HAMBURG, N.Y. – The men's volleyball team finished the road portion of its regular season schedule on Thursday night when Geneva team traveled to take on a struggling Hilbert squad, and the Golden Tornadoes, led by brothers Byron and Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), won easily 25-8, 25-12, 25-11.  The Golden Tornadoes improved to 10-6, 5-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), while Hilbert, in their first season as a varsity program, fell to 0-6, 0-6 in the AMCC.

Just a night earlier Geneva had lost at first-place Hiram in straight sets, and tonight the Golden Tornadoes saw the other end of the spectrum in last-place Hilbert.  Emerson Spear had two early kills as Geneva took a 5-1 lead in the first set, and a moment later Byron Spear had two kills in a seven-point run with the Golden Tornadoes extending their lead to 12-3.  A moment later sophomore Devin Goodgasell (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) had two aces, and Byron Spear two more kills, helping Geneva take a 17-5 lead, and a kill from Goodgasell finished off the set, 25-8.

Byron Spear had two kills in a four-point run to open the second set for the Golden Tornadoes.  A few minutes later, a kill and an ace from Spear in another four-point run made it 14-6.  After Hilbert scored two straight points, Geneva strung together eight straight points, with senior Dan Townsend (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) contributing back-to-back kills and senior Matthew Slater (Butler, Pa./Butler) adding three straight aces, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 22-8 lead.  A kill from sophomore Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) finished off the set, 25-12.

Hilbert took its only lead of the match by scoring the first point of the third set.  The Golden Tornadoes responded with 10 straight points, with Goodgasell and Emerson Spear each contributing two kills.  The set was never close the rest of the way, and Spear finished off the match with a kill, 25-11.

The Spear brothers each finished with a team-high seven kills.  Emerson hit .667, while Byron finished at .636.  Williams and junior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) each added five kills.  Slater finished with team-highs of 14 assists, five digs and three aces.  Williams and junior Caleb Vander Plaats (Beaver Falls, Pa./Homeschool) also added five digs.  Geneva hit .287 as a team, while Hilbert finished at -.118.

"This was a good match to get a lot of guys some playing time," said Head Coach Curt Conser.  "I thought for the most part we were pretty focused after a short turnaround from last night.  Now we get ready for Saturday and Medaille, and after that the playoffs.  So, it's time to start playing our best volleyball."

Geneva finishes the regular season this Saturday with a home match against Medaille at 2:00 p.m.  The Golden Tornadoes will recognize their lone graduating senior before the game, Dan Townsend.  The match also has significant playoff implications.  Geneva and Medaille have already clinched the second and third seed for the AMCC playoffs, and Saturday's match will determine who is the second seed and will get to host the AMCC semifinal matchup between these two teams next Wednesday.


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 has one of the top 100 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).