BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – With students having returned to campus and the spring semester now underway, the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its men's volleyball preseason poll Tuesday afternoon. Geneva was picked to place sixth in the PAC after an 11-16 (6-6) finish last season, earning 15 points in this year's poll. Reigning champion Thiel College received six of the seven available first-place votes, finishing with 36 total points to earn the top spot in the poll, with last year's runner-up Grove City receiving the seventh and final first-place vote and coming in second.
In the inaugural season of PAC men's volleyball competition last year, the GTs went 6-6 in conference play, clinching a home playoff match with a sweep against Bethany in the regular season finale. The men hosted Saint Vincent, whom they had beaten twice in the regular season, in a quarterfinal match, but wound up losing to the Bearcats in three sets.
Head coach
Alexis Ritson, who enters her second season at the helm in 2026, has her team ready to make another push for a playoff spot this spring. Leading the charge for the Golden Tornadoes are two all-conference seniors,
Andrew Ubinger and
Evan Puhl, who were each named to the All-PAC Second Team after their excellent performances last year.
Ubinger, a jack-of-all-trades outside hitter, finished second on the team in 2025 in kills (255), digs (203), assists (135), and service aces (31). Puhl, a middle, looks to build off his breakout junior season in which he finished second in the PAC with a .323 hitting percentage and a team-best 79 blocks. Ubinger and Puhl are joined in the senior class by right side
Paul O'Donnell, who made a nice contribution last season with 66 kills of his own.
Ritson returns a solid junior class as well, with Honorable Mention All-PAC selection
Owen Kelley looking to make the biggest impact. Kelley led the team with 283 kills last season while also serving a team-best 37 aces, second-most in the PAC. Joining him will be junior middle/right side
Daniel Spear, who played well at the net last year with 93 kills and 70 blocks. Junior defensive specialist
Alex Smith is the only other returning junior for the GTs.
Sophomores
Matthew DeGraaf and
Christian Parks are primed to build off solid freshman seasons. In 2025, DeGraaf recorded 70 blocks, tied for second-most on the team, while posting 68 kills as well. Parks is set to take on a much larger role this season as a primary libero option following the graduation of
Joshua Sangrey, who won the PAC's Defensive Player of the Year award last spring.
Coach Ritson brings in a group of nine newcomers this year, including eight freshmen, a couple of whom will look to make immediate contributions to the team.
The men open their season Tuesday night, traveling to Mount Union for a 7:00 p.m. match with the Purple Raiders. They will play at home for the first time this year on Friday, hosting both Bridgewater and Carlow in back-to-back matches at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 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).
