BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team finally got to experience the comforts of home on Thursday evening after opening the season with 13 straight road matches.  The Golden Tornadoes welcomed Waynesburg to town, and Geneva came away with a much-needed victory in four sets 25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21.  Geneva improved to 4-10 overall, 1-2 in the Presidents' Athletics Conference (PAC), while Waynesburg dropped to 7-6, 1-2 in the PAC.

Geneva entered the match riding a 31-game winning streak against Waynesburg, with the Yellow Jackets' last victory in the series coming in 1989.  The Golden Tornadoes eventually extended that streak to 32, but they had to work to do so against an improved Waynesburg squad that has already equaled its most wins in a season since 2013.

Geneva came out playing well in the first set.  Waynesburg got the first point, but then junior Maggie Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) served Geneva to six straight points, contributing an ace in the run, with sophomore Savannah Byers (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) and freshman Calyne Schmidt (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) each adding kills.  The Golden Tornadoes eventually stretched their lead to 8-2 on kills by sophomores Tess Neville (Lisbon, Ohio/Crestview) and Samantha Peachey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) before the Yellow Jackets got back into the set.

Waynesburg responded with a big run, as has been a problem for this young Geneva team at times this year.  The Yellow Jackets answered with a 12-3 run to take a 14-11 lead.  The Golden Tornadoes responded with a 7-3 run to take the lead back, 18-17, on an ace from freshman Lydia Wilson (New Springfield, Ohio/Heartland Christian).  The teams alternated points over the next few minutes until, with the score even at 20-20, Geneva scored three straight, the last on a kill by Townsend, and the Golden Tornadoes finished off the set, 25-21, on two Waynesburg errors.

Geneva jumped ahead in the second set with four straight points, with kills by Schmidt and Townsend, along with an ace from Peachey, leading the way.  The Golden Tornadoes fell into a rut again, though, with Waynesburg putting together a 9-1 run to take a 9-5 lead.  Geneva regained the momentum with a 9-1 run itself, with Schmidt adding two more kills and freshman Megan Veon (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) contributing a kill and a block.  Waynesburg closed to within 17-16 before a 4-1 Geneva run extended the Golden Tornado advantage to 21-16, and Geneva closed out the set, 25-18.

It was Waynesburg who jumped out to a lead early in the third set, 8-3.  The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 13-6 before back-to-back kills from Schmidt and Townsend, followed by an ace from Peachey, pulled Geneva within 14-12.  The teams traded runs over the next few minutes, with Waynesburg building a 20-15 lead before the Golden Tornadoes, led by two more kills from Veon, closed to within 21-19.  However, that was as close as Geneva would get, with the Yellow Jackets finishing off the set, 25-20.

Waynesburg carried that momentum into the fourth set, taking an early 5-1 lead.  Geneva answered with six straight points, with Neville contributing two kills and Veon and Schmidt each adding one to give the Golden Tornadoes a 7-5 edge.  A few minutes later, though, Waynesburg scored five straight to retake the lead, 11-9.  A moment later, Geneva responded with a 9-1 run to take a commanding 19-13 lead, with Schmidt and Byers each contributing two kills.  The Yellow Jackets would close to within two points, 21-19, before Geneva finished off the match, 25-21, with Veon adding two more kills down the stretch.

Schmidt led the team with a career-high 13 kills, while Neville added 10 kills.  Peachey had a team-high 25 assists to go with 13 digs, while Townsend contributed 23 digs and six kills.  Freshman Zoe Pifer (Keyser, W.Va./Calvary Christian) finished with 20 digs, while Wilson added 12 assists and 12 digs.  Veon had seven kills and six blocks.  Geneva hit just 0.082 as a team but held Waynesburg to 0.047.

"It was so nice to be home," said Head Coach Wendy Smith.  "The crowd was really good and gave us a lot of energy, especially when we needed it.  We continue to see glimpses of what this team can become, and we're continuing to work through those bumps that we struggle with at times.  But I'm really excited about what lies ahead for this program, not just this season, but in the years to come."

Geneva heads back onto the road for a tri-match at Saint Vincent on Saturday.  The Golden Tornadoes play Chatham at 2:00 p.m. followed with a match against Saint Vincent at 4:00 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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).