LANCASTER, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team closed out a busy weekend with a split in a tri-match at Lancaster Bible on Saturday afternoon, getting back into the win column with a 3-1 (25-19, 13-25, 25-11, 25-9) win over Cairn in the first match before falling in three tightly contested sets (23-25, 30-32, 21-25) in the second match against Lancaster Bible. Geneva's record now stands at 4-9.
In the first match of the day against Cairn, sophomore Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) opened the match with kills before Cairn scored three straight. Geneva scored four straight to take a 9-8 lead before a 5-1 run by Cairn gave the Highlanders a 13-10 lead, prompting Head Coach Curt Conser to call a timeout. Whatever Coach Conser said seemed to work, as the Golden Tornadoes scored the next three points as a part of a 9-1 run to take control of the set, 19-14. Junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy), senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian), junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) and Emerson Spear all had kills in the run. A kill by Barbato finished off the set, 25-19. The Golden Tornadoes hit .385 in the set.
The second set went very poorly for the Golden Tornadoes. Cairn scored seven straight points to take a 12-4 lead, and Geneva never recovered in dropping the set 25-13. The Highlanders hit .375 in the set, while Geneva finished at just 0.036.
The third set was a complete role reversal of the second set, with the Golden Tornadoes scoring the first eight points of the set, all off Cairn errors. Sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) did pick up a solo block in the stretch. The Highlanders managed to pull within four points, 13-9, but Geneva never let Cairn get any closer and later closed out the set with nine straight points, 25-11. Williams had two aces, Milroy had two blocks, and Barbato and Emerson Spear each had a kill in the final stretch. Cairn hit -0.143 in the set.
Cairn's hitting struggles didn't improve much in the fourth set. Geneva took advantage, with Milroy picking up two kills and Barbato and Williams each adding kills in a 10-2 run to open the set. The set was never competitive the rest of the way. The Golden Tornadoes stretched their lead to 24-6 before Milroy closed out the match with a kill, 25-9. Cairn hit -0.154 in the final set, while Geneva hit .217.
Barbato led the team with 11 kills, while Byron Spear added nine kills. Williams had four aces and 10 digs, Milroy five blocks and Thomas 16 assists to lead Geneva. Freshman Decker Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) also added 10 assists and two blocks.
The second match against Lancaster Bible provided stiffer competition for the Golden Tornadoes. The Chargers opened the match with an early 8-5 lead in the first set before Geneva pulled even at 9-9 after a kill from Barbato. Lancaster Bible responded with six straight points, but Geneva countered with an 8-2 run to tie the set at 17-17. Byron Spear had two kills and Barbato two aces and a block in the run. The set was tight the rest of the way before the Chargers scored the final two points of the set to win 25-23.
The second set proved even tighter. Lancaster Bible scored the first three points before kills from Byron Spear and Carter Milroy, along with an ace from Williams, tied the score back up. Lancaster led 15-14 before Geneva went on a 6-2 run, with Williams, Byron Spear and Carter and Decker Milroy each providing kills, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 20-17 lead. Geneva got to set point, 24-21, but couldn't close things out. Three straight Charger points tied the match before a kill from Williams gave Geneva another set point. The Chargers scored the next two points, though, and then the teams alternated points until, with the score tied 30-30, Lancaster Bible won the set with two straight points. Geneva lost despite hitting .500 in the set, with the Chargers hitting .394.
Lancaster Bible took an early lead in the third set, and the Chargers led almost the whole way. Lancaster Bible extended its lead to 19-13 before four straight points pulled Geneva within 19-17. That was as close as the Golden Tornadoes would get, though, with the Chargers finishing out the match, 25-21.
Barbato led the team with 14 kills, while Byron Spear added 10 kills. Thomas had 19 assists, while Decker Milroy added 11 assists. Freshman Joshua Sangrey (Landisburg, Pa./Homeschool) finished with a team-high eight digs. Geneva hit a solid .286 as a team, but Lancaster Bible was a little better, finishing at .330. Elijah Herb led the Chargers with 15 kills, while Kale Horst added 14 kills.
After a very challenging non-conference schedule, the Golden Tornadoes will now open Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action on Thursday when Geneva welcomes preseason favorite Hiram to Metheny Fieldhouse on Thursday for a 7:00 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).
