BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team opened Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play on Thursday evening inside Metheny Fieldhouse by hosting the reigning AMCC Champions, and the preseason favorites this year, Hiram Terriers. Geneva was able take a set off Hiram, but the Golden Tornadoes didn't have quite enough to pull out a victory, losing in four sets 19-25, 19-25, 25-22, 20-25. Geneva dropped to 4-10 overall, 0-1 in the AMCC, while Hiram improved to 7-3, 1-0 in the AMCC.
Sophomore Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) opened the match with a kill, and the set stayed tight early on. Back-to-back kills from freshman Decker Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) and junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), along with an ace from junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy), gave Geneva a 9-8 lead. Unfortunately, it was the last lead of the set for the Golden Tornadoes. Hiram answered with a 5-1 run to take a 13-10 lead, and the Terriers steadily pulled away the rest of the set for a 25-19 victory. Hiram finished the set hitting .367.
A double block from sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) and Decker Milroy gave Geneva its only lead of the second set, 3-2. Hiram scored the next five points, and Geneva never got closer than three points. After a kill by junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) and an ace from Byron Spear pulled the Golden Tornadoes within 15-12, the Terriers reeled off seven straight points to take control of the set, easily finishing off the 25-19 victory. Geneva was often its own worst enemy in the set, hitting -.103.
Geneva used kills from Williams, Emerson Spear and the Milroy brothers as part of a 5-1 run to take a 10-7 lead in the third set. Hiram battled back to take 20-19 lead, but a kill from senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) and a double bock from Thomas and Emerson Spear was part of a three-point Golden Tornado run to give Geneva the lead back. Hiram pulled even at 22-22, but two kills from Barbato were sandwiched around a Terrier error to give Geneva the set, 25-22.
The Golden Tornadoes carried that momentum into the fourth set, scoring five straight points, with Barbato adding two more kills, giving Geneva an early 6-2 lead. The Golden Tornadoes couldn't sustain their momentum, though. Hiram used a 7-2 run to take an 11-9 lead. Two kills from Barbato helped Geneva pull even at 15-15, but the Terriers answered with three straight points, and Hiram pulled away for a 25-20 set victory to finish off the match. Hiram hit .342 in the final set.
Barbato led the offense with 16 kills on a .216 hitting percentage. Carter Milroy and Byron Spear each added eight kills, while Williams finished with seven kills. As a team Geneva hit .133. Carter Milroy also led the team with six blocks, while Byron Spear finished with a career-high 16 digs. Thomas led the offense with 26 assists, while also adding 10 digs. Williams also reached double figures with 11 digs.
Hiram got a very balanced attack, with Nathan Cassell leading three players in double-digit kills with 13. Hiram hit .207 as a team. The Terriers also finished with 11 blocks, compared to nine for Geneva.
Geneva has a busy weekend coming up with a home tri-match against Medaille and Penn State Altoona on Saturday, both teams that were picked to finish in the upper half of the AMCC. Geneva plays Medaille at 2:00 p.m. to kick off the matches.
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).
