BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It had been a long stretch to open the season for the Geneva College women's volleyball team, who started its season with 12 straight matches on the road.  The Golden Tornadoes finally got a chance to play on their home court on Tuesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse, and the women found the home cooking to their liking as they swept visiting Mount Aloysius 25-18, 25-23, 25-21.  Tonight's match was the first of five straight home matches for Geneva.

Kills from senior Megan Veon and junior Emily Nelson, along with an ace from graduate student Savannah Byers, helped Geneva jump ahead 4-2 in the first set, but the Mounties hung close for much of the set.  However, with the score tied at 15-15, a kill from Veon and back-to-back aces from Nelson helped the Golden Tornadoes gain a little separation.  A moment later, kills from Nelson and senior Zoe Pifer pushed the advantage to 21-15, and Geneva closed out the set with three straight points on two kills from Nelson, sandwiched around a kill from Byers, 25-18.

The second set also stayed close for most of the set, with neither team able to gain an edge of more than two points until back-to-back kills from sophomore Katie Seboe gave Geneva a 16-13 advantage.  Mount Aloysius stayed close, though, pulling within one point twice over the final minutes of the set, the last time at 24-23, but a kill from Seboe finished off the set, 25-23.

The teams split the first six points of the third set before Geneva took over.  Five straight points behind the serving of Nelson allowed the Golden Tornadoes to gain control of the set.  A few minutes later, Geneva took a big edge, 15-5, behind two more kills from Nelson.  The Golden Tornadoes eventually got the set to 24-14 off another Nelson kill before the Mounties scored seven straight points to make things interesting.  However, a double block from Byers and Seboe finished off the match, 25-21.

Veon led the team with 16 kills, on an impressive .429 hitting percentage.  Nelson added 11 kills on a .333 hitting percentage as Geneva finished the match with a team hitting percentage of a season-best .297.  Seboe added eight kills in the attack.  Pifer and junior Heather Seubert led the defense with 11 digs apiece, while Byers finished with 33 assists.

Geneva will now enjoy a few days off before returning to action next Tuesday when the women host a tri-match against Bethany and La Roche, beginning at 4:00 p.m.