VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team dropped a pair of games at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament on Friday.  The Golden Tornadoes opened the day with a 12-25, 18-25, 17-25 loss to Kean, and then the ladies fell 14-25, 19-25, 22-25 to Marymount to wrap up the day.

Geneva knew it was going to be a challenging weekend in which the women were scheduled to face some of the toughest teams they'll face all year, and they would have to do so without a couple key players who are battling preseason injuries.

In the first match of the day for the Golden Tornadoes, Kean jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead before back-to-back blocks from senior Megan Veon and an ace from freshman Madi DeRuiter quickly pulled the women with one.  Geneva stayed close, pulling within one point again at 10-9 after a block from sophomore Katie Seboe.  However, Kean scored the next ten straight points to pull away for the 25-12 win in the first set.

The second set opened with a double block from graduate student Savannah Byers and sophomore Daphne Alexander, but Kean responded with an 11-3 run to grab an early 11-4 edge.  The Golden Tornadoes followed with their best stretch of the set, scoring seven straight points to pull even.  Graduate student Destiny Pratt had two kills, and Alexander finished off the stretch with an ace.  However, Kean immediately answered with its own seven-point run, and the Cougars road that stretch to a 25-18 win.

Kean opened the third set with four straight points before Geneva rallied to pull even at 5-5.  A couple minutes later, the women used a kill from Pratt and aces from Byers and senior Zoe Pifer to grab an 13-10 edge.  However, Kean scored the next six points, and though the Golden Tornadoes pulled within one point, 18-17, after a double block from Byers and Seboe, Kean scored the final seven points to close out the match, 25-17.

DeRuiter led the offense with five kills, while Pratt and Veon each added four kills.  Byers led the team with 11 assists, while Pifer had a team-high 17 digs.  Alexander had a career-best five blocks.

Geneva immediately turned around to face Marymount.  The first set was close for the first few minutes until the Saint put together a 10-1 run to take a 15-5 advantage.  Marymount eventually closed out the set, 25-14.

The Golden Tornadoes took their first lead of the match early in the second set, using a three-point run behind kills from Pratt and Byers and an ace from junior Heather Seubert to move ahead 6-4.  A kill from junior Abigail Glumac eventually pushed the edge to 10-6 before Marymount rallied.  The Saints pulled even at 13-13, and after a Marymount error and another ace from Seubert gave Geneva a two-point edge, the Saint scored the next four points.  A double block from Byers and Alexander pulled the women even again at 17-17, but the Saints finished the set on a 7-1 run to win 25-19.

A three-point run on a kill from Glumac, an ace from Pifer and another double block from Byers and Alexander pulled Geneva even at 6-6 early in the third set.  Marymount responded with a 7-1 run and eventually extended its edge to 17-9 before the Golden Tornadoes began to rally.  Kills from DeRuiter and Veon eventually helped pull Geneva within one point, 23-22, by Marymount scored the final two points to win the match, 25-22.

Pratt and Veon led the team with four kills apiece, while Pifer finished with a team-high 10 digs.

Geneva will wrap up its play at the tournament tomorrow with two matches against William Peace and Mary Washington beginning at 10:00 a.m.