LATROBE, Pa. -- Conference matches on the road are often a challenge, even against struggling teams, and Geneva found that out on Tuesday evening when the Golden Tornadoes had to battle to pull out a victory over Saint Vincent, 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22).  Geneva improved to 11-3, 4-0 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Saint Vincent fell to 5-8, 0-3 in the PAC.
 
The first set was the only set of the match that Geneva didn't have to pull out late.  Saint Vincent scored the first point of the set to take its only lead of set.  Geneva scored three straight to go ahead 3-1, and while Saint Vincent was able to tie the set at 13-13, the Golden Tornadoes gradually pulled away towards the end, winning 25-19 after sophomore Kayla Coughlin (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) finished off the set with back-to-back aces.
 
The final three sets proved to be a tougher battle for the Golden Tornadoes.  Geneva jumped out to a 9-6 lead early in the second set, helped by three kills by senior Kacey Costal (Salem, Ohio/Salem).  Saint Vincent responded with a quick run to take a 12-11 lead, and the set stayed tight the rest of the way.  The Bearcats scored back-to-back points to take a 22-20 lead, putting themselves in position to even up the match, but Geneva closed the set out with five straight points, with freshman Olivia Moore (North Canton, Ohio/Lake Center Christian) contributing two kills in the run, including the final point, to give the Golden Tornadoes a 25-22 victory.
 
Geneva scored the first three points of the third set, but it would be the last time the Golden Tornadoes would hold a lead for a while.  Saint Vincent responded with a 10-2 run to take a 10-5 lead.  Geneva would get to within 14-13, but Saint Vincent slowly stretched out its lead the rest of the way, and Geneva could never recover, dropping the third set 25-20.
 
The fourth set provided much of the same for most of the set.  The Bearcats carried their momentum into the set and jumped ahead, 6-1, forcing Geneva to play from behind once again.  The Golden Tornadoes closed to within one point twice, even tying the score midway through, but each time Saint Vincent would immediately respond with a run to extend its lead back out.  That pattern saw the Bearcats score three straight points later in the set to take a 20-16 lead, putting Saint Vincent in position to force a fifth set.  However, Geneva closed the set on a 9-2 run, taking its first lead since the beginning of the third set, 23-21, with six straight points.  Saint Vincent answered with a point, but Geneva finished off the match on back-to-back kills from freshman Kimee Kuzma (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) and senior Millicent Dofelmier (Mill Creek, Wash./Jackson), winning the set 25-22.
 
"This was one of those matches that you have to find a way to win if you want to challenge for a conference championship," said Head Coach Wendy Smith.  "We didn't play our best, but I give credit to Saint Vincent.  I thought they really played with energy and made us work all night.  Kacey was big tonight, and our freshmen really gave us a lift as well.  It was never easy, but we made the key plays late in sets to pick up the victory, and that's a good sign for this team."
 
Costal finished with 14 kills on a .323 hitting percentage, while Moore also finished with 14 kills, a career-high.  Sophomore Elana Hoppel (Castorland, N.Y./Lowville Academy and Central) added eight kills, while Dofelmier contributed seven kills.  Junior Daphne Hunsinger (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) finished with 43 assists, 8 digs and 6 kills.  Coughlin was very strong on the back row, finishing with a game-high 27 digs.
 
Geneva returns right back to action tomorrow night when it hosts Franciscan at 7:00 p.m in Metheny Fieldhouse.


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.