BEREA, Ohio – The Geneva men's volleyball team had one of its toughest tests of the season when the men traveled to Baldwin Wallace on Saturday for a tri-match against #20 Baldwin Wallace and #17 Benedictine (IL). Though the men battled the two nationally ranked opponents, Geneva dropped both matches in straight sets. Geneva dropped the first match to Baldwin Wallace 23-25, 19-25, 21-25, and then fell to Benedictine 18-25, 18-25, 17-25 to finish up the tri-match. The men now stand at 8-5 overall.
Geneva opened its first match of the day against the hosts, Baldwin Wallace, with kills from freshman Owen Kelley and junior Decker Milroy. The Yellow Jackets responded with a 10-3 run to grab a 10-5 edge, but two kills from Kelley, along with kills from Decker and senior Carter Milroy, pulled the Golden Tornadoes even at 12-12. Baldwin Wallace answered with a 10-4 run to take a big lead, and Geneva tried to rally late, pulling within 22-21 behind two more kills from Kelley and an ace from sophomore Andrew Ubinger, but Baldwin Wallace held off the late rally to win 25-23.
Baldwin Wallace jumped ahead 4-1 to start the second set, and Geneva trailed the whole set. A kill from freshman Daniel Spear did pull the Golden Tornadoes within 17-15 midway through the set, but that was as close as Geneva would get in dropping the set, 25-19.
Geneva led early in the third set, 8-6, but Baldwin Wallace put together another run to take a 13-10 lead midway through the set. The Golden Tornadoes rallied, tying the set twice, the last at 16-16, but the Yellow Jackets pulled away at the end for the 25-21 victory.
Ubinger led the team with 10 kills, while Kelley added nine kills. Decker Milroy finished with 26 assists, while junior Joshua Sangrey added a team-best 12 digs. Geneva struggled to slow down the Baldwin Wallace attack, which finished at .233. Geneva hit just .109.
The second match of the day against Benedictine gave the men no relief, as the Eagles came in with an even higher ranking than Baldwin Wallace. Geneva did take an early lead behind a couple kills from Kelley, 9-7, but Benedictine responded with an 8-2 run to take control of the set. The men never got closer than three points the rest of the set and fell 25-18.
The Eagles grabbed an early 5-1 edge in the second set, eventually stretching their lead to 15-9 midway through the set. Geneva put together its best stretch of the match in response, scoring six straight points behind the service of Kelly, pulling even at 15-15. However, Benedictine closed the set on a 10-3 run to win 25-18.
The third set was tied early after a block from Spear, 6-6, before the Eagles put together a 6-1 run to grab a 12-7 lead. Geneva did battle back, though, and a double-block from Ubinger and Carter Milroy, followed by a kill from freshman Peter Samuelsen, pulled the Golden Tornadoes level at 16-16. However, the Eagles scored the next four points and finished the match on a 9-1 run to win 25-17.
Kelley led the team with six kills, while Samuelsen added five kills. Geneva managed just 18 kills and finished with a -.083 hitting percentage. Benedictine hit .215.
Geneva has another busy week ahead. The men host Hiram on Wednesday and Penn State Behrend on Friday, before traveling to nationally ranked Juniata for a tri-match 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).
