PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team played a strong match on Tuesday night at Chatham, earning a four-set (21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17) victory over the Cougars, though the match does not count in the conference standings. The win was an encouraging performance against a Chatham squad picked to finish ahead of Geneva in the preseason Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) poll, with PAC play set to begin in about ten days. Geneva improved to 5-4 with the win, while Chatham fell to 4-4.
Geneva jumped ahead 5-2 in the first set behind two kills from senior Tess Neville, along with kills from senior Destiny Pratt and junior Megan Veon. Chatham pulled even at 7-7, though, and the set stayed tight most of the way. However, with the Cougars holding a slim 20-19 lead after another kill from Pratt, Chatham won the next four points and eventually took the set, 25-21.
The Cougars scored the first four points of the second set on their way to an early 7-1 lead. Geneva answered with a kill and an ace from freshman Katie Seboe, along with back-to-back kills from Veon, to pull within two points. A couple minutes later, kills from Pratt and Veon enabled the Golden Tornadoes to pull even at 9-9. Geneva didn't take its first lead of the set until a kill from Veon and a double block from Veon and Pratt gave the women a 16-15 edge. Chatham responded with a 5-1 run to take a 20-17 lead, but the Golden Tornadoes finished the set with an 8-2 run. Junior Kami Mummau had two kills, while the Geneva defense had four blocks down the stretch, including three from Mummau, with the last point coming on a solo block from Veon, 25-22.
Back-to-back kills from Veon gave Geneva an early 3-2 lead in the third set, and the Golden Tornadoes led virtually the rest of the set. A kill from Neville a couple minutes later extended the advantage to 8-4. Chatham would try to stay close, pulling within 17-15 midway through the set, but Geneva never gave back the lead back. The women responded with a 7-2 run, the last two points on kills from Mummau and Seboe, to take a 24-17 lead, and after four Cougar points, Seboe finished off the set with a kill, 25-21.
Geneva scored the first three points of the fourth set and never gave the lead up. Chatham would pull within a point on two occasions, the last 7-6, but the Golden Tornadoes steadily extended their lead throughout the rest of the set. The women finished off the match, 25-17, with back-to-back kills from Seboe, a kill from Veon, an ace from Mummau and a kill from Veon.
Veon finished with a season-best 14 kills, on a .300 hitting percentage, to lead the attack. Mummau and Seboe added eight kills apiece, while Neville contributed seven kills. The hitting percentages weren't great from either team, with Geneva hitting .127 compared to .061 for Chatham. Senior Samantha Peachey led the team with 34 assists, while junior Zoe Pifer finished with a career-high 28 digs. Mummau and sophomore Heather Seubert each added 16 digs. Mummau had a team-best three blocks.
Geneva will continue play against PAC opponents when the women host Thiel on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. inside Metheny Fieldhouse. The first five matches against PAC opponents won't count in the conference standings.
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).
