MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team used a dramatic comeback victory over Simmons in its second match of the day at the Morrisville State Tournament to pick up two victories on the opening day of its season.  In the first match against Suny Poly, the Golden Tornadoes cruised in three sets, 25-21, 25-18, 25-15.  Geneva had a much tougher second match against Simmons, prevailing after dropping the first two sets, 22-25, 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 16-14.  Geneva is now 2-0 on the young season.

The Golden Tornadoes didn't have much trouble in the first match against Simmons.  After a tight first set that saw Geneva prevail late, 25-21, the Golden Tornadoes cruised in the final two sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-15.

Senior Kacey Costal (Salem, Ohio/Salem) and junior Daphne Hunsinger (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) led the way with eight kills apiece.  Freshman Olivia Moore (North Canton, Ohio/Lake Center Christian) added six kills, while sophomore Elana Hoppel (Castorland, N.Y./Lowville Academy and Central) and freshman Maggie Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) each added five kills in a well-balanced attack.  Hunsinger also added 26 assists.  Senior Grace McCracken (Bloomington, Ind./Lighthouse Christian Academy) and sophomore Kayla Coughlin (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) led the way defensively with 14 and 13 digs, respectively.  Costal and Moore each had three blocks.

The second match against Simmons proved a much tighter affair, as four of the five sets were decided by three points or less.  Simmons took the first two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-23 to put Geneva in a big hole.  The Golden Tornadoes battled back to take the third set, 25-20, and then prevailed in a tight fourth set, 26-24, sending the match to a fifth and deciding set.  That set proved just as close, with Geneva prevailing on a block by Costal and senior Millicent Dofelmier (Mill Creek, Wash./Jackson), 16-14.

Hunsinger was huge again in the second match, finishing with a triple-double with 34 assists, 17 digs and 11 kills (.407 hitting percentage).  Costal had a team-high 13 kills, while Moore and Townsend each had eight kills apiece.  Coughlin led the team with 20 digs, with McCracken adding 14 digs.  Hoppel had a team-high seven blocks, with Hunsinger adding six blocks.

"Last year we had trouble closing out five-set matches," said Head Coach Wendy Smith.  "I believe we lost six of them to be exact.  It's great to get that monkey off our back on day one of this season.  Our upperclassmen, in particular, really stepped up, while our freshmen had some good moments as well."

Geneva plays two more matches again tomorrow in New York before heading home.  The Golden Tornadoes take on the host, Morrisville State, at 10:00 a.m., and then follow with a match against Cedar Crest at 12:00 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.