SANDUSKY, Ohio – The Geneva College women's volleyball team pulled out two dramatic five-set victories on Friday at the Great Lakes Cross Over, hosted by Heidelberg University, in two very different fashions.  In the first match of the day against Adrian, the Golden Tornadoes came back from a two-set deficit to win 20-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 15-11.  In the second match of the day against Defiance, Geneva won the first two sets before seeing Defiance get all the way to match point in set five, yet still surviving 25-22, 25-19, 15-25, 24-26, 17-15.

In the first match of the day against Adrian, the Bulldogs led most of the way in the first set and won 25-20.  Geneva led early in the second set, extending its lead to 16-10 before faltering later.  Adrian came back to win the second set, 26-24, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Golden Tornadoes looked headed for a straight set defeat in the third set before rallying.  Trailing 19-15, Geneva stormed back, led by two aces from junior Tess Neville (Lisbon, Ohio/Crestview), to take a 24-21 lead, and the Golden Tornadoes held on to win the set, 25-23.

The fourth set was tight as well, with neither team able to gain much separation, but Geneva came through late, scoring the final two points to win 25-22, sending the match to a fifth set.

The Golden Tornadoes took control of things midway though the final set and held on for a 15-11 win, completing the comeback from a two-set deficit.

Neville led the way with 15 kills on a .270 hitting percentage, while senior Hope Shook (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis), who missed last season due to injuries, added 12 kills in her first match in over a year.  Freshman Emily Nelson (Ellsworth, Wisc./Rift Valley Academy) added nine kills in her Geneva debut.  As a team, Geneva hit .167, while Adrian finished at .116.

Sophomore Megan Veon (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) had an all-around strong match as well, finishing with six kills, four aces and seven blocks.  Senior Maggie Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) had a team-high 22 digs, while freshman Ashley Monroe (Warren, Ohio/Labrae Local) contributed a team-high 20 assists and 13 digs.  Junior Samantha Peachey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) added 19 assists.

Geneva had to wait awhile for its second match of the day.  The Golden Tornadoes were scheduled to play Defiance at 8:00 p.m., but because of delays in other matches, the match didn't get started until 9:30 p.m.

The Golden Tornadoes led most of the way in the first set, though they couldn't create much separation.  However, they eventually held on to win 25-22.  Geneva led most of the way in the second set, as well, slowly pulling away for the 25-19 victory to take a two-set lead.

It was a much different story in set three, as Defiance controlled the set for an easy 25-15 win.  Geneva looked to be in good position in set four, holding leads of 14-8 and 21-18, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't close out the set and lost 26-24, sending the match to a fifth set.

The fifth set was tight the whole way, with the teams alternating points to create several ties throughout the shortened set.  However, Geneva came through when it absolutely had to.  Facing match point at 15-14, the Golden Tornadoes scored the final three points to pull out a 17-15 victory, the last on a kill from Neville.  The match ended after 11:30 p.m.

Full stats were not yet available, but Neville did again lead the Golden Tornadoes with 16 kills, while Shook added 13 kills and Veon 11 kills.  Townsend had a team-high 28 digs, while Monroe finished with 32 assists.

The women will have a short night, with the Golden Tornadoes scheduled to play Hiram at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, followed by a match against Manchester at 2:00 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).