BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva men's volleyball team suffered a frustrating sweep against Hiram College Wednesday night, falling to the Terriers in straight sets 25-27, 18-25, 20-25. The GTs had set point in the first frame with a chance to go up one set to none, but they could not finish the job and seemed to be off their groove the rest of the way. Geneva's record drops to 6-10 (0-2) following the loss.

The Terriers didn't do anything flashy to start the match, but they gradually built up their advantage in set one until they were leading 10-5. Consecutive kills by junior Daniel Spear, junior Owen Kelley, and freshman Joshua Stowe brought Geneva within 13-12 a few minutes later, and the men managed to sneak in front 18-17 late in the set. A kill from senior Andrew Ubinger gave the Golden Tornadoes set point at 24-22, but Hiram outscored them 5-1 over the next stretch of play to secure a 27-25 set victory.

Hiram scored the first four points of the next frame to gain an immediate advantage in the second set. The GTs stuck around for a while, keeping things close, but the Terriers outscored them 7-2 during one stretch midway through the set to seize control. They went on to win the set 25-18.

Back-to-back kills by senior Evan Puhl gave the men an early 3-2 edge in set three, but again Hiram responded, going in front 8-5 soon afterward. As was the case in set two, Geneva struggled to close the gap for a while, but eventually a 5-0 Golden Tornado run, featuring two Spear blocks with Stowe and Ubinger, tied the set at 15. Again, Hiram had an answer for the GTs' run, gaining an edge shortly after and maintaining it through till the end to win the third and final set 25-20.

Kelley finished with a team-high 10 kills for Geneva, including five in the first set. Ubinger led the team in both assists (20) and digs (10), earning seven kills of his own, while Puhl recorded seven kills on .500 hitting.

The men travel to Thiel College on Friday for a tri-match hosted by the #24-ranked Tomcats. After facing Thiel in the first match at 4:00 p.m., Geneva will turn right around for a contest with #21 Buffalo State at 6:00 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).