By Justin Zackal
A week after the Westminster College volleyball team lost to visiting Geneva, 3-0, Nov. 2, the Titans will once again host the Golden Tornadoes, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. Only this one means something.
The Titans had already clinched the top seed in this week’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship Tournament when they lost to Geneva, 25-19, 25-16, 25-23. After advancing to the finals, with Westminster beating Saint Vincent, 3-0, and Geneva topping Grove City, 3-0, Thursday, the two teams square off with the PAC title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament on the line.
Westminster (25-6, 13-3 PAC) is appearing in the PAC finals for the third straight year but without a trophy to show for it. The Titans last won the league crown in 2008, which was their second straight title and third overall.
Geneva (22-8, 12-4 PAC) won its lone PAC championship in 2011, but the GTs have been a mainstay in the league tournament with nine straight appearances, seven consecutive in the semifinals. This is the first year Geneva made the final match since 2014.
The Titans ended Geneva’s season last year in the semifinals, 3-2, giving Westminster’s its second straight 30-win season while the loss was the GTs’ 12th. By head-to-head results and records, the teams are more evenly matched this year, with Westminster winning at Geneva, Oct. 12, 3-2 (25-20, 25-14, 21-15, 24-26, 16-14), before last Saturday’s loss.
Westminster senior outside hitter Reilly DeGeorge had match-high 21 kills in the win at Geneva and 10 kills last Saturday. She ranks second in the PAC with 3.0 kills per set.
Senior middle hitter Kacey Costal leads Geneva with a 2.91 kill average, which ranks fourth in the league. Freshman outside hitter Hope Shook led the GTs with 13 kills last Saturday.
The match also features two coaches with a combined 47 years at their institutions in Westminster’s Tammy Swearingen and Geneva’s Wendy Smith.
