GROVE CITY, Pa. – Geneva men's volleyball fell in three tight sets in a President's Athletic Conference (PAC) match up versus the Grove City Wolverines on Saturday afternoon, 26-24, 30-28, 25-21. Geneva drops to 7-9, 2-2 in the PAC and the Wolverines move to 8-8, 3-0 PAC.
Geneva grabbed the first point of the day, off a triple block from junior Evan Puhl, freshman Matthew DeGraaf and junior Paul O'Donnell, but the Wolverines battled for a 7-4 lead off a few GT errors. The Golden Tornadoes fought back to tie the score at 14-14, getting two O'Donnell kills and two more blocks from Puhl, one assisted by DeGraaf and the other by sophomore Owen Kelly. The set remained tight, as Kelly added three kills to keep the GTs within one, 20-19. Puhl added two kills of his own to tie the game up again at 24-24, but the Wolverines scored the final two points to win 26-24.
The Golden Tornadoes began the second in a deficit 8-4, despite three early kills from Kelly. Junior Andrew Ubinger added three kills of his own to tie up the set at 18-18, but the Wolverines continued to be a presence at the net to go ahead by two. Geneva tied the game up again off a Kelly kill and a kill from sophomore Daniel Spear. A kill from Puhl gave the Golden Tornadoes a 24-23 advantage, but the teams continued to battle as the set went into extra points. Puhl and Kelly both added a kill in the final points, but the Wolverines eventually pulled the set out 30-28.
Geneva started the third set with three kills from Kelly, and a solo block from Puhl, giving the GTs a 9-6 advantage. The Wolverines kept close, tying up the game at 13-13, as Geneva continued to storm on with two kills from Ubinger. Grove City grabbed a 20-16 edge, but two kills apiece from Kelly and Puhl kept Geneva in the game. Puhl contributed a block and Kelly another kill late, but Grove City won the set and the match, 25-21.
Kelley led the team with 17 kills, though Geneva hit just .108 as a team. Freshman Colton Alfaro had a team high 20 assists, while Ubinger contributed seven kills, eleven assists and six digs. Senior Joshua Sangrey had a team-high 14 digs, while Puhl led the team with five blocks.
Geneva returns home after three straight PAC road matches to face Chatham next Wednesday, February 26, at 7:00 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).
