BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Geneva College women's volleyball team split its pair of games on Saturday on the final day of the Bluffton Sommer Spiketacular, dropping a match in four sets to Olivet 21-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18 to open the day before sweeping Bluffton in convincing fashion 25-12, 25-16, 25-10. Geneva's record now stands at 4-4 overall.
In the first match of the day against Olivet, Geneva jumped ahead 2-0 after kills from freshman Katie Seboe and junior Megan Veon. However, Olivet answered with five straight points and the Golden Tornadoes never led again. Geneva did manage to tie the score three times over the next several minutes, the last time coming at 11-11, but Olivet put together an 8-1 run to take a 19-12 lead. Geneva had one last run to pull within 22-21 after a kill from sophomore Emily Nelson, but Olivet scored the final three points to take the set, 25-22.
Geneva led the entire second set. A kill from Veon gave Geneva an early 4-2 lead, and a few moments later a kill from senior Samantha Peachey extended the advantage to 8-4. The Comets would close to within 10-9, but Geneva scored the next seven points, the last two points coming on an ace from junior Kami Mummau and a kill from Seboe. The Golden Tornadoes easily closed out the set from there, 25-18.
Olivet scored the first four points of the third set, eventually extending its lead to 11-6. Back-to-back kills from Veon were part of five straight Geneva points to pull the Golden Tornadoes level at 11-11. The Comets responded to build back a 15-12 lead, but a run from Geneva, capped off by a block from senior Destiny Pratt, gave the Golden Tornadoes their first lead of the set, 17-16. The advantage didn't last long, though. Olivet scored the next three points and though Geneva pulled even at 20-20, the Comets closed out the set for a 25-22 win.
Geneva jumped ahead 7-3 in the fourth set, and the Golden Tornadoes still led 9-6 when the ladies hit a rough patch. Olivet scored eight straight points to take a 14-9 lead, and Geneva could never recover in losing the match, 25-18.
Mummau led the team with 12 kills, while Veon added nine, Neville eight kills, Seboe seven kills and Pratt six kills in a balanced attack. Geneva hit .236 as a team. Peachey led the offense with 35 assist, while Pifer had a team-best 21 digs.
The women took on Bluffton in the second match of the afternoon, which had defeated Olivet earlier in the day in five sets. Peachey opened the match with an ace, and the Golden Tornadoes never really looked back. A block and a kill from Veon helped extend the early Geneva lead to 5-1, and the Beavers never got closer than three points the rest of the set. A few minutes later, the Golden Tornadoes strung together nine straight points to take a commanding 15-4 edge. Neville and Pratt each had two kills in the run. The outcome was never in doubt the rest of the set, with Geneva winning 25-12.
Bluffton used its only really good stretch of the match to take an 8-2 lead early in the second set. However, Geneva quickly got back into the set, 8-6, after back-to-back kills from Neville. A few minutes later, the Golden Tornadoes took control of the set with eight straight points. Veon and Seboe each had two kills in the run. In fact, those eight points were the start of a 13-3 run to finish the set, with Pratt finishing things off, 25-16, with a kill.
Geneva took a big lead to open the third set. The Golden Tornadoes opened with a 6-1 run that extended to a 9-2 advantage after a kill from Pratt and an ace from Seboe. Then, with Geneva holding an 11-5 edge, Geneva scored the next seven points, including four straight aces from Neville, to grab a dominating 18-5 advantage, and the Golden Tornadoes quickly closed out the match, 25-11.
Geneva received a well-balanced attack in the second match. Neville led the way with nine kills, along with five aces, while Mummau and Seboe each had seven kills, Veon six kills and Pratt five kills. As a team Geneva hit an impressive .364, its best effort of the season. Bluffton finished with a negative .013 percentage.
Peachey led the offense with 22 assists. Junior Zoe Pifer had a team-best ten digs, while Seboe added a team-high three blocks.
Mummau and Neville were named to the All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the weekend's matches.
Saturday's matches represented the last matches against non-conference foes for the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva opens next week with a match at Chatham on Tuesday, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The match won't count in the conference standings, with Geneva's first official conference match occurring on October 4 against Saint Vincent.
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).
