ERIE, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team got off to a good start on Friday night at Penn State Behrend, but after winning the first set, the Golden Tornadoes let the second set get away and could never recover in falling 21-25, 29-27, 25-14, 25-23.  Geneva is now 1-2 on the season.
 
Geneva jumped ahead to a 5-1 lead in the first set behind the serving of sophomore Owen Kelley.  Kelley had an ace and a kill in the early going, along with kills from junior Andrew Ubinger and sophomore Daniel Spear.  Behrend battled back to tie the score at 9-9, but the Lions could never take the lead.  The Golden Tornadoes responded with an 8-1 run to regain control.  Kelley had two kills and a block in the stretch.  Behrend tried to rally, pulling within 22-20 late, but a kill from Ubinger, an ace from freshman Colton Alfaro and another kill from Kelley finished off the set, 25-21.
 
Geneva raced out to a lead in the second set, 7-3, and was in control for much of the set.  An ace from junior Evan Puhl and another kill from Kelley stretched the margin to 12-5, forcing a Behrend timeout.  However, Geneva service errors allowed Behrend to get back into the set, as four straight missed serves by the GTs allowed the Lions to close within 17-16.  Geneva appeared to have regained control, though, and a kill from Ubinger gave the men set point, 24-20.  However, three more late service errors proved too much to overcome, with Behrend fighting off five set points to steal the set, 29-27.
 
Geneva couldn't seem to bounce back in the third set from the tough way the second set ended.  Behrend stormed out to a quick 10-4 lead and never looked back, winning the third set 25-14.
 
The men regrouped in the fourth set and played better, with the set a very tight affair.  After Behrend took its biggest lead of the set, 13-10, Geneva rallied with a 9-3 run to grab a 19-16 advantage, putting itself in position to send the match to a fifth set.  The Golden Tornadoes couldn't finish things off, though.  The Lions responded with an 8-2 run to get to match point, and after two straight Geneva points pulled the men within 24-23, Behrend finished the match off with a kill.
 
Kelley led the attack with 18 kills, while Ubinger was right behind with 17 kills, adding 11 digs.  Geneva hit .151 as a team.  Alfaro had a season high 39 assists in directing the offense, while senior Joshua Sangrey led the team with 12 digs.  Behrend finished with a .241 hitting percentage.
 
Geneva will try to rebound tomorrow when the Golden Tornadoes take on Penn State Altoona and Hilbert in back-to-back matches, beginning at 12:00 p.m.


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).