BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Bethany Bison defeated Geneva in four sets (25-17, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16) on Tuesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse. The loss drops Geneva's overall record to 9-9, 2-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Bethany improved to 15-5 overall, 4-1 in the PAC.
The teams traded points early in the first set before Bethany scored six straight to take an 11-6 lead. Geneva battled back, and after a double block from senior Tess Neville and freshman Julia Jordon, the Golden Tornadoes pulled even at 14-14. After a Bison point, a kill and an ace from Neville gave Geneva a brief 16-15 lead. However, Bethany scored the next four points as part of a 10-1 closing run, including the last six points of the set, to win 25-17.
Kills from Neville and Jordon started the second set, but a couple minutes later a four-point Bethany run gave the Bison a 7-5 edge, and Bethany eventually pushed its lead to 15-10. Geneva stayed close, using a 5-1 run, including a kill and a block from junior Megan Veon and freshman Katie Seboe, to pull within 19-18. Geneva couldn't get any closer, though, falling 25-20.
Geneva scored the first three points of the third set, but a few minutes later a 6-1 Bethany run gave the Bison an 11-8 lead. The set stayed tight over the next several minutes, and after a kill from Jordon and an ace from junior Zoe Pifer, the Golden Tornadoes pulled even at 16-16. Bethany answered with a run to take a 23-19 lead, but Geneva had one last run left. The women scored the final six points of the set, the last two coming on double blocks from Veon and Seboe and Seboe and junior Kami Mummau, giving Geneva a 25-23 set win.
The momentum from the win didn't carry into the next set, though. The Bison scored the first four points of set four, and Geneva never got closer than two points the rest of the set. Bethany steadily pulled away to close out the match, 25-16.
Geneva's attack struggled much of the night, with the women finishing with just 32 kills on a .045 hitting percentage. Neville had a strong night for the Golden Tornadoes, finishing with nine kills to lead the team, on a .296 hitting percentage. Seboe had a team-high five blocks, while Pifer led the team with 27 digs. Bethany finished with 53 kills on a .150 hitting percentage, with three different players finishing with 12 kills.
The women will try to rebound on Saturday when they travel to W&J for an 11:00 a.m. start.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
