BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The men lost an intense match to conference-leading Saint Vincent College tonight that ended up going to five sets (26-24, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 12-15). A long delay in the third set took away much of the momentum the GTs had built early in the match, and although they held on to win set three the men could not grab the victory in sets four or five. Geneva's record now stands at 15-15 overall, 4-4 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), while Saint Vincent moves up to 18-7 overall, a pristine 9-0 in conference play.
The first set of the evening started out very closely, with the two sides trading points. Geneva took its first lead on a kill from freshman Owen Kelley that put the men in front 8-7, but Saint Vincent quickly regained the advantage. Sloppy play from the Bearcats allowed the GTs to climb back into the lead 14-13, but Saint Vincent cleaned things up and was leading 23-21 late in the set. Senior Carter Milroy punched down a couple of kills to tie the score at 24, and Bearcat errors on the next two points allowed the Golden Tornadoes to win the first set 26-24.
Set two began much the same way as the first, with a kill by freshman Daniel Spear putting Geneva in control, 10-8. Play went back-and-forth for a while, but the Golden Tornadoes looked to have a solid 20-17 as the set drew toward the end thanks to kills from Kelley and sophomore Andrew Ubinger. A timeout reset things for the Bearcats however, and they ended the set on an 8-2 run to win it 25-22.
The GTs came out swinging in the third set, jumping out to a commanding 11-4 lead on back-to-back service aces by Ubinger. That lead eventually grew to 14-7, but then a Bearcat player got sick exiting the court and threw up near Saint Vincent's bench. A 15-minute delay ensued as staff rushed to clean up the floor, and when the two sides came back Geneva's momentum seemed to have gone. The Bearcats were able to cut the deficit to two points late in the set, but the GTs held on to take it 25-22 on a kill by Kelley.
Saint Vincent began set four very well, taking a 11-6 lead to start that eventually grew to 14-8. The Golden Tornadoes put together a 6-1 rally to pull within one point, but while they remained close for the remainder of the set they couldn't gain the advantage, dropping it 25-20.
The final set of the evening was an intense one. The Bearcats scored the first two points of the set, then Geneva took the next two. A kill from Kelley gave the men a 6-4 lead, and when the two teams switched sides the GTs had the advantage, 8-6. Saint Vincent closed on a 9-4 run, however, and the Golden Tornadoes could not keep up. The Bearcats took set five 15-12.
Several players had excellent performances for Geneva in the loss. Carter Milroy recorded a career-high 21 kills on a .319 hitting percentage to go with 14 digs. His brother, junior Decker Milroy, tied the school record for most assists in a game with 50, also a career-best number. Ubinger was one shy of tying his career-high in kills, finishing with 16, posting two aces as well. Kelley ended with 12 kills, and junior Joshua Sangrey led the team with 16 digs.
The men have just two matches left in the regular season. They host a tri-match with AMCC-opponent Hilbert and Chatham on Saturday, with the first match set to begin at noon. A win against Hilbert would clinch a playoff berth for the Golden Tornadoes, although there is a scenario in which they could still make the playoffs even if they lose.
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).
