ERIE, Pa. – The third time was the charm for the Geneva College men's volleyball team on Friday night in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Semifinals against #3-seed Hiram. After dropping both matches to the Terriers during the regular season, the Golden Tornadoes got their revenge with a thrilling five-set victory over the Terriers 25-20, 22-25, 25-10, 25-27, 15-12. The win sends Geneva to its first ever AMCC Championship match tomorrow where the Golden Tornadoes will face #1-seed Penn State Behrend.
Hiram jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the first set before kills from senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian), sophomore Emerson Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways), followed by a double block from Milroy and Spear, quickly pulled Geneva even at 5-5. A few minutes later, an ace from junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) gave the Golden Tornadoes their first lead at 10-9. Geneva then pushed its lead to 17-12 with a four-point run behind a kill and an ace from Barbato. The Golden Tornadoes never let Hiram get closer than two points the rest of the way, and Barbato finished off the set, 25-20, with back-to-back kills. Geneva hit .375 in the set.
Hiram again jumped ahead early in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead. The Terriers held that lead for much of the set before Geneva used kills from Milroy and Williams, along with an ace from junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy) to give the Golden Tornadoes their first lead of the set, 17-16. The set stayed tight the rest of the way until, with the score tied at 22-22, Hiram took the final three points to win 25-22, evening the match at 1-1.
Geneva scored the first three points of the third set, and it was a sign of things to come. After a Terrier point, the Golden Tornadoes reeled off six straight points to take a 9-1 lead. Williams and Milroy each had two kills early on. Hiram would never get closer than five points the rest of the way. In fact, with Geneva leading 10-5, the Golden Tornadoes finished the set off on a 15-5 run, the last point coming on a kill from Spear, to win 25-10. Geneva hit .290 in the set, while Hiram hit -0.258.
The Golden Tornadoes jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth set before four straight Hiram points gave the Terriers their first lead, 6-5. Geneva used kills from Barbato, Milroy and Williams to take a 15-11 lead midway through the set, but Hiram battled back again, tying the score at 20-20. The Golden Tornadoes used a kill from junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and an ace from junior Devin Goodgasell (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) to get to match point, 24-23, but Hiram held on and took the set with a 4-1 run to win 27-25, sending the match to a fifth set.
Two kills from Barbato and a kill from Milroy helped Geneva get off to a great start in the final set, 4-0. Hiram hung close, but the Terriers could never get the deficit under two points the rest of the set, as the Golden Tornadoes always had an answer when they needed it. Kills from Barbato and Williams gave Geneva a 13-9 lead before the Terriers answered with two points. A kill from Milroy gave the Golden Tornadoes three more match points at 14-11, and after a Hiram point, Byron Spear finished off the match with a kill, 15-12.
Geneva's offensive attack proved very effective, and very balanced. Barbato led the team with 19 kills, Byron Spear had 18 kills, Milroy 15 kills and Williams nine kills, as the Golden Tornadoes finished with 67 kills on a .244 hitting percentage. Thomas and freshman Joshua Sangrey (Landisburg, Pa./Homeschool) each finished with 17 digs, with Williams adding 15 digs, while Thomas directed the offense with 50 assists, tying his career high, which is also the school record.
Hiram finished with 46 kills on a .127 hitting percentage, and the Terriers were led by last season's AMCC Player of the Year Tom Supan, who finished with 16 kills.
Geneva will now face #1-seed Penn State Behrend on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the AMCC Championship match, with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Golden Tornadoes defeated Behrend both times the two teams faced earlier this season, though their second match, last Saturday, saw Behrend play a number of reserve players as the Lions had already clinched the top seed in the playoffs.
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).
