ALTOONA, Pa. – Geneva's women's volleyball team won the first set of their match against Penn State Altoona on Wednesday, but that was where their momentum ended, and match finished with the GTs down three sets to one. Altoona proved to be a tough opponent, dropping the Golden Tornadoes record to 2-7 on the season.

The two sides were extremely evenly matched to start the first set, with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage until a service ace from sophomore Daphne Alexander put the Golden Tornadoes in front 17-14. A kill by sophomore Katie Seboe a few minutes later gave Geneva a commanding 22-17 lead late in the set, but the Lions responded with a 6-1 run to knot the score at 23 apiece. Alexander had a nice kill to put the women back in the lead, and a poor Altoona set allowed the GTs to take the first set 25-23.

Geneva opened the second half with a 2-1 lead, but that proved to be the only advantage the women would have for the rest of the set. Altoona's lead continued to grow over the course of the set, and despite a late 5-1 run from the GTs highlighted by a kill from junior Emily Nelson and another Alexander ace, the Lions evened the overall score by taking set two 25-18.

The third set began rather evenly, with another Nelson kill tying the score at 3. From that point onward, however, Altoona remained in control, building its lead up to ten points at one instance. The Golden Tornadoes were able to get their feet back under them with a solid 6-3 run toward the end of the set, but by then it was too late and they dropped it 25-17.

Altoona wasted no time in jumping out to another early lead in set four, gaining a 6-2 advantage through the first eight points. Slowly but surely, the women managed to climb back into the match, narrowing the deficit to 11-10 at one point, but the Lions snuffed out the Golden Tornadoes' comeback attempt with a 6-0 run immediately afterward. Altoona ended up winning the set 25-17, and the overall match three sets to one.

Nelson led the women with a team-high nine kills, contributing defensively as well with 17 digs. Freshman Laura Goonewardene had a team-high 12 assists, and senior Megan Veon had a career-high 23 digs to go along with six kills.

The GTs are back on the court this weekend when they travel to Wooster for the Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic. They take on Hiram and Oberlin on Friday at 2:30 and 4:30 PM, respectively, before facing off against Kalamazoo on Saturday at 10:30 AM.

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).