BETHANY, W.Va. – Geneva College women's volleyball coach Wendy Smith doesn't do much bowling, but on Saturday afternoon she was able to motivate Geneva's women's volleyball team with a simple bowling analogy.  "We were after the kingpin," said Smith.  The Golden Tornadoes not only knocked down the kingpin but made quick work of the rest of the pins in what was most likely Geneva's most impressive victory of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes rolled past Bethany 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, ,25-14) to improve their overall record to 17-7 and 9-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), giving itself some separation from third-place Bethany, which dropped to 11-14 overall, 6-4 in the PAC.

Bethany jumped ahead early in set one, 15-11, before things turned around for the Golden Tornadoes.  Geneva scored five straight points, helped by the serving of senior Millicent Dofelmier (Mill Creek, Wash./Jackson), to take a 16-15 lead.  The Golden Tornadoes continued its strong play with a 7-3 run to take a commanding 23-18 lead, and Geneva finished out the set, 25-19, on a kill from senior Kacey Costal (Salem, Ohio/Salem)

It was all Geneva in the second set.  With the Golden Tornadoes leading 6-3 early, Geneva scored 14 straight points on the service of freshman Hope Shook (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis) to go up 20-3.  Shook had three aces in the run, while Costal added two more kills.  The Golden Tornadoes easily closed out that set, 25-9, on a kill by Dofelmier.

The third set proved more of the same.  Geneva scored five straight points early to take a 5-2 lead.  The Golden Tornadoes scored five more straight points later in the set to take a 12-4 lead, and Bethany never got closer than seven points the rest of the way, with Geneva closing out the match, 25-14, on another kill by Costal.
 
It was just ten days ago when Bethany visited College Hill and walked away with a 3-1 decision. As a result, Saturday's revenge victory certainly took on added value. "Every match is critical at this point of the season, but it was extra sweet for our ladies to respond the way they did today," said Smith.  "It isn't easy seeing a team twice in two weeks, but I couldn't be prouder of this group and how tough they were today, both physically and mentally."
 
Costal led the offense at the net with ten kills on 21 attacks. Dofelmier and junior Daphne Hunsinger (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) finished with six and five kills, respectively.  Hunsinger also picked up a team best 22 assists while senior Grace McCracken (Bloomington, Ind./Lighthouse Christian Academy) led the defense with 11 digs.
 
Securely in second place following Saturday's victory, Geneva will continue its ride through the PAC next week with a home match against Grove City on Tuesday 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 115 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 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.