WASHINGTON, Pa. – This is becoming a pattern for the Geneva College women's volleyball team, and a very painful one at that.  For the third time in just over a week, the Golden Tornadoes put themselves in position to win a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) match, only to falter late in dropping the match in five sets.  This one came at Washington & Jefferson (W&J) on Thursday night, 25-21, 26-24, 26-28, 23-25, 13-15.  W&J improved to 9-7 overall, 6-1 in the PAC, while Geneva fell to 8-7, 2-4 in the PAC.

As with the previous two losses, Geneva grabbed two early sets to put itself in position to win.  After falling down 8-4 in the first set, Geneva scored six straight points to take a 10-8 lead, a lead Geneva would not relinquish in taking set one on an ace from senior Allyssa Kerr (Titusville, Pa./Warren County Christian).

The Golden Tornadoes used a seven point run midway through set two to take a 12-7 lead, though Geneva had to hold on late.  Up 24-19, W&J scored five straight points to tie it up before Geneva scored the last two points to take that set, this time on an ace from senior Sydney McNulty (State College, Pa./State College Area).

The third set proved a back and forth affair, but Geneva looked to have taken control when it went on a 7-3 run late to take a 24-21 lead.  Unfortunately, once again, Geneva could not close out the match, failing to convert on five match points before dropping the set, 26-28.

Despite the lost momentum, Geneva continued to battle, holding a 21-20 lead in set four after an ace from McNulty.  But W&J closed out the set to force a fifth set.  Again Geneva battled, but again the Golden Tornadoes came up short at the end, as W&J scored five of the last eight points in the set after the score was tied 10-10, taking the set, and the match.

"We have to figure out a way to close out matches," a frustrated Head Coach Wendy Smith said after the match.  "We played very well for the first two sets and most of the third, and then we just couldn't finish again.  Service errors were a problem late.  We're just not doing the little things to win against the better teams in the PAC.  We're right there, but I've got to figure out a way to instill confidence in the girls that in close matches like this, that they believe that they can, and will, come up with the win."

Sophomore Daphne Hunsinger (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) had a big night again, picking up her fourth triple-double of the season with 44 assists, 16 digs, and 14 kills.  Junior Kacey Costal (Salem, Ohio/Salem) had 20 kills, while McNulty added 17.  Freshman Kayla Coughlin (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) finished with a team-high 36 digs.

Geneva returns home on Saturday to play a tri-match.  The Golden Tornadoes take on Thiel at 11:00 a.m., and then play Waynesburg later on at approximately 3:00 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.