GOSHEN, IN – The Geneva College men's volleyball team made its longest road trip of the season on Saturday, traveling to Indiana for two matches at Goshen College.  In the first match, Geneva saw its six-game winning streak come to an end in a four-set loss to Siena Heights 18-25, 25-14, 25-19, 27-25.  Geneva bounced back in the second match against Goshen, winning in straight sets 25-20, 25-18, 25-20.  With the split, the Golden Tornadoes are now 11-3.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first set against Siena Heights, Geneva scored four straight points behind the serving of freshman Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) to take a 5-4 lead.  After the Saints tied the set at 10-10, Geneva scored five straight points behind the serving of sophomore Dan Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) to go up 15-10.  Siena Heights closed to within 17-15, but Geneva finished off the set with three straight points, two on kills from Townsend, to win 25-18.

Geneva used an early four point run behind Barbato's serving to take a 4-1 lead in set two.  Unfortunately, the Saints took momentum back with eight straight points, and it would actually prove to be the last time the Golden Tornadoes led in the match.  Geneva could never recover in the set and lost 25-14.

Siena Heights took an early 11-6 lead in set three.  Geneva used a 6-1 run, with two kills coming from junior Quinn McCracken (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) to tie the set at 15-15.  The set stayed tight, with Geneva trailing 20-19, but the Saints finished things off with five straight points to win, 25-19.

Geneva fell down early once again in set four, with Siena Heights jumping out to a 5-1 lead.  Geneva tied set right back up at 5-5 behind the serving of senior Spencer York (Beaver, Pa./Beaver County Christian), but the Golden Tornadoes could never take the lead back.  The Saints moved back ahead 13-9, but Geneva tied it back up at 14-14.  After the Saints took a 20-17 lead, the Golden Tornadoes again battled back to tie the score at 20-20.  Geneva then managed to fight off three match points to tie the score at 25-25, but Siena Heights finished off the set, and the match, with the final two points to win the set, 27-25.

York led the way with 10 kills, while McCracken added nine kills and two blocks.  Townsend and senior Matt Peters (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) each finished with seven kills.  Sophomore Anthony Baronio (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) finished with a team-high 34 assists and 10 digs.  Geneva managed just a .139 hitting percentage in the match.

Geneva had a better time against Goshen.  After the Maple Leafs jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the first set, Geneva responded with a 13-4 run, going up 20-14.  Geneva eventually stretched its lead to 24-17 on back-to-back kills from York, before eventually finishing off the set, 25-20, on a kill from Barbato.

Geneva carried that momentum into the second set, going up 6-1 early.  Goshen responded, though, and eventually took its first lead of the set, 13-12.  However, Geneva answered with an 8-1 run, the last two points coming on kills from McCracken, and the Golden Tornadoes finished off the set on a kill from Townsend, 25-18.

The Golden Tornadoes jumped ahead early again in set three, 6-1.  This time Geneva never let Goshen back into the set, though the Maple Leafs did close to within 21-18 late before Geneva closed out the match on another kill from McCracken, 25-20.

Geneva had a better hitting game in the second match with a hitting percentage of .264.  York led the way with ten kills on a .364 hitting percentage.  Barbato and McCracken each added nine kills, on a .471 and a .400 hitting percentage, respectively.  McCracken also had five blocks, while Townsend added five kills and a team-high 11 digs.  Baronio finished with 29 assists.

"We knew Siena Heights would be tough to beat if we didn't play well, and we didn't play well," said Head Coach Curt Conser.  "Goshen had some really talented players as well, but we were able to execute better as that match went along, and we came away with the sweep."

Geneva will look forward to being back home this week, as it hosts Hiram College on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.