GREENVILLE, Pa. - The Golden Tornadoes continued their strong play of late with a decisive three-set victory over the Thiel College Tomcats on Thursday, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17. While Thiel was able to keep it close for the majority of the match, Geneva showed excellent tenacity to hold back some late-set Tomcat comeback attempts. With the win, the men's record improves to 8-3, while the Tomcats drop to 2-5.

Thiel looked a little uncomfortable at the beginning of the first set, with four of the Golden Tornadoes' first six points coming off of Tomcat attack or service errors. Sophomore Andrew Ubinger was a solid presence for Geneva with a couple of early kills, and the GTs got out to a 6-1 lead. Thiel responded with a 4-0 run, but the men managed to hold the lead with a kill from freshman Daniel Spear. A 7-2 run for the Golden Tornadoes ensued, and they went up 16-10. The Tomcats fought back and ended up making it close in the end, but Geneva narrowly took the first set 25-23.

An ace from freshman Alex Smith opened the scoring in the second set, and the two sides proceeded to trade points for a while. Neither team could get more than a one-point lead until Smith's third ace of the match put the Golden Tornadoes in front 11-9. The ace seemed to give Geneva a boost, and they went up 16-12 before an ace by senior Carter Milroy forced Thiel to take a timeout. Out of the break, the Tomcats appeared to have some renewed confidence, tying the score at 19. However, back-to-back kills from freshman Owen Kelley put Geneva in front for good, and they won the second set 25-21.

A big-time block from Kelley and Carter Milroy on the opening point set the tone right off the bat for the GTs in the third frame. Blocks ended up being a big theme for Geneva, with the men recording six in the final set compared to four in the previous two sets combined. A Decker Milroy ace gave Geneva the lead 16-15 after Thiel had seemed to take some of the momentum, and it ended up being the catalyst for an 11-2 Golden Tornado run en route to a 25-17 victory in the third and final set.

Ubinger led the team in kills with nine. Decker Milroy recorded an excellent stat line, posting 29 assists, nine digs, and five kills, as well as a block assist. Kelley and Carter Milroy also contributed eight kills, and junior Joshua Sangrey had a team-high 11 digs.

The men are back in action on Saturday, when they will travel to Baldwin Wallace University for a tri-match with the host Yellow Jackets and Benedictine University.

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).