LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It proved to be a very successful trip south for the Geneva College women's volleyball team this week, and the Golden Tornadoes will have a second southern trip in just a couple of days after their successful weekend.  On Saturday afternoon, Geneva defeated Johnson University of Tennessee in the championship match of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Mideast Regional Tournament by a 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 25-13) score.  With the victory, Geneva improved to 24-9 and clinched a spot in next week's NCCAA Division II national tournament at Bob Jones University.

Geneva jumped ahead 5-1 in the first set after an ace from sophomore Kayla Coughlin (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick).  Johnson would close to within 7-6, but the Golden Tornadoes responded with five straight points off the service of freshman Maggie Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian), who had an ace in the stretch.  Just a minute later, four more straight Golden Tornado points extended Geneva's lead to 16-8.  Johnson used a 5-1 run to get within 18-15, but Geneva closed out the set, 25-17, with four straight points.

The Golden Tornadoes got off to a fast start in the second set as well, jumping ahead 6-2 as senior Millicent Dofelmier (Mill Creek, Wash./Jackson) had two early kills.  Johnson stayed close, though, and at one point the Royals tied the score at 16-16.  Five straight Geneva points behind the service of freshman Hope Shook (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis) enabled the Golden Tornadoes to regain control of the set, 21-16, and Geneva finished things off, 25-18, with Dofelmier picking up four kills in the set.

Johnson scored the first three points of the third set, and the Royals held the lead until Geneva scored four straight points, two off kills from senior Kacey Costal (Salem, Ohio/Salem), to take a 12-9 lead.  However, Geneva fell apart over the next several minutes, and Johnson took advantage with a 13-2 run to take a commanding 22-14 lead, and the Royals held on from there to take the set, 25-21.

The fourth set stayed tight early, with Geneva holding a 10-8 lead.  The Golden Tornadoes took full control of the set, though, with seven straight points behind the serving of freshman Natalie Parra (Hurricane, W.Va./Homeschool), and the Golden Tornadoes cruised from there to take the set, and the match, 25-13.

Costal led the offense with 16 kills on a .300 hitting percentage, while Dofelmier and Shook each added 10 kills.  Junior Daphne Hunsinger (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) finished with 39 assists, 12 digs and five kills.  Senior Grace McCracken (Bloomington, Ind./Lighthouse Christian Academy) had a team-high 19 digs, while Coughlin and Townsend each finished with 14 digs.

"This team is really focused right now," said Head Coach Wendy Smith.  "They came down here and did what they had to do, but everyone knows we have more work to do next week.  This group has been a special group to coach, and they all want to finish the season with a championship next week, but we'll have to play well if we want to win the whole thing."

The Golden Tornadoes will begin pool play next week at the NCCAA Division II Championship on Wednesday at Bob Jones University.  Geneva received the third seed in the tournament and will open against Toccoa Falls at 12:00 p.m. followed by two more pool play matches on Wednesday and Thursday.  If Geneva advances out of pool play, the semifinals would be on Thursday evening, with the championship match scheduled for Friday afternoon.


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.