BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team was glad to finally get a match at home after seven road matches to open the season, but awaiting the Golden Tornadoes was Juniata College, the #12 ranked team in the nation. The Eagles proved to be as good as advertised, winning in straight sets 25-18, 25-18, 25-15. Geneva dropped to 3-5 overall, while Juniata improved to 5-2.
In the first set, after a kill by senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) evened the score at 1-1, Juniata reeled off five straight points. The Golden Tornadoes battled back on two kills from sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) and a block from junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) to pull within 7-6. Geneva was still close midway through the set, trailing 15-13, when the Eagles scored five straight to pull away and win the set, 25-18. Geneva hit .000 in the set, while Juniata finished at .387.
Another Barbato kill helped Geneva take an early 2-0 lead in the second set. A minute later, another kill and an ace from Barbato gave Geneva a 5-3 lead, and a third kill by Barbato early in the set gave the Golden Tornadoes a 7-5 lead. However, Juniata responded with a 6-1 run to take the lead. Geneva would pull within two points, 15-13, on a block from junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin), but the Eagles pulled away the rest of the set, winning 25-18 again. Juniata hit an even better .562.
The third set got away from Geneva quickly, as Juniata's serving and hitting gave the Golden Tornadoes trouble. The Eagles blazed out to a 17-4 lead and easily closed out the match, 25-15.
Barbato led the offense with 12 kills, but Geneva hit just .031 as a team. Spear added six kills. Juniata was led by Will Phelan's 12 kills, with the Eagles finishing with a .417 hitting percentage.
Geneva has a quick turnaround with a home match tomorrow against Alderson Broaddus at 2:00 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 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).
