from volleyball, Persico-Smith is very active on the basketball court. In 1999, she guided her Hoop-It-Up basketball team to the championship.  She can also be found singing the National Anthem at many St. John's sporting events including men's basketball games at Madison Square Garden and Carnesecca Arena, baseball games and even her own volleyball games.  In 2002, she was one of 32 finalists for the New Jersey Idol Amateur singing contest.