HIRAM, Ohio – The Geneva College men's volleyball team saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday night, falling at Hiram in four sets (23-25, 26-24, 20-25, 22-25). Geneva is now 12-11, 7-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), while Hiram improved to 12-10, 6-3 in the AMCC.
The two teams came into tonight's match headed in opposite directions, with the Golden Tornadoes having won eight in a row since losing to Hiram in the conference opener last month, while the preseason favorite Terriers had lost six straight matches. Geneva was playing for the first time in ten days, though, after getting time off for Spring Break.
The first set stayed tight early before Geneva scored three straight, the last two coming on an ace and a kill from senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian), giving the Golden Tornadoes a 13-9 lead. Hiram scored the next four points, though, to tie the set back up. Geneva took its last lead of the set, 19-18, on another kill from Barbato. The Terriers scored the next three points, and Hiram held on to win 25-23.
Hiram led for most of the first part of the second set before a 4-1 run, with junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) providing a kill and a block, brought Geneva even at 12-12. The Golden Tornadoes would pull even four more times over the next few minutes, but Geneva couldn't take the lead. Hiram appeared to be in good shape ahead 24-22, but two kills from junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and a kill by Williams were part of four straight points as Geneva came back to win, 26-24.
Geneva jumped ahead 4-1 in the third set before the Terriers pulled even at 5-5. The set went back and forth before Hiram scored four straight points to take a 14-11 lead. The Golden Tornadoes would pull within 18-17, but the Terriers pulled away for a 25-20 win.
Hiram scored four straight points early in the fourth set to take a 6-3 lead. Geneva pulled even at 8-8, but the Terries didn't let the Golden Tornadoes retake the lead until Geneva put together a 5-1 run late to take a 22-21 lead. Unfortunately, Hiram scored the last four points to take the match, 25-22.
Barbato led the team with 17 kills on a .368 hitting percentage, but none of Geneva's other hitters could find much success. The Golden Tornadoes hit just .111 as a team, even with Barbato's strong performance. Barbato also added a career-high 18 digs. Junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy) led the team with 19 digs, while adding 35 assists.
Hiram hit .149 as a team and was led by Kilvio Montero's 20 kills.
Geneva returns home for a tri-match on Saturday against Hilbert and Saint Vincent. The Golden Tornadoes will recognize their seniors prior to the match against Hilbert at 12:00 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).
