LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team rebounded after a tough first day at the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Preview event on Friday, hosted at Saint Vincent, by winning both of its matches on Saturday. The Golden Tornadoes swept Bethany in the opening match of the day 25-18, 25-13, 25-16, and then Geneva outlasted Chatham in five sets 22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10, to improve to 3-2 on the season. The event hosted six schools that will be a part of the PAC's inaugural men's volleyball season next year.
The morning's first set against Bethany started off well for Geneva, as the Golden Tornadoes took the first three points. A Daniel Spear kill a few minutes later put Geneva up 5-2 before Bethany went on a 6-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. The set remained close for a while before Geneva went on an 11-2 run to end it, getting two kills apiece from Andrew Ubinger, Owen Kelley, and Carter Milroy during that span to win 25-18.
Geneva controlled the second set from the get-go as the men went up 9-2 thanks to aces from Decker Milroy, Kelley, and Carter Milroy. Bethany briefly pulled within five points, 12-17, midway through the set, but back-to-back aces from Alex Smith put Geneva up 15-7. Both sides traded points, and then Geneva closed on a 5-0 run to take the second set 25-13.
Both teams started the third set well, swapping kills until the score was tied 6-6. An ace from Decker Milroy put Geneva up 10-7, and shortly thereafter the Golden Tornadoes went on a 7-2 run, highlighted by two kills from Ubinger. The rest of set finished up uneventfully for Geneva, and the Golden Tornadoes took it 25-16 to win the match.
Carter Milroy led the team in kills once again, finishing with 12 kills on a .320 hitting percentage. Kelley added nine kills while Ubinger and Spear finished with eight kills apiece, with Spear posting an impressive .429 hitting percentage. As a team Geneva hit .283, compared to just .012 for Bethany. Decker Milroy directed the offense with 28 assists, Joshua Sangrey led the team with 13 digs. Peter Samuelsen had a team-best four blocks.
The second match of the day against Chatham proved much more challenging for the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva looked to be in good shape in the first set after the men scored four straight points to take a 14-10 lead behind kills from Samuelsen, Ubinger and Decker Milroy, but the Cougars quickly responded to retake the lead, 20-18. Geneva battled back to pull even at 22-22, but Chatham scored the final three points to win 25-22.
The second set followed a similar pattern early. Neither team could gain much of an edge before Geneva reeled off four straight points to grab a 16-13 edge behind a kill from Carter Milroy, a double block from Spear and Decker Milroy, an ace from Ubinger and a kill from Kelley. This time Geneva never let the Cougars respond. A couple minutes later, another four-point run gave the men a 21-15 edge, and Geneva easily closed out the set, 25-17.
Chatham came out hot in the third set, though, jumping out to a huge early lead, 10-3. Geneva did answer with five straight points to pull within two, but the Cougars never let the Golden Tornadoes get any closer. A late Geneva rally eventually fell short, 25-22.
The fourth set proved to be another tight one between these two evenly matched teams. Neither team was able to gain much of an edge early, and midway through the crucial set the score was tied 16-16. Geneva responded with its best stretch of the set, though, with its back against the wall. The Golden Tornadoes put together a 7-2 run to take a 23-18 lead, with Kelley contributing two kills in the run. Chatham tried to rally late with four straight points to pull within 24-23, but a kill from Ubinger sent the match to a fifth set.
A kill and a block from Samuelsen, along with back-to-back kills from Carter Milroy, enabled Geneva to jump out to a quick 6-2 lead in the final set. Chatham battled back, though, pulling within one point multiple times, the last time coming at 10-9. However, Geneva closed out the set on a 5-1 run, including kills from Ubinger and Kelley, and a Cougar hitting error ended the match, 15-10.
Carter Milroy equaled his career-high for the second time this weekend, finishing with 15 kills to go with 15 digs and six blocks. He was named to the All-Tournament team for his play over the two-day event. Kelley, with 11 kills and 10 digs, and Ubinger, with 11 kills and 13 digs, also both finished with double-doubles, while Samuelsen had his best match of the season with eight kills and five blocks. Spear added a team-best seven blocks as the Golden Tornado block came up big throughout the match with 13 blocks. Decker Milroy had a career-high 41 assists, while Sangrey contributed 13 digs from the libero spot. As a team Geneva hit .199, compared to .108 for Chatham.
Geneva will return home next week for a Wednesday rematch with Bethany, before heading to Roberts Wesleyan next weekend to take part in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Invitational on Friday and 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).
