LANCASTER, Pa. – The Geneva men's volleyball team traveled across the state for a doubleheader match against Lancaster Bible College today and dropped both of their contests in three sets. The Chargers, whose four losses on the season have all come to teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally, proved to be too much for the Golden Tornadoes, and the losses bring Geneva's record down to 5-7 overall, still 1-0 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. LBC sports an 8-4 overall record after the doubleheader.

Match one began very closely, with neither team able to separate from the other whatsoever for the majority of the first set. A kill by junior Andrew Ubinger and an ace from sophomore Daniel Spear gave Geneva a 16-14 lead midway through, but LBC quickly came back to tie the score at 18. Neither side went ahead by more than three points at a time until the Chargers took a 23-19 lead late, and they held on to win it 25-21.

Lancaster Bible took a much more definitive lead early in the second set, going in front 11-5. The Golden Tornadoes battled, but LBC controlled the set the rest of the way for a 25-16 victory.

An early kill by sophomore Owen Kelley gave Geneva a 4-2 advantage early in the third set, but LBC stormed back from behind to snag a 9-6 lead. Down three, Geneva did not back down, and the men rallied over the next several minutes to go up by three points, 20-17, behind seven more kills from Kelley. Unfortunately, the Chargers outscored Geneva 8-3 over the last stretch, winning the set 25-23 and the first match three sets to none.

Kelley finished the match with 12 kills, including nine in the third set alone. Ubinger was next with nine kills, and he also tied senior Joshua Sangrey for the team lead in digs with 11. Freshman Colton Alfaro directed the offense with 21 assists, contributing eight digs as well.

The Chargers opened match two by gaining another early advantage, going in front 9-5 early on. Despite a kill from Ubinger, LBC went on a 9-2 run to seize command. The men responded with an 11-3 stretch of their own to tie the score at 18, but Lancaster Bible closed the set on a 7-2 run to win it 25-20.

Sloppy play from the Chargers allowed Geneva to stay close in set number two, and the score was 5-5 after the first ten points had been played. Similarly to the first match, however, the home side controlled the remainder of the set, coasting to a 25-14 victory.

Two kills each from Ubinger, Kelley, and junior Evan Puhl gave Geneva a 10-9 lead over the Chargers to start the third set. LBC retook the lead with a brief 6-2 run shortly thereafter, and Geneva never threatened again for the rest of the set, losing it 25-18.

Puhl finished with a team-high nine kills on a .593 hitting percentage, wrapping up a very efficient week for him on the attack. Ubinger and Kelley each notched eight kills of their own, with Alfaro contributing another 24 assists in the loss. Sangrey again led the team defensively with eight digs.

The doubleheader wraps up a four day stretch for the men in which they played four matches. They will play three times next week, beginning with a home match against Penn State Behrend on Wednesday, February 12^th, 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).