STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – For the second straight match, Geneva's women's volleyball team played a very close match against a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opponent but could not put everything together for a victory. Facing a Franciscan squad who they beat earlier in the season at home, the GTs dropped the match in four sets, losing 24-26, 17-25, 25-22, 22-25. The women now have a 9-15 record overall, 1-4 in the PAC, while Franciscan moves up to 12-7, 3-3 in conference play.

An ace from senior Megan Veon and two kills by junior Emily Nelson gave Geneva a slim 5-4 edge early in the first set. A few points later, the Golden Tornadoes took off on a 10-3 run, buoyed by aces from Nelson and freshman Laura Goonewardene and kills from Veon and sophomore Daphne Alexander. Unfortunately, the Barons responded with an 8-1 run of their own to tie the score at 16 just a few minutes later. Geneva briefly regained a 23-21 advantage late in the set via another kill from Nelson and ace from Goonewardene, but Franciscan closed the set well to win it 26-24.

The Barons had a hot start to the second set, going in front 7-3 right at the beginning, before Geneva rallied to cut the difference to one point. Unfortunately, the women were not able to take the lead for the remainder of the set, and the home side took it 25-17.

It was Geneva's turn to take a 7-3 lead in the third set, with some Franciscan errors allowing the Golden Tornadoes to give themselves a bit of a cushion. An 8-1 run put the Barons back in front, but Geneva absorbed the hit well and rallied to tie the score. The two sides went back and forth until late in the set, when a kill by graduate student Destiny Pratt highlighted a 4-0 run to end the frame for Geneva. The women won it 25-22.

Geneva scored four more points to start the fourth set, getting a couple of kills from sophomore Katie Seboe. The Golden Tornadoes held the lead for a short period, but the Barons slowly came back to tie the score at 10. Nelson had four kills mid-set to put the women in front 18-15, but that was where the momentum ended for Geneva. Franciscan closed the set well from that point onward to take it 25-22, and the overall match three sets to one.

Nelson had an excellent day for the GTs, recording a game-high 17 kills and tying for the team lead with 22 digs. Junior Heather Seubert also posted 22 digs, while graduate student Savannah Byers had a team-high 25 assists. Alexander also posted a solid stat line with 9 kills on a .292 hitting percentage to go along with 6 blocks.

The women will continue their road trip with a match at Chatham this Thursday, October 24th, at 7:00 PM before wrapping it up with Bethany next week Wednesday.

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).