MEADVILLE, Pa. – In a season of heart-breaking losses for the Geneva College women's volleyball team, Friday night might have been the toughest.  Facing first-place Allegheny on the road, the Golden Tornadoes won the first two sets, but Geneva couldn't convert two match points in the fourth set and eventually fell 25-9, 25-21, 22-25, 28-30, 11-15.  Geneva dropped to 7-12 overall, 1-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Allegheny improved to 13-8, 3-0 in the PAC.

Geneva cruised in the first set.  After the Golden Tornadoes jumped out to an early 10-8 lead, Geneva finished the set on a 15-1 run, with senior Maggie Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) serving the final 10 points to give Geneva a 25-9 victory. 

Geneva jumped ahead early in the second set, 6-2, after an ace from junior Samantha Peachey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) and a kill from freshman Emily Nelson (Kijabe, Kenya/Rift Valley Academy).  Allegheny battled back to take its first lead of the set, 12-11, before the Golden Tornadoes answered with three straight, the last on a kill from senior Hope Shook (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis), giving Geneva a lead it would not relinquish.  An ace from Nelson pushed the lead to 22-17, and Geneva closed out the set, 25-21.

It was Allegheny who jumped out to a lead in the third set, forcing Geneva to play from behind most of the set.  The Golden Tornadoes did manage to take a brief lead midway through the set on an ace from Peachey and kill from Nelson, 18-17.  The Gators responded with three straight points, though, and Allegheny held on to win 25-22.

Allegheny stormed out to a huge lead in the fourth set, 12-4, before Geneva rallied.  A kill from freshman Ashley Monroe (Warren, Ohio/Labrae Local) enabled the Golden Tornadoes to pull even at 17-17.  The Gators scored the next three points, but Geneva wouldn't go away easily.  Trailing 23-20, the Golden Tornadoes scored four straight points with Nelson and sophomore Megan Veon (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) contributing back-to-back kills, giving Geneva match point.  Allegheny fought off that point, along with another match point at 27-26, and the Gators eventually prevailed 30-28 to send the match to a fifth set.

Geneva started the fifth set well, jumping out to a 7-4 lead.  However, it was all Allegheny from then on, as the Gators finished the set on an 11-4 run to win 15-11 and complete the comeback.

Shook led the offense with 16 kills, while Veon finished with 14 kills and Nelson 11 kills.  As a team, Geneva hit .134.  Allegheny hit .122.  Townsend finished with 25 digs and 14 assists, while Peachey added 16 assists and Monroe 15 assists.  Freshman Heather Seubert (Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) added 21 digs for the Golden Tornadoes.

Geneva will try to rebound on Tuesday when the women host Waynesburg for a 7:00 p.m. match inside 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 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).