LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Geneva College women's volleyball team had a great chance to sweep both of its opponents on Saturday on the final day at Lynchburg. The women opened the day with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-13 sweep of Piedmont, and in their second match of the day the Golden Tornadoes won the first two sets and had a commanding lead late in the third set against Eastern Mennonite, but Geneva couldn't finish off the win and fell in five sets 25-13, 26-24, 23-25, 9-25, 14-16. The women are now 6-3 on the season.
In the first match of the day against Piedmont, the Lions held an early 6-4 lead before a 7-2 Geneva run gave the Golden Tornadoes their first lead, 11-8. Sophomore Rachel Baird had a kill and a block in the run. The teams alternated runs over the next several minutes. The Lions pulled even at 12-12 before Geneva scored four straight. Piedmont responded with a 5-1 run to regain the lead, but with the Golden Tornadoes trailing 19-18 late, the women scored the next six points behind three kills from sophomore Kendall Anderson and a kill from junior Laura Goonewardene. That got Geneva to set point, and despite three straight points by Piedmont, a kill from Baird finished off the set, 25-22.
Piedmont again jumped ahead early by a couple points in set two, but a 7-2 run a few minutes in gave Geneva its first lead, 14-10. Baird, Anderson, Elkins and freshman Vanessa Crider all had kills in the run, along with an ace from sophomore Ruthie Land. The Golden Tornadoes never let the Lions get within three points the rest of the set, and a kill from sophomore Amanda Mitan, followed by back-to-back blocks from Mitan and senior Katie Seboe, finished off the set, 25-18.
Geneva took control of the third set early. With the score tied at 8-8, the women reeled off a 12-3 run to take a big 20-11 lead. Goonewardene, Land, Mitan, Elkins and senior Gracyn Lee all had kills in the stretch, along with aces from freshman Kyla Kephart and Land. Geneva finished the match off, 25-13, with four straight points on kills from Seboe, Lee and Anderson, followed by an ace from Mitan.
As has been the case this year, Geneva again had a balanced attack in the win. Six different players finished with at least four kills, led by 11 kills from Elkins on a .360 hitting percentage to go along with 15 digs. Anderson added seven kills and Baird six kills for the women. Kephart totaled 17 assists and Goonewardene 12 assists, while Crider led with 16 digs. Land added 11 digs and three aces, while Mitan posted a team-high four blocks. As a team Geneva hit .222.
In the second match of the day against Eastern Mennonite, Geneva dominated the first set. With the score tied 3-3, Geneva scored the next five points, getting two kills from Seboe and a kill and block from Mitan. The Golden Tornadoes steadily pulled away for an easy 25-13 victory.
The second set was more of a challenge, despite jumping out to a quick 12-4 advantage behind kills from Elkins, Baird, Mitan and Seboe, along with two aces from Kephart. The Royals responded with a 13-4 run to take a 17-16 lead. The set stayed tight the rest of the way, but with the score tied 24-24, two Eastern Mennonite errors allowed Geneva to take the set, 26-24.
The third set was back-and-forth. Three straight aces from Mitan gave Geneva a 14-10 lead, but the Royals answered back to even the score at 15-15. The women appeared to be in great shape for the sweep, though, when they followed with a 6-1 run to take a 21-16 edge. However, things started to fall apart from there as Eastern Mennonite rallied to win 25-23 and then used all that momentum to easily win the fourth set, 25-9.
Geneva jumped ahead 4-1 in the fifth set before Eastern Mennonite rallied with an 8-1 run to take a 9-5 lead. The Golden Tornadoes answered back, though, getting to match point at 14-13, but a service error gave the Royals the momentum back, and they took advantage by taking the last two points to win 16-14.
Seboe and Baird led the attack with nine kills apiece, while Elkins added eight kills. Kephart led with 16 assists, while Kephart and Mitan both posted five aces. Land had 15 digs, while Goonewardene and Crider both added 14 digs.
Geneva will return to action on Wednesday with a road match at Point Park starting 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).
