BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva men's volleyball team used a strong blocking performance on Wednesday night against Chatham to notch a win in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup inside Metheny Fieldhouse. The men defeated Chatham in four sets 21-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-18. The Golden Tornadoes improve to 8-9, 3-2 in the PAC and the Cougars fall to 3-8, 0-3 in the PAC.
Junior Andrew Ubinger led the way for the GTs in the first set, picking up three kills as the Golden Tornadoes trailed by one, 11-10. Junior Paul O'Donnell added three kills, and sophomore Owen Kelley grabbed three to keep the GTs in the game, down 16-14. Geneva continued to battle, with kills from sophomore Daniel Spear and junior Evan Puhl, but Chatham closed out the set 25-21.
The Golden Tornadoes jumped ahead in the second set, taking an early 10-3 lead, with two kills from Puhl and an ace from sophomore Alex Smith. Ubinger added an ace of his own, and Kelley contributed two kills to keep Geneva in the lead. The GTs continued to battle, taking a 20-13 lead off two Puhl blocks, one assisted by O'Donnell and the other by freshman Matthew DeGraaf. Kelly, Spear and Ubinger all added to kills late as the Golden Tornadoes finished out the set 25-17.
Geneva started out the third set in similar fashion, taking a 7-4 lead. Spear was a strong presence at the net, adding a kill and a block, assisted by Ubinger, and Kelley added three kills for the Golden Tornadoes. The GTs picked up an 18-13 lead off four Ubinger kills, and DeGraaf kept the momentum grabbing two blocks, one assisted by Puhl and the other by Spear. Kelley picked up three more kills as Geneva closed out the set, 25-19, off a Spear and Kelley block.
The fourth set started tight, with neither team taking more than a two-point lead. Geneva battled, with Ubinger and Spear combining for a block and Puhl grabbing a solo block. The Golden Tornadoes gained more momentum, with Spear and Ubinger grabbing another block and Kelley adding another kill. The GTs gained a five-point lead, 21-16, as Puhl contributed three more kills. Geneva closed out the set, and the match, on a block from Puhl and DeGraaf, 25-18.
Kelley led the Golden Tornadoes with 15 kills, while Ubinger and Puhl each added ten kills, with Puhl also posting six blocks. As a team Geneva finished with 14 blocks. Spear led the team with eight blocks, while freshman Colton Alfaro added 28 assists. Senior Joshua Sangrey led the defense with 11 digs, with freshman Christian Parks close behind with ten.
The Golden Tornadoes continue league play at Hiram on Friday, 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).
