HOBOKEN, N.J. – It was quite a run for the Geneva College men's volleyball team, advancing all the way to the NCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history, but the Golden Tornadoes saw their season come to and end at No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday evening in the first round of the tournament. Stevens won in straight sets 25-11, 25-12, 25-15. Geneva wraps up it season with a 19-15 overall record while achieving the program's first AMCC Championship.
Stevens came into the match with as impressive a resume as any team in NCAA Division III, and the Ducks took control of the first set quickly. Stevens jumped ahead 16-2 as Geneva could never get into a rhythm against the powerful Ducks. Freshman Andrew Ubinger got Geneva's first kill of the match on the next point, but Stevens finished off the set, 25-11.
Geneva took its only lead of the match in set two, 4-3, behind back-to-back service aces from junior Emerson Spear. An ace from junior Carter Milroy a few minutes later leveled the score at 8-8. Stevens took over from there, though, going on a 10-1 to take control, winning the second set 25-12.
The Golden Tornadoes tried to stay close in the third set, trailing just 6-5 early, but the Ducks were just too talented. An 8-2 run gave Stevens a 13-7 edge, and Geneva never got closer than four points the rest of the set, falling 25-15.
The Golden Tornadoes could never get their attack going, finishing the match just 12 kills, along with 20 errors, for a -0.113 hitting percentage. Stevens, on the other hand, hit .414. Ubinger finished with a team-high four kills.
Geneva will have a lot of talent to replace next season with six seniors graduating, including Byron Spear, Jake Williams and Curtis Thomas. Spear and Williams were both First Team All-AMCC selections, while Thomas was a Third Team selection, and the trio's names are all over the school's record books.
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).
