The St. John’s Red Storm tacked on Yanjiao Zhao, a junior college transfer from Indian Hills Community College, to its 2017 roster. Zhao will be immediately eligible with junior classification and has two years left of play for her collegiate career.
A 5’10” setter originally from Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China, Zhao was an NJCAA Second-Team All-American in 2016 after she posted 11.35 assists per set. That mark ranked top-five in the country, as did her 1,544 total assists. She won a myriad of matches as her team went 69-10 during her two year stint, including a school-record 27-match winning streak this past season.
Zhao is one of two setters on the roster now for the Red Storm in 2017. The other, Erica Di Maulo, made 30 starts as a true freshman in 2016 and was named the Big East Co-Freshman of the Year after averaging 10.19 assists per set. Not only does Zhao provide competition to keep Di Maulo’s game on the rise, but it gives the team depth and versatility if they chose to play a 6-2 instead of the 6-1 they utilized last season.
St. John’s finished with a winning record of 16-15 in the 2016 season. It was their fifth straight season with a .500 mark or better, as in 2017 they have been picked to finish sixth in the Big East preseason coaches poll.
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