BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team opened the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday night by sweeping visiting Penn State Altoona 25-20, 27-25, 25-16. The victory improved Geneva's record to 3-2 overall.
Senior Samantha Peachey opened the first set with an ace, and a couple minutes later senior Tess Neville added an ace to increase the Golden Tornado edge to 5-1. Geneva controlled almost the entire set, and after back-to-back kills from Neville and freshman Katie Seboe, the women led 16-7. The Golden Tornadoes did suffer a letdown late, though, allowing Altoona to pull within 22-20, but kills from Seboe and senior Savannah Byers allowed Geneva to hold on, 25-20.
In the second set, it was Altoona that jumped ahead 5-1. A few minutes later, the Lions extended their lead to 12-6, which prompted Head Coach Wendy Smith to call a timeout. The ladies responded well out of the break, answering with a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the set, 15-14. Seboe had three kills and junior Megan Veon two kills in the run. The rest of the set was a back-and-forth affair. Two kills from senior Destiny Pratt gave Geneva a 23-20 edge, but Altoona responded with three straight points to pull even. A Lion service error gave the Golden Tornadoes set point, but Altoona took the next two points to give themselves a set point, 25-24. However, a kill by Veon, an ace from sophomore Heather Seubert and a kill from junior Kami Mummau allowed Geneva to prevail, 27-25.
Altoona scored the first three points of the third set before the Golden Tornadoes took control, using a 9-1 run to grab a 9-4 edge. Veon had three kill and Mummau two kills for the women in the stretch. The Lions pulled within two points, but Geneva responded. Leading 14-10, the Golden Tornadoes reeled off five straight points, the last another kill from Seboe, to take a 19-10 advantage, and senior Heather Cendrowski finished off the match with a kill, 25-16.
Neither team finished with a great hitting percentage, as both backlines did a good job of getting ball up and extending rallies. Geneva hit .128, while Altoona hit just .028. The Golden Tornadoes had a very balanced attack. Mummau and Seboe each had seven kills, while Neville and Veon each added six kills. Peachey led the offense with 27 assists, while junior Zoe Pifer finished with a career high 22 digs. Mummau also contributed a career-high 16 digs, while Peachey finished with 15 digs and freshman Maddie Hall 11 digs.
Geneva heads to Bluffton this weekend for three matches in the Sommer Spiketacular. The women face Kalamazoo on Friday and have matches with Olivet and Bluffton on Saturday.
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).
