HIRAM, Ohio – After an exciting first set, Geneva dropped the next three to the Hiram Terriers resulting in the GTs' second straight conference loss (27-25, 18-25, 16-25, 19-25). It appeared midway through the third set that the two sides were very evenly matched, but Hiram pulled away from that point onward to nab the victory. Geneva's record falls to 14-13 overall, 3-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), while Hiram jumps to 14-11 overall, 4-1 in AMCC play.
The men started slowly in Set One, digging themselves into a 6-2 hole early after struggling to find a rhythm through the first few points. Two kills from senior Carter Milroy over the next couple of minutes kept the GTs within striking range, and then freshman Owen Kelley took over. With Geneva trailing 9-5, Kelley used four kills and an ace to boost his teammates to a 10-2 run, putting the Golden Tornadoes in front 15-11. Hiram kept it close, however, and fought back via a 6-1 run to regain the advantage, 21-20. The sides traded points for a while, but Geneva was able to close the set well with three straight points to take it 27-25.
Neither team could gain much separation to start the second set, with a beautiful kill from junior setter Decker Milroy tying the set at five. Mistakes by the men on the next three points forced Geneva to play from behind, but they worked their way back and knotted the score at 12 points on an ace from Carter Milroy. The Terriers dominated from that point onward, however, winning 12 of the last 17 points to secure the set 25-18.
Again, the two sides began the third set neck-and-neck, with Hiram maintaining a slim but consistent advantage. A kill from freshman Daniel Spear evened the score at 4-4, but the Terriers slowly but surely began to take control over the next few points. With Geneva losing 13-10, Decker Milroy went down with an injury after a collision with a teammate up against the net, and the Terriers were able to take advantage of his absence by way of an 8-2 run. Milroy managed to return to the court at that point, but it was too late as Geneva wound up dropping the set 25-16.
The momentum Hiram garnered at the end of the third set continued for them to open the fourth, as the Terriers looked dominant on their way to building up an 8-1 lead. The Golden Tornadoes did their best to fight back, capitalizing on a few Hiram errors and a kill from Spear to cut the deficit to four points, 16-12. Hiram managed to maintain the lead through the rest of the set, however, winning the fourth set 25-19 and the overall match three sets to one.
Kelley finished the match with 11 kills to lead the men, along with a couple of aces. Despite his brief exit due to injury, Decker Milroy led the GTs in both assists (24) and digs (12). Carter Milroy also posted a nice stat line with eight kills and eight digs.
Kyle Martini led the Terriers with an impressive 21 kills, his second-highest mark of the season.
Geneva returns home on Saturday for a 1:00 PM matchup with the Thiel Tomcats before heading back on the road to play Carlow on Wednesday.
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).
