BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team opened its season with a competitive sweep of visiting Carlow inside Metheny Fieldhouse 29-27, 25-22, 26-24. The Golden Tornadoes, the reigning Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) champions, moved to 1-0 on the season in defeating the Celtics, who joined the AMCC this season. The match did not count in the conference standings.
This year is one of transitions for the men's volleyball program, with Head Coach Wendy Smith and Associate Head Coach Alexis Ritson taking over the program for this season. The men also have several key holes from last year's AMCC Championship squad that moved on after graduation.
Geneva started well in the first set, getting early kills from sophomore Andrew Ubinger and freshman Owen Kelley, along with an ace from freshman Peter Samuelsen, to jump ahead 7-3. Another kill from Kelley midway through the set gave Geneva its biggest lead of the set, 12-7, before the Celtics rallied, helped by some service error struggles by the Golden Tornadoes. Several minutes later, Carlow reeled off a five-point run to grab its first lead of the set, 20-18. A Geneva service error a couple points later allowed Carlow to get to set point, 24-22, but a Celtic error and a kill from Ubinger evened the set. The men had to fight off two more set points before the Golden Tornadoes closed the set on a 4-1 run to win 29-27.
Geneva opened the second set with two points on a kill from Ubinger and a double block from Samuelsen and senior Carter Milroy. Carlow stayed close, though, with the teams often alternating points. The Celtics didn't take their first lead until Carlow scored two straight to go ahead, 17-16. The Golden Tornadoes responded with a kill from junior Decker Milroy and two kills from Carter Milroy to take the lead back. Carlow answered right back, though, with three straight points to go ahead 20-19. Geneva finished the set well, though, with a 5-1 run, the last point coming on a kill from freshman Daniel Spear to win 25-22.
The third set proved to be just as tight, with neither team unable to take much of a lead. A kill from Carter Milroy did give Geneva an early 8-5 edge, but Carlow scored the next four points to take the lead back. The Celtics still led 16-14 before a kill from Ubinger and three straight kills from Kelley gave the Golden Tornadoes the advantage, but Carlow came right back with a 6-2 run to take a 22-20 edge. Geneva responded with a 4-1 run, with Kelley contributing an ace and Ubinger a kill to get to match point, 24-23. The Celtics pulled even with a kill, but a kill from Ubinger and an attack error by Carlow allowed Geneva to finish off the match, 26-24.
Ubinger and Kelley led the team with 11 kills apiece. Ubinger hit .281, while Kelley finished with a .200 hitting percentage in his collegiate debut. Carter Milroy added nine kills, with the trio leading the offense for most of the night as the men finished with a .179 hitting percentage. Decker Milroy directed the offense with 29 assists, while junior Joshua Sangrey had a team-high 13 digs. Geneva committed 22 service errors, which helped keep Carlow in the match for much of the night.
Carlow was led by Russ Cyprowski, who finished with 13 kills. The Celtics hit just .022 as a team.
Geneva will have a busy weekend as the Golden Tornadoes head to Saint Vincent to participate in the PAC Preview event. The event is composed of five teams will who transition over to the Presidents' Athletic Conference next year when the PAC adds men's volleyball to its offerings. The men will face Hiram and Saint Vincent on Friday, followed by matches against Bethany and Chatham on Saturday.
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).
