PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Geneva's men's volleyball team got back in the win column today with a much needed four-set victory over Carlow (25-14, 25-19, 17-25, 26-24). With the win, Geneva's record is pushed up to 15-14 overall, 4-3 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), while Carlow drops to 3-14 overall, 0-6 in conference play.
The first set was controlled by Geneva from the beginning, as the men went up 5-1 early on and never looked back. Two service aces from senior Carter Milroy highlighted a 6-0 run from the GTs later on in the set to make their lead 11-3, and while the Celtics did their best to keep up with Geneva's high-powered attack, a block by freshman Daniel Spear and junior Decker Milroy gave Geneva the win in set one, 25-14.
Carlow kept set two a little bit closer than the first one at the outset, but the Golden Tornadoes were still able to control play for the most part. Three early kills from Carter Milroy gave Geneva a 6-3 advantage, but the Celtics put together a nice 4-0 run immediately afterward to put them in front 7-6. They began to play sloppily at that point, however, and Geneva capitalized on their errors with a 5-0 run to go up 19-12, emphasized by an ace from sophomore Paul O'Donnell. Geneva cruised to the set victory from that point onward, taking it 25-19.
Carlow was able to jump out to an early advantage in the third set, surprising Geneva by taking a 9-2 lead right off the bat. The men fought to get back into the set, with an ace from Spear eventually narrowing the gap to five points, 17-12. That was as close at the GTs would get for the rest of the frame, however, with Carlow achieving the set win 25-17.
Things went back in Geneva's favor at the beginning of the fourth set, with a kill from freshman Owen Kelley putting the men in front 5-2. The GTs' advantage got up to as much as five points at several points throughout the set, but the Celtics remained within striking distance. Carlow roared back to tie the set at 22, but the Golden Tornadoes were able to take four of the final six points to win a very close fourth and final set 26-24.
Kelley had a very good performance, finishing with 14 kills on an efficient .303 hitting percentage while also recording 10 digs. Junior Matthew Thoman was second on the team with a career-high 10 kills, and just behind him with 9 kills, to go along with five aces, was Carter Milroy. Decker Milroy posted a career-high 44 assists in the win, and junior Joshua Sangrey led the way defensively with a team-high 11 digs.
The men will play at home for the remainder of the season, with their next match coming Wednesday against AMCC opponent Saint Vincent.
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).
