BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team entered the final week of the regular season needing to win both of its remaining matches. The Golden Tornadoes executed step one of that plan with a four-set (25-17, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16) victory over Westminster on Wednesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse. The women improved to 11-11 overall, 4-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Westminster fell to 16-12, 4-5 in the PAC. Geneva must now win at Grove City on Saturday in the regular season finale to clinch a spot in the PAC playoffs.
Geneva looked locked in from the opening moments of the match. Senior Samantha Peachey opened the first set with a kill, and then she served the Golden Tornadoes to three more points, one on an ace and another on kill from junior Megan Veon, giving the women a quick 4-0 lead. Midway through the set, a kill from Veon and an ace from junior Kami Mummau pushed the Geneva edge to 16-11. The Titans responded with their best stretch of the set, scoring five straight points to pull even at 16-16, the first time the score had been tied since the beginning of the set. It was all Geneva the rest of the way, though. The women immediately responded, with senior Savannah Byers serving the women to eight straight points, including two aces. Geneva's block was also big down the stretch, with freshman Julia Jordon providing a couple block assists. Senior Tess Neville added three kills and a block in the stretch, and a kill from Veon finished off the set, 25-17.
Geneva jumped out to a massive lead in the second set. Five early points, behind a kill and a block from Veon and an ace from Mummau, gave the women a 6-1 lead. The Titans scored the next two points before the Golden Tornadoes reeled off seven straight points as a part of a 12-1 run that gave Geneva a commanding 18-4 advantage. Byers had back-to-back aces, Jordon had two kills and three block assists, while Veon added two more kills in the stretch. Westminster tried to rally late, but late kills from Neville and Veon enabled Geneva to finish out the set, 25-17.
The third set was the only really tight one of the match. Two early kills from Veon helped Geneva grab an early 7-4 edge, but the Titans battled back to regain the lead at 13-12. The teams alternated leads back and forth over the next several minutes, with neither team leading by more than two points until the very end. A kill from Mummau, followed by a kill from freshman Katie Seboe, put Geneva on the edge of closing out the match, 22-21, but Westminster rallied to score the final four points to send the match to a fourth set, 25-22.
If there were any concerns by fans that things might be heading towards another five-set match, which is where many of Geneva's matches have ended up recently, the Golden Tornadoes put those fears to rest quickly. Peachey opened the fourth set at the service line, and she served Geneva to the first eight points of the set, including two aces. Veon added two kills in the stretch, along with kills from Mummau and Seboe. A couple minutes later, three straight aces from Seboe, along with a kill from Neville, pushed the Golden Tornado edge to 15-4. Westminster never got closer than seven points the rest of the set. Kills from Veon and Jordon, followed by a double block from Peachey and freshman Gracyn Lee, finished off the match, 25-16.
Veon had a big game for the women, leading the team with 16 kills on a .351 hitting percentage. Neville added 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while Mummau finished with nine kills, along with 14 digs. As a team Geneva hit .238. Peachey directed the offense with 38 assists. Junior Zoe Pifer led the team with 21 digs, while Jordon gave the women a great performance in the middle, finishing with six kills on a .429 hitting percentage along with 10 blocks. Jordon's play helped Geneva out-block the top blocking team in the PAC in Westminster, 13-4.
The win sets up essentially a playoff game at Grove City for the women on Saturday, starting at 1:00 p.m. The winner of that match will qualify for the PAC playoffs. The loser will need significant help to make the postseason.
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).
