LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team opened up Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play on Tuesday night with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 sweep at Saint Vincent.  The victory evened Geneva's record at 2-2 on the season, while the Bearcats suffered their first loss of the season and dropped to 1-1.
 
Senior Jake Williams got the Golden Tornadoes off to a good start in the first set.  After Saint Vincent scored the first two points of the match, Williams served Geneva to six straight points, including three aces.  The other three points in the run came on two kills from junior Carter Milroy and a kill from senior Byron Spear.  The Golden Tornadoes would stretch their lead to 19-11 after a kill from Williams and an ace from Milroy before the Bearcats rallied to pull within 23-21.  However, a block from Williams and a kill from freshman Andrew Ubinger enabled Geneva to hold on, 25-22.
 
The second set stayed close most of the way.  Geneva used a four-point run behind a block and a kill from Milroy and a kill from Spear to take a 10-8 lead. The lead would change hands six times over the next several minutes, with neither team leading by more than two points.  Trailing 19-18, the Golden Tornadoes scored three straight to retake the lead, with Williams contributing a block and a kill, and another kill from Spear finished off the set, 25-22.
 
The third set followed a similar script.  Neither team led by more than two points for most of the set, with the lead changing hands multiple times.  Geneva finished the set well, though.  Two kills from Spear were part of a 4-1 run that gave the Golden Tornadoes a 22-19 lead, and after a Bearcat point, Geneva scored the final three points, the last on a kill from Williams, to finish off the match 25-20.  The Golden Tornadoes finished the set on a 7-2 run.
 
Spear (.304 hitting percentage) and Williams (.273 hitting percentage) led the team with nine kills apiece, while Williams added four aces and two blocks.  As a team the men hit .177.  Senior Curtis Thomas led the team with 15 assists, while sophomore Decker Milroy added 11 assists in the two-setter rotation.  Spear, Thomas, senior Paul Peachey and sophomore Joshua Sangrey each finished with seven digs.  Saint Vincent hit .171 and was led by Matthew Minkin's 13 kills.

"It's good to start off conference play with a sweep, but we've got a lot to work on," said Head Coach Curt Conser.  "Jake played well, especially early, and Byron was also strong for us, but outside of those two guys, we didn't have a lot of help in our attack.  We weren't particularly clean with our passing or setting, which didn't help our hitters, but we have to get some other guys going besides Jake and Byron if we're going to be the type of team I believe we can be.  We just can't expect to consistently beat quality teams without a better attack.  Overall, I'm happy to get the win, and there were times we played well, but we've got a lot to improve upon."
 
Geneva will next head to Chicago this Thursday to participate in the National Christian College Athletic Association Invitational, hosted by Trinity Christian College.  The men will play twice on both Friday and Saturday before returning home.


Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).