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.”