NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – It wasn't always pretty for the Geneva College women's volleyball team in its match at Westminster on Wednesday night, but the Golden Tornadoes found a way to prevail in a five-set victory (15-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 15-11) over the Titans.  Geneva earned its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory of the season, improving to 7-11 overall, 1-1 in the PAC.

These two teams squared off less than two weeks ago in a non-conference matchup, and Geneva swept that match fairly easily at home.  The Golden Tornadoes would find this contest much more challenging, though.  Geneva jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the first set before things fell apart.  The Titans scored the next eight points, and the Golden Tornadoes never recovered in dropping a rough first set, 25-15.

Geneva again jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the second set after a kill from senior Hope Shook (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis), but Westminster again had a response.  The Titans hung close and eventually took a 15-14 lead midway through the set.  The Golden Tornadoes answered with five straight points, the last on a kill from freshman Emily Nelson (Kijabe, Kenya/Rift Valley Academy) before Westminster came right back with eight straight points to pull back ahead, 22-19.  However, in a set of runs, Geneva got the last one, scoring six straight points, the last on a kill from sophomore Megan Veon (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk), to win the set 25-23.

The third set was close again.  Neither team led by more than two points until back-to-back kills from Nelson and sophomore Kami Mummau (Mount Joy, Pa./Mount Calvary Christian) gave the Golden Tornadoes a brief 11-8 edge.  Westminster hung close, though, and the Titans finished the set better.  With Geneva clinging to a 23-22 lead late, Westminster scored the final three points to win 25-23, putting the Golden Tornadoes in a 2-1 hole.

Geneva pulled ahead 8-5 early in the fourth set before Westminster scored six straight points to take an 11-8 advantage.  The Titans eventually stretched their lead to 17-13 before the Golden Tornadoes rallied.  Geneva scored the final 12 points of the set in convincing fashion to win 25-17.  Shook had five kills in the run, while Nelson finished the set off with back-to-back kills.

A kill from Shook opened the fifth set before three straight Titan points gave Westminster the early edge.  Geneva answered right back, though, using a 6-1 run to take a 7-4 lead.  The Titans would pull back even at 8-8 before three kills from Veon helped the Golden Tornadoes pull away late to win the match, 15-11.

Shook finished the match with a season-best 17 kills, while Veon finished with 15 kills on a .419 hitting percentage.  Nelson added nine kills, while junior Savannah Byers (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) played well with seven kills on a .538 hitting percentage.  As a team Geneva hit .171.

Freshman Ashley Monroe (Warren, Ohio/Labrae Local) directed the offense with a team-high 20 assists.  Senior Maggie Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) had a strong all-around match, contributing a team-best 28 digs, nine assists and three kills, while freshman Heather Seubert (Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) added 21 digs.

Geneva stays on the road this weekend when the Golden Tornadoes travel to first-place Allegheny on Friday night for a 7:00 p.m. match.

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).