HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team heads into Spring Break riding an eight-game winning streak after the Golden Tornadoes picked up two sweeps on Saturday at Hilbert. Geneva defeated Mount Aloysius 25-14, 25-16, 26-24 in the first match, and then the Golden Tornadoes defeated Hilbert 25-9, 25-18, 25-17. Geneva's record is now 12-10 overall, 7-1 in the Allegheny Mountain College Conference (AMCC).
Geneva led the whole way in the first set against Mount Aloysius, with senior Peter Barbato (Beaver County Christian), junior Byron and sophomore Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways) all contributing early kills. Back-to-back aces from Barbato stretched Geneva's lead to 18-9, and Barbato finished the set off with a kill, 25-14. Geneva hit .526 in the set with 12 kills and two errors.
Mount Aloysius, who is in its first season of varsity competition, scored the first point of the second set, but it was the Mounties only lead. A kill and a block from Emerson Spear enabled Geneva to take a 3-2 lead. A few minutes later, the Golden Tornadoes scored four straight points to extend their lead to 11-5. Two kills from Byron Spear, a kill from Emerson Spear, a kill from junior Wes Hoge (Venetia, Pa./Seton LaSalle) and an ace from Barbato pushed the Geneva lead to 17-8. Another kill from Barbato finished off the set, 25-16, as Geneva hit .632 with 12 kills and no errors.
Geneva jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set before the Mounties began a comeback. Mount Aloysius scored six straight points midway through the set to take a 15-11 lead. Geneva pulled within one point, 19-18, before the Mounties extended their lead back out to 24-20. The Golden Tornadoes had one last run in them, though, scoring the final six points of the set, with Byron and Emerson Spear each contributing a kill and a block, and Geneva pulled out the win, 26-24. Geneva hit .409 in the final set.
Byron Spear led the team with 10 kills, while Emerson Spear and Milroy each finished with seven kills. As a team Geneva hit .517. Junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy) led the offense with 15 assists.
In the second match of the day, Hilbert opened the first set with two points before Geneva took over. The Golden Tornadoes scored the next four points with Byron Spear and Barbato contributing back-to-back kills. Hilbert pulled within 9-6, but Geneva closed the set on a 16-3 run, including the last eight points. Thomas had three straight aces and junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) added three kills in the final eight-point run, and Spear finished off the set with a kill, 25-9. Geneva hit .400 in the set.
Back-to-back kills from Emerson Spear in the second set gave the Golden Tornadoes an early 3-1 lead. Hilbert was able to pull even at 9-9 before four straight Geneva points gave the Golden Tornadoes a 13-9 lead. The Hawks battled back once again, though, leveling the set at 17-17. However, Geneva finished the set on an 8-1 run to win, 25-18. Geneva hit .591 in the set with 13 kills and no errors.
Geneva used six straight points to take a 9-5 lead in the third set, and the Golden Tornadoes led comfortably the rest of the set. Milroy finished off the match with a kill, 25-17. Geneva hit .375 in the final set.
Barbato and Byron Spear lead the team with nine kills apiece. Williams added eight kills and Milroy seven kills. Geneva hit .451 as a team. Thomas had 24 assists and five aces.
Geneva will have a week off for Spring Break before returning to action with a key road game against Hiram on Wednesday, March 16.
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).
