BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team had a chance late in all but one of the six sets it played on Saturday in a home tri-match with Roberts Wesleyan and Lancaster Bible, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't find a way to finish off any victories.  Geneva lost in straight sets to Division II Roberts Wesleyan (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) and Lancaster Bible (27-25, 26-24, 25-18) to drop to 6-7 on the season.

In the first match of the day against Roberts Wesleyan, all three sets went down to the wire, but all three Roberts pulled out at the end. 

In the first set, a kill from junior Owen Kelley knotted the score at 20-20, but the Redhawks scored the final five points to win 25-20.

In the second set, neither team led by more than two points most of the set.  Kills from freshman Joshua Stowe and seniors Andrew Ubinger and Evan Puhl gave Geneva a 22-21 edge late, but the Redhawks finished the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-23.

The third set followed a similar script.  This time Roberts actually pulled ahead 16-11 midway through the set before Geneva rallied.  Two kills from Stowe, a kill from Kelley and a block from Puhl were part of an 8-2 run that gave the Golden Tornadoes a 22-21 lead late.  However, the Redhawks finished off the match with the last four points to win 25-22.

Stowe led the offense with seven kills, Puhl and Kelley each posted six kills, while Ubinger added five kills and 15 assists.  As a team Geneva hit .154, compared to a .298 hitting percentage for Roberts.

In the second match of the day against Lancaster Bible, Geneva was again in each set most of the way.  In the first set, two kills from Kelley, along with kills from Ubinger and junior Daniel Spear, gave the men a quick 6-3 advantage.  The Chargers quickly pulled even, and the set was very tight the rest of the way.  Another kill from Kelley gave Geneva set point, 24-23, but the Chargers closed on a 4-1 run to win 27-25.

The Chargers jumped ahead early in the second set, 8-4, and led the almost the entire set, eventually stretching their advantage to 22-16 late.  Geneva rallied, though, behind the serving of Ubinger.  A kill from Ubinger kicked off an 8-1 run, with Ubinger also providing two aces in the rally, and Geneva's block, which was very all strong all match, provided additional points.  That gave the men another set point, 24-23, but Geneva couldn't find that elusive last point.  The Chargers scored the final three points to win 26-24.

The third set was the only set of the day that got away from Geneva late.  After kills from Kelley and freshman Aaron Villi pulled the men within 15-13 midway through the set, Lancaster Bible pulled away to win 25-18 to finish off the match.

Kelley led the attack with ten kills, while Puhl was huge defensively, tying his career high with nine blocks.  Ubinger and Spear each added five blocks as Geneva finished with a season high 15 blocks, an impressive total for a three-set match.  Sophomore Christian Parks led the team with 11 digs, while Ubinger totaled 17 assists and 10 digs.

Geneva will continue its homestand on Tuesday when the men host Penn State Behrend for a 7:00 p.m. match.  The Golden Tornadoes will then open conference play next Saturday with a home match against Chatham.