BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team took its match with Alderson Broaddus to five sets on Saturday afternoon at Metheny Fieldhouse, but the Golden Tornadoes could not come up with the key points late in the match and fell 12-25, 25-19, 24-26, 27-25, 10-15. Geneva dropped to 3-6, while Alderson Broaddus improved to 2-3.
Senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) picked up two kills as Geneva opened the first set with three straight points. Things fell apart quickly for the Golden Tornadoes, though. With Geneva leading 4-1, Alderson Broaddus went on an 18-4 run to take a 19-8 lead. The Golden Tornadoes struggled offensively and did little to slow down the Battlers' attack, and Alderson Broaddus easily took the first set 25-12. Geneva hit .087 in the first set, while the Battlers finished at .458.
Geneva began to turn things around early in the second set. After Alderson Broaddus took a 6-4 lead, the Golden Tornadoes responded with eight straight points, with the Geneva block proving very effective. Sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) had two kills early in the run, while he also contributed two blocks. Geneva would stretch its lead to 16-8 on kills from Barbato and junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), and a block from sophomore Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh) and junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy). The Golden Tornadoes then fittingly finished off the set on a block from Thomas and block from Milroy and Emerson Spear, 25-19. Geneva had eight blocks in the set, holding the Battlers to a -0.034 hitting percentage, while the Golden Tornadoes finished at .360.
The third set stayed tight throughout, with both teams exchanging early runs. Alderson Broaddus went ahead 10-6, but Geneva battled back and tied the set at 15-15 after back-to-back aces from Emerson Spear. The Golden Tornadoes took their first lead since early in the set on a kill by Barbato, 23-22, but it was Alderson Broaddus who came up with the key plays late, pulling out a 26-24 win to take a 2-1 lead over Geneva.
The fourth set was close throughout as well. Geneva held a brief three-point lead, 7-4, but most of the set was played with neither team leading by more than two points. The Golden Tornado block once again proved very effective. Geneva got to set point at 24-23 on a kill from Milroy before the Battlers scored two straight to get to match point. However, three straight Battlers hitting errors allowed Geneva to prevail, 27-25, with the Golden Tornado defense coming up with seven blocks in the set.
A kill and a block from Emerson Spear helped Geneva score the first three points of the fifth set. Alderson Broaddus answered with five straight points before Geneva tied the score at 5-5 on an ace from Barbato. A moment later, a kill from Thomas pulled the Golden Tornadoes even again at 8-8. Unfortunately, the Battlers scored the next three points and pulled away for a 15-10 win to close out the match.
Barbato led the offense with 23 kills. Byron Spear added nine kills, but Geneva hit just .108 as a team. The Golden Tornadoes finished with 18 blocks, with Emerson Spear finishing with 11 blocks on two solo blocks and nine block assists. Milroy added seven kills and seven blocks. Junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) had a game-high 22 digs, while Thomas finished with 41 assists.
Alderson Broaddus out-hit Geneva in kills, 58-45, and finished with a .149 hitting percentage. The Battlers also had a more balanced attack, with three players finishing in double figures in kills, led by Gannon Chinen's 17 kills.
Geneva has a week off before traveling to Baldwin Wallace next Friday evening for a 7:30 p.m. match.
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).
