HIRAM, Ohio -- The Geneva College men's volleyball team picked up two Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) wins on Saturday at Hiram College.  In the first match against D'Youville College, Geneva had to go to five sets to pull out a 3-2 win (25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-10).  In the second match of the day, the Golden Tornadoes made quicker work of Medaille College, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-16).  Geneva improved to 18-7, 9-2 in the AMCC.

In the first match against D'Youville, Geneva cruised in the first set.  The Golden Tornadoes scored the first four points of the match, as sophomore Dan Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) had a kill and an ace in the opening run.  D'Youville never got closer than three points the rest of the set, as Geneva gradually increased its lead through the set, winning 25-14.  Junior Quinn McCracken (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) had four kills in the set.

D'Youville jumped ahead early in set two, taking a 9-6 lead.  Geneva fought back, and after a kill from sophomore Anthony Baronio (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge), the Golden Tornadoes took their first lead of the set, 12-11.  D'Youville answered back with three straight points, but Geneva took the lead back at 20-19.  However, D'Youville scored the final three points of the set to win 25-23.

The Spartans took another early lead in set three, 6-3.  With Geneva still trailing 9-7, the Golden Tornadoes scored seven straight points behind strong serving from Baronio, who had three aces in the stretch.  However, D'Youville responded with five straight points to tie the set at 14-14.  Geneva took control of the set from there, scoring three straight points, and Townsend finished off the set with a kill, 25-19.

Geneva found itself in another early hole in set four, 8-3, and the Golden Tornadoes struggles grew from there.  D'Youville increased its lead to 20-10, and a late run by the Golden Tornadoes was not enough, with the Spartans sending the match to a fifth set, 25-20.

Geneva's early set struggles continued, as D'Youville scored the first three points of the fifth set.  The Golden Tornadoes used a five-point run to take a 6-4 lead, though, and Geneva never trailed again.  A kill from freshman Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) increased Geneva's lead to 13-7, and the Golden Tornadoes closed out the match, 15-10.

McCracken finished the match with 15 kills on a .281 hitting percentage.  He also added eleven digs and seven blocks.  Townsend had 12 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while Baronio finished with 32 assists, ten digs and a school record eight service aces.  Barbato added six kills and six blocks, while senior Spencer York (Beaver, Pa./Beaver County Christian) contributed five kills and five blocks. 

Geneva took an early lead over Medaille in the second match of the day, 4-1.  The Mavericks tied it at 5-5, and the teams alternated points over the next few minutes, with the set still tied at 11-11.  The Golden Tornadoes then scored three straight points, and after a kill from York, Geneva increased its lead to 18-13.  The Golden Tornadoes held on from there, 25-22, as Townsend had the final two Geneva points on kills.

The second set went back and forth early on, as neither team led by more than one point until Geneva went on a 4-1 run to take a 13-10 lead.  Medaille responed by tying the set at 15-15 and the set stayed tight the rest of the way.  Trailing 24-23, Geneva pulled out the set with three straight points to win 26-24, the last point coming on a kill from senior Matt Peters (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area).

Geneva carried that momentum into the third set, taking a 4-1 lead, with York picking up two early kills.  The Golden Tornadoes stretch their lead to 12-5, but Medaille answered back with five straight points to briefly get back into the set, 12-10.  Geneva blitzed through the rest of the set, though, at one point with three straight blocks, and McCracken finished the set, and the match, with an ace, 25-16.

Geneva hit a solid .232 for the match, while Medaille finished at .081.  Townsend and York led the way with ten kills apiece, with Townsend hitting .381.  Baronio, McCracken and Townsend each had 13 digs, with Baronio adding 18 assists.  Barbato had a team-high eight blocks.

"We executed better as the day went on," said Head Coach Curt Conser.  "It was especially nice to see the block come alive against Medaille, as that was one of our priorities in practice this past week.  We did the job we came to do."

Geneva has its final regular season home match of the season on Wednesday evening, when the Golden Tornadoes host Penn State Altoona 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.