PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team dropped a pair of four-set matches on the final day of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Invitational on Saturday, finishing in fourth place at the tournament, which was the seed the Golden Tornadoes came in with. Geneva lost to Olivet Nazarene (12-25, 29-27, 15-25, 22-25) in the semifinals before falling to Lancaster Bible (15-25, 17-25, 25-23, 19-25) in the third-place game. Geneva's record is now 3-5 overall.
After hitting negative in the first set against Olivet Nazarene, the men responded with their best set of the match. Geneva jumped ahead in the second set 10-3 after a kill from senior Byron Spear. Two kills from senior Jake Williams, along with an ace, helped extend the lead to 18-8. However, Olivet Nazarene scored the next five points and managed to battle back to pull even at 22-22. The teams alternated points over the next couple of minutes before a double block from juniors Carter Milroy and Emerson Spear converted Geneva's fourth set point into a win, 29-27. Geneva hit .295 in the set, its best effort of the match.
Olivet Nazarene scored five straight points early in the third set to take control on its way to a 25-15 victory. Geneva answered with a good start to set four, with back-to-back kills from Byron Spear and senior Devin Goodgasell giving the Golden Tornadoes a 10-5 edge. Geneva couldn't hold it, though, seeing the Tigers regain the lead at 14-13, a lead the Golden Tornadoes could never get back, though they stayed close, eventually falling 25-22.
Williams led the offense with a career-high 18 kills on a .325 hitting percentage, while Byron Spear added seven kills. Sophomore Decker Milroy led the team with 18 assists, while Emerson Spear had a team-best six blocks. Williams and graduate student Curtis Thomas each had nine digs. Geneva hit .180 as a team, compared to Olivet Nazarene's .283 hitting percentage.
The loss dropped the men into the third-place match where Geneva faced off with Lancaster Bible. Geneva jumped ahead 8-4 in the first set, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't sustain things. The Chargers used a five-point run to take a 16-13 lead, and Lancaster Bible eventually finished the set on a 14-2 run to win 25-15.
Geneva went up 4-2 in the second set after two straight double blocks from the Milroy brothers, but Lancaster Bible's attack proved too strong, with Geneva's attack unable to keep pace. The Chargers scored five straight points to take a 12-9 lead, and Lancaster Bible steadily pulled away for a 25-17 win.
The roles were reversed in the third set. It was Lancaster Bible who jumped ahead in the third set, 6-1, but it was Geneva who battled back for a set win. Geneva took its first lead of the set, 13-12, on a kill and an ace from Goodgasell, which were the first two points of a five-point Golden Tornado run. A kill from Emerson Spear pushed the lead to 20-16 before Geneva had to survive a later Charger rally, with Spear finishing off the set with another kill, 25-23.
Lancaster Bible took control of the fourth set early, using an 8-1 run to take an 11-5 lead, and Geneva never got closer than three points the rest of the set, falling 25-19.
Emerson Spear led the attack with a career-best 11 kills, on a .421 hitting percentage. Senior Paul Peachey had a career-best 17 digs, while Decker Milroy had 11 assists, seven digs and five blocks. Geneva's attack struggled in the second match, hitting just .008. Lancaster Bible finished with a .179 hitting percentage.
The men will finally get a chance to open the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday when the Golden Tornadoes host Mount Union at 7:00 p.m.
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).
