GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team split a tri-match at Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday.  The Golden Tornadoes swept the hosts 25-15, 25-23, 25-14 before falling in four sets against Dickinson 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 13-25.  Geneva now stands at 9-12 overall on the season.
 
The first set against Pitt-Greensburg was one of the best hitting sets Geneva has had all season, led by junior Emily Nelson.  Sophomore Katie Seboe opened the set with a kill, and two kills from Nelson and another from senior Megan Veon gave the women an early 5-3 edge.  A couple minutes later, a kill from Nelson, an ace from sophomore Daphne Alexander and a kill from Seboe extended the lead to 13-7.  Later in the set, a kill and back-to-back aces from Nelson gave Geneva an 18-11 lead, and three more kills from Nelson over the final few minutes gave the Golden Tornadoes a 25-15 win.  In total, the women finished with 19 kills, led by Nelson's nine kills.
 
Seboe again opened the second set with a kill, but this set would be much closer.  After a kill from Alexander gave Geneva a 5-4 lead, the Bobcats reeled off five straight points to force the women to play from behind over the next several minutes.  Two more kills and an ace from Nelson, along with another kill from Seboe, allowed the Golden Tornadoes to pull even at 12-12.  Geneva didn't retake the lead until a kill from Veon and back-to-back aces from sophomore Evelyn Stroup gave the women a 16-15 lead.  The set stayed close the rest of the way.  A late block from Veon and a kill from Alexander gave Geneva set point at 24-21, but Geneva had to hold on late until a Bobcat attack error gave the women a 25-23 win.
 
Once again Seboe opened the third set with a kill, and back-to-back kills from Nelson, along with a block and a kill from Veon gave Geneva a quick 7-2 lead.  The women held that lead for most of the set before the Bobcats pulled within 16-13.  Geneva's block took over from that point.  Four Golden Tornado blocks from Veon and Seboe, sandwiched around back-to-back kills from Veon, gave Geneva a comfortable 22-13 edge, and Veon finished off the match with a kill, 25-14.
 
Nelson led the team with 16 kills, to go with three aces.  Veon added 12 kills and a team-high six blocks.  Alexander finished with six kills, while Seboe contributed five kills and two blocks.  Graduate student Savannah Byers had 31 assists, senior Zoe Pifer had 19 digs, while sophomore Brooklyn Helton added 11 digs.
 
Geneva jumped right back into action against Dickinson.  The Golden Tornadoes scored six straight points early in the first set to grab a 9-5 edge, with Stroup picking up two aces in the run.  Dickinson quickly responded, though, pulling even at 10-10, and then the Red Devils steadily pulled away through the rest of the set, winning 25-19.
 
The women jumped ahead quickly in the second set with four straight points.  Seboe had two kills sandwiched around back-to-back aces from graduate student Savannah Byers.  Dickinson responded with a 7-2 run to grab its first lead of the set.  A moment later, Geneva answered with nine straight points behind Stroup's serving.  She had four aces in the run, while Alexander added two kills.  That gave the Golden Tornadoes a 17-9 lead, but the win wouldn't come easily.  Dickinson closed all the way to within 23-22 late before a double block from Veon and Seboe and a kill from Veon finished off the set, 25-22.
 
Dickinson jumped ahead early in the third set 9-4 before Geneva again put together another long run.  The women scored another nine straight points behind three aces from Alexander.  However, Geneva couldn't sustain things.  With the Golden Tornadoes leading 19-15 a few minutes later, Dickinson closed the set on a 10-3 run to win 25-22.
 
The fourth got away from Geneva midway through the set.  With the Golden Tornadoes trailing 11-9, Dickinson finished the match on a 14-3 run to win 25-14.
 
Veon led the team with seven kills, while Nelson added six kills.  Alexander and Seboe each totaled five kills.  Freshman Laura Goonewardene had a team-high 13 assists.  Pifer and Veon had a team-high 16 digs, Nelson added 15 digs and Helton 10 digs for the women.
 
Geneva will return to action on Wednesday when the women hosts Grove City on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.


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).