BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The match started well for the Geneva College men's volleyball team on Saturday afternoon against Lancaster Bible, but after one set things went downhill quickly.  The Chargers came back to defeat Geneva in four sets 20-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-21.  Lancaster Bible improved to 2-2, while Geneva fell to 1-2.

Lancaster Bible came into the match after finishing in fourth place at the NCCAA National Invitational in January, and the Chargers finished last season ranked #8 in NCAA Division III when the season was shut down due to COVID.  So, Geneva knew it would have its hands full in the match.

Two early kills by junior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian), followed closely by back-to-back kills from senior Dan Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) staked Geneva to an early 5-2 lead in set one.  After Lancaster Bible pulled to within 6-5, the Golden Tornadoes answered with a 6-1 run to take a 12-6 lead.  A few minutes later, Geneva strung together five straight points behind the serving of Barbato to go up 18-9.  The Chargers were able to pull within three, 23-20, but back-to-back kills from Barbato finished off the set, 25-20.

The late momentum in the first set seemed to carry over to the second set for Lancaster Bible, who jumped ahead to an early 4-0 lead, and the Chargers steadily increased their lead to 14-7, the biggest of the set.  Geneva was able to pull within four, 18-14, but that was as close as the Golden Tornadoes got, dropping the set 25-20 to even the match.

In set three, Lancaster Bible once again jumped ahead early, scoring the first three points.  However, Geneva answered with five straight points, again behind the serving of Barbato, who picked up two aces in the stretch.  The Chargers regained the lead, 7-6, but four straight points behind two aces and a kill from sophomore Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) gave Geneva the lead back, 10-7.  Lancaster Bible answered right back with four points of their own, and the set went back and forth over the next few minutes.  With the set tied 15-15, Geneva went on a 6-1 run to appear to take control of the set, 21-16, as sophomore Wes Hoge (Venetia, Pa./Seton LaSalle) picked up an ace and a kill, along with kills from Barbato, Townsend and Williams.  Unfortunately, the Chargers stormed back, finishing the set with a 6-1 run to pick up the win, 26-24.

The fourth set stayed even for the first several minutes, with neither team leading by more than two.  However, with Geneva leading 9-8, the Chargers used a 10-2 run to take command of the match, 18-11.  The Golden Tornadoes were able to rally behind the serving of Townsend, pulling to within 20-19 after a five-point run, but Lancaster Bible finished off the set, and the match, 25-21.

"We had opportunities to win this match, but we failed to take advantage of those chances," said Head Coach Curt Conser.  "We have to play more consistent volleyball if we expect to beat a team like Lancaster Bible.  We continue to have moments where we play well, but we still have too many long stretches where we play poorly.  That third set in particular was really frustrating.  That's a set we have to finish off." 

Barbato led Geneva with 17 kills, while also adding three aces.  Townsend finished with nine kills and nine digs.  Sophomore Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy) also added nine digs, along with 33 assists.  Sophomore Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) chipped in with seven kills and seven digs.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for Geneva.  Up next the Golden Tornadoes host perennially ranked Juniata, with the match scheduled for next Saturday, February 13, beginning at 2:00 p.m in Metheny Fieldhouse.


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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva is included on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "2019 Best College Values" list and has one of the top undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. 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.