BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva men's volleyball team made a tremendous effort to force a fifth set after dropping the first two against Chatham in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener Saturday. Unfortunately, they could not complete the comeback attempt, falling in five sets 21-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 8-15. A furious rally at the end of the third set gave Geneva momentum late in the match, but Chatham controlled the fifth set all the way to hand the GTs the loss. Geneva slips to 6-9 overall, 0-1 in the PAC, while Chatham now stands at 7-3 (1-0).

Set one was extremely close most of the way through, with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage until the very end. With the score tied at 19-all late, the Cougars rattled off five straight points to seize control, eventually winning the set 25-21.

The Golden Tornadoes were able to snatch an early advantage in set two, with the serve of senior Evan Puhl helping them to a 5-2 lead. An ace from junior Daniel Spear made the score 10-7 Geneva a few minutes later, but Chatham put together a 6-1 run to take back the momentum. Kills by freshman Aaron Villi and junior Owen Kelley tied the score at 15-15 midway through the set, but the visitors outscored Geneva 5-1 over the next stretch, going on to take the set 25-21.

The third set was similar to the first in that neither side could gain any separation until Chatham pulled away slightly at 12-8. The Golden Tornadoes worked their way back to tie the score at 16-all, and then briefly took a 19-18 lead on a block by Kelley and junior Daniel Spear. The Cougars outscored Geneva 5-2 over the next stretch, and it seemed certain they would complete the sweep, but junior Alex Smith checked in to serve for the men and guided them to the set victory, helping them earn four straight points to win it 25-23.

Things were much less close in set four, as the GTs jumped ahead 7-2 thanks to a couple of blocks featuring Spear, Kelley, and Villi. That lead grew to 14-7 thanks to a few solid kills by freshman Joshua Stowe, and then all the way to 19-8. Chatham made a furious last-ditch attempt to come back in the set, narrowing the gap to three at one point, but the men held on for the set victory, 25-21, to force a fifth set.

Unfortunately, things went downhill for Geneva after that. Chatham scored five of the first six points of the final frame and led the whole way before finally winning it 15-8, stifling Geneva's hopes for a reverse sweep.

Chatham hit .242 as a team, a mark that would have been much higher had it not been for a rough fourth set. The visitors out-blocked Geneva as well, 11-7.

Kelley was the GTs' leading kill-getter, finishing with 17 on .217 hitting and ten digs. Stowe had a good match with eight kills and 11 digs, while senior Andrew Ubinger finished with a team-high 25 assists alongside nine digs and six kills. Sophomore Christian Parks registered a team-best 12 digs in the loss, while Spear recorded five total blocks. Villi also had a solid performance with 19 assists, eight kills and eight digs.

Things do not get easier for the men, as they host Hiram next Wednesday, February 18, at 7:00 p.m. before taking on nationally-ranked Thiel and Buffalo State over the weekend.

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).