BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team enjoyed its Senior Day tri-match on Saturday afternoon inside Metheny Fieldhouse, picking up a big Allegheny Mountain College Conference (AMCC) sweep of Thiel (25-19, 25-21, 26-24) to start the day, and then finishing the day with a 25-14, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22 win over Division II Alderson Broaddus to wrap up the afternoon. The Golden Tornadoes improved their overall record to 15-13 with the two victories, 10-0 in the AMCC.
The men opened the day with an important AMCC matchup against Thiel, a squad close behind the Golden Tornadoes in the standings. The Tomcats led early in the first set before five straight points, with junior Carter Milroy and sophomore Decker Milroy contributing a kill and a block apiece, gave Geneva an 11-8 lead. A couple minutes later, a kill from senior Jake Williams and an ace from graduate student Curtis Thomas increased the Golden Tornado edge to 15-10. Thiel battled back to pull within 20-19, but Geneva finished the set off with five straight points. Williams had two kills, and then he finished the set off with a block, 25-19.
Set two was tight early before the Tomcats scored four straight to take a 12-8 advantage. Thiel increased its edge as much as 18-13 before Geneva rallied. Carter Milroy had an ace and Williams a kill to pull the Golden Tornadoes within 18-16, and after a Tomcat point, Geneva rolled off five straight points to grab a 21-19 lead, and Thiel could never find a response. Senior Byron Spear finished off the set with a kill, 25-21, as the Golden Tornadoes finished the set on a 12-3 run.
Thiel led for much of the third set as well before Geneva found some late success again. Trailing 18-16, Geneva got an ace from Williams and a kill from Spear in a 4-1 run to give the Golden Tornadoes a 20-19 edge. Thiel answered with a point to pull level, but Geneva scored the next four points on two kills apiece from Milroy and Spear, getting to match point. The final point didn't come easily, though. Thiel fought off all four match points to pull even at 24-24 before a kill from Spear and a double block from the Milroy brothers finished off the match, 26-24.
Spear and Williams led the attack with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. As a team the Golden Tornadoes hit .220. Thomas led the offense with 18 assists, while Decker Milroy added 17 assists. Geneva's block was especially strong, finishing with 11 blocks, led by junior Emerson Spear's seven blocks. Sophomore Joshua Sangrey had a career-high 19 digs, while freshman Andrew Ubinger added a career-best 15 digs.
Geneva had a break before it took on Alderson Broaddus to wrap up the day, and the Golden Tornadoes got off to a great start in set one behind the serving of Williams. He had five aces in an early eight-point run to give Geneva a 10-2 lead, and the set was never close again. The Golden Tornadoes stretched their lead to as high as 20-7 before a kill from Williams finished off the set, 25-14.
The final three sets were much more competitive. Alderson Broaddus took an early lead in the second set and would never trail. The Battlers would extend their lead as high as five points multiple times before a late four-point rally pulled Geneva level at 22-22. Ubinger, Williams and Milroy all had kills, while Emerson Spear had an ace. However, Alderson Broaddus managed to hang on, 25-23, to pull even in the match at one set apiece.
The third set followed a similar script. Alderson Broaddus jumped ahead early and led for much of the set, including a 16-12 lead midway through the set. The Golden Tornadoes rallied, though, putting together a 7-2 run, the last an ace from Milroy, to take their first lead of the set, 19-18. The Battlers answered with two straight points to retake the lead, but Geneva closed well. The Golden Tornadoes scored the next five points to take a 24-20 lead, and the Byron Spear finished off the set with a kill, 25-21.
Alderson Broaddus again jumped ahead early in the fourth set, this time 8-4. The Battlers still led 14-10 before Geneva rallied again. The Golden Tornadoes used another 7-2 run to take a 17-16 lead, and the set was tight the rest of the way. The score was tied at 22-22 late before Geneva scored the final three points to win, with Spear finishing off the match with a kill, 25-22.
Byron Spear again led the offense, this time with 17 kills. Williams added nine kills and Milroy eight kills in a balanced attack. Geneva hit a solid .290 as a team. Thomas handled the setting duties, finishing with 38 assists. Sangrey led the defense with 16 digs.
The men have a week off to prepare for a road match at Penn State Behrend next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. A victory over the Lions would clinch the top spot in the regular season standings in the AMCC. If Penn State Behrend wins, the Lions would pull even with Geneva in the conference standings and hold the tiebreaker.
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).
