BEREA, Ohio – The Geneva College men's volleyball team struggled in a tri-match at Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, ending its three-match winning streak. The Golden Tornadoes fell in four sets (27-29, 17-25, 25-17, 19-25) to Lancaster Bible to open the day, and then Geneva lost in straight sets (17-25, 20-25, 23-25) to Baldwin Wallace to end the day. Geneva's record now stands at 6-11.
The men came into the day riding a season-best three-match winning streak, playing some of their best volleyball of the season. And Geneva played well at times in the first match against a strong Lancaster Bible squad. The first set against the Chargers is the one the men surely look back at with regret. The Golden Tornadoes were the better team for most of the set, leading the whole way in taking a 23-18 lead after a kill from junior Emerson Spear. However, Lancaster Bible answered with six straight points to take their first lead of the set, and though Geneva battled back to earn a set point, 27-26, after an ace from senior Byron Spear, the Chargers scored the final three points to steal the set away, 29-27.
Geneva opened the second set with back-to-back kills from senior Jake Williams, followed by another kill from Emerson Spear, but Lancaster Bible answered with a 9-3 run to take control of the set, and Geneva never got closer than two points the rest of the way. Five straight Charger points late put the set away and allowed Lancaster Bible to win the set, 25-17.
A kill and ace from Williams, followed by a kill from Byron Spear, gave Geneva an early 5-1 lead in the third set. Moments later, four straight Geneva points, finished off with another ace from Spear, gave the Golden Tornadoes an 11-5 edge. Geneva eventually stretched its lead to 18-7 before easily finishing off the set, 25-17, on a kill from junior Carter Milroy.
The Golden Tornadoes couldn't carry that momentum into the next set, though. Lancaster Bible took control early, jumping ahead 13-5, and Geneva never got closer than five points before falling 25-19.
Williams led the attack with 12 kills, as well as 12 digs, while Byron Spear added 11 kills. Geneva hit just .091 as a team, though. Graduate student Curtis Thomas led the team with 22 assists, while sophomore Joshua Sangrey had a team-high 14 digs. Geneva did have a big block in the match, with freshman Evan Puhl finishing with nine blocks, Emerson Spear eight blocks and Milroy six blocks for the Golden Tornadoes.
Geneva turned right around to play the hosts, Baldwin Wallace, in the final match of the day, and the Yellow Jackets controlled the first set the entire way in winning 25-17.
The Golden Tornadoes took an early 6-4 lead in the second set after an ace from freshman Andrew Ubinger, and they maintained a two-point lead, 11-9, after a kill from Ubinger. However, Baldwin Wallace followed with an 8-3 run to take a 17-14 edge, and though an ace from freshman Daniel Thoman pulled Geneva within one point a minute later, the Yellow Jackets finished the set on an 8-3 run to win 25-20.
Baldwin Wallace stormed out to a 7-1 lead in the third set and stretched its lead as high as 17-9 before Geneva rallied. A 9-1 run, finished with two double-blocks from Byron Spear and sophomore Matthew Thoman, pulled the Golden Tornadoes even at 18-18, and after a Yellow Jacket point, a kill from Spear and an ace from Thoman gave Geneva its first lead, 20-19. The Golden Tornadoes couldn't finish the set off, though, seeing Baldwin Wallace finish on a 6-3 run to win 25-23.
Geneva never got its attack going in the match, finishing with just 16 kills and a .000 hitting percentage. Baldwin Wallace hit .286.
The men will return to conference action, where they have a perfect 3-0 record, on Wednesday when the Golden Tornadoes host Hiram 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).
