LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team made the trip to Saint Vincent on Wednesday evening to take on the first-year Bearcat program, and the Golden Tornadoes made quick work of Saint Vincent, picking up a sweep 25-9, 25-23, 25-20.  Geneva improved to 5-4, while Saint Vincent fell to 0-4.

The Golden Tornadoes asserted their power early by scoring the first five points of the match on their way to an 11-2 lead.  Sophomore Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) and junior Anthony Baronio (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) both contributed two kills early on.  Geneva finished out the set in quick fashion, 25-9, on another kill by Barbato.

The large margin in the first set afforded Head Coach Curt Conser the opportunity to play some of his newcomers, with the Golden Tornadoes going almost exclusively with freshmen in the second set.  That allowed the Bearcats to keep the set close, with neither team leading by more than two points until back-to-back kills by freshman Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) helped Geneva take a 19-15 lead.  The Bearcats battled back to tie the set at 21-21, but the Golden Tornadoes were able to pull out a win, 25-23, on a kill by freshman Devin Goodgasell (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong).

Geneva went with a more senior lineup in the final set, and the Bearcats kept the set close most of the way.  In fact, Saint Vincent had a 17-14 lead before five straight points by the Golden Tornadoes gave Geneva a 19-17 lead.  The Golden Tornadoes finished the match off from there, with senior Quinn McCracken (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) picking up two kills and an ace in the final five points to give Geneva a 25-20 win.

All 15 Golden Tornadoes saw action in the match, with McCracken leading the way with seven kills on a .545 hitting percentage.  Williams added six kills on a .417 hitting percentage.  Baronio contributed 12 assists, while junior Dan Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) had a team-high 10 digs.  As a team Geneva had a .307 hitting percentage.

"We went into tonight's match hoping to win in straight sets while still being able to get everyone some extended playing time, and we were able to do that," said Coach Conser.  "We missed some defensive assignments in the second set, and ball control was a little sloppy for part of the final set, but we limited our errors and played well overall."

Geneva will be back at home on Saturday when it hosts a tri-match beginning with Randolph-Macon at 3:00 p.m.  Also participating in the tri-match is Elmira, who Geneva will play 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 115 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 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.