A year ago, Mimi Larry was on her way to Stars and Stripes Pacific girls volleyball Player of the Year honors, leading Kubasaki to its fourth Far East Division I Tournament title in five seasons.

Now, the former Dragon has donned jersey No. 25 in the red and white of St. John’s University’s women’s volleyball team.

“I’m very excited to go to St. John’s, but I’m also a little nervous,” said Larry, who has lived in Japan all but two years her life, at Misawa Air Base for 10 and Okinawa the last five years. This is the first time for her living in the continental U.S.

“I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen for this chapter of my life,” Larry said. “It’s going to be a big change, and I know it will be a challenge, but I’m going to do my best because I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

St. John’s, in the Queens borough in New York, is a charter member of the Big East Conference that formed in 1979.

Red Storm women’s volleyball in 2018 finished 23-12 overall and 12-6 in conference, losing in the first round of both the Big East tournament to Marquette and to College of Charleston in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship last November.

Larry’s position is not yet listed at St. John’s team Web site, but her high school coach, Mike Hogen, said she would most likely be used as a defensive specialist. “Our girls typically have a good attitude, which is hard to find in club volleyball in the States,” Hogen said. “She (Larry) may be able to compete as a libero or a defensive specialist.”

The Red Storm begins its season at the end of August in the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii, then begins its Big East season at DePaul on Sept. 27. The Big East tournament is scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend at Milwaukee.