BUFFALO, NY – The Geneva College women's volleyball team finished up its participation in the Buffalo State Challenge on Saturday, and after winning its first match on Friday night over Allegheny, the Golden Tornadoes split their matches on the final day. In the morning match, Geneva defeated the host Buffalo State 27-25, 25-21, 25-16. The afternoon match against Case Western Reserve proved tougher, as the Golden Tornadoes lost in four sets 25-23, 21-25, 25-27, 16-25. Geneva is now 7-4 on the season.
In the first match against Buffalo State, Geneva used a late run in the first set to take control of the match. Trailing Buffalo State 23-20 in the first set, Geneva went on a 7-2 run to finish off the set.
The Golden Tornadoes carried that momentum into the rest of the match. They jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the second set and finished off that set 25-21, and in the third set Geneva quickly pulled away, going up 6-2 early and never letting the Bengals back into it.
Senior
Sydney McNulty led the team with 10 kills. Sophomore
Daphne Hunsinger set up the offense with 31 assists, while freshman
Kayla Coughlin led the way with 14 digs.
In the second match of the day against Case Western Reserve, Geneva gave up the first five points of the match before storming back to take the first set, 25-23. In the second set, Case Western Reserve used another five point run midway through the set to take control on its way to evening the match at one set apiece.
The third set proved to be the pivotal one. The set went back and forth, and Geneva took a 25-24 lead on a kill from McNulty, but Case Western Reserve scored the last three points to take the set. The Spartans then carried that momentum into the fourth set, running away to a 19-6 lead before finishing off the set, and the match, 25-16.
It was the same trio of familiar faces from the first match that led the way again for the Golden Tornadoes against Case Western Reserve. McNulty, who was named to the All-Tournament team for her performance over the weekend, finished with a team-high 17 kills, Hunsinger led the offense with 37 assists, and Coughlin contributed 16 digs.
"We continue to wrestle with consistency," said Head Coach
Wendy Smith. "Overall, though, we are happy with a 2-1 weekend against some tough competition."
Geneva returns home for a match this Wednesday against Saint Vincent starting at 7:00 p.m.
Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.
