LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team made quick work of Saint Vincent on Wednesday night, defeating the Bearcats 25-14, 25-12, 25-9 to win its sixth straight match of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes improved to 8-5 overall, 3-0 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), while Saint Vincent dropped to 1-5 overall, 1-4 in the AMCC.

Each team opened the first set with a kill before the teams committed four straight service errors, evening the match at 3-3.  Back-to-back kills from junior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) and freshman Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) helped Geneva take a 13-8 lead.  A moment later, three straight kills from sophomore Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin), Barbato and senior Dan Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) extended Geneva's lead to 16-9, and the Golden Tornadoes pulled away for a 25-14 win, the final point coming on a kill by sophomore Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy).

Saint Vincent actually opened the second set with a 5-1 run to take an early lead.  The Bearcats still led, 7-4, when Geneva answered with a huge run.  The Golden Tornadoes scored eight straight points, with Townsend contributing back-to-back aces, as part of a larger 14-2 run, giving Geneva an 18-9 lead.  The Golden Tornadoes closed out the set, 25-12, on a Bearcat error.

The third set proved to be even more lopsided.  Geneva jumped ahead 7-1, with sophomore Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) contributing back-to-back kills.  The Golden Tornadoes later put together a 9-1 run, extending their lead to 20-6, and Geneva closed out the match on a kill from Townsend, 25-9.

Spear led Geneva with seven kills, while Barbato and Milroy each contributed five kills.  Townsend and freshman Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) added four kills apiece in a very balanced attack.  Thomas finished with 18 assists, while Williams had a team-high seven digs.  As a team Geneva hit .266 compared to a -0.038 hitting percentage by the Bearcats.

"I thought our ball control, particularly Jake and Dan, was really good tonight," said Head Coach Curt Conser.  "They were both really strong defensively and in serve-receive, allowing us to get into our offense and get done what we needed to.  I thought we were a little sloppy in the first set, and then to start the second set, but after we fell down in set two, we were really good from then on.  I thought a couple of our younger guys, Devin and Emerson, played well and both took some good swings, so that was encouraging to see as well."

The Golden Tornadoes head to Penn State Behrend this Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. match.  The Lions were picked right behind Geneva in the AMCC preseason standings, with the Golden Tornadoes defeating Penn State Behrend at home, 3-1, to kick off this current six-game winning streak.  That first match didn't count in the AMCC standings, while Saturday's will.


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.