BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – After a lackluster first two sets for the Geneva men's volleyball team against Thiel on Wednesday night, the Golden Tornadoes battled back to win the third frame before seeing their comeback attempt fall short in the fourth. They took the Tomcats down to the wire in the fourth set, but wound up losing the match 12-25, 16-25, 26-24, 23-25. With the loss, Geneva's record slips to 8-15 overall, 2-6 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play, while Thiel moves up to 17-8 overall, 7-1 in the PAC.

Things did not begin well for the GTs, who saw the Tomcats soar out in front with an 8-1 advantage through the first nine points. That lead quickly grew to 15-5, and Thiel didn't miss a beat for the rest of the set, winning it 25-12.

Set two began a little more evenly, although Thiel snagged a 9-5 edge in the first few minutes. Two kills each from junior Owen Kelley and freshman Joshua Stowe helped the men pull within one point, 11-10, but that was as close as they could get for the rest of the set. The Tomcats immediately struck back with five straight points and won the set 25-16.

A service ace from Kelley tied the third set 3-3 early on, and the Golden Tornadoes put together a 6-0 run a few minutes later behind some excellent serving by Stowe to claim an 11-6 advantage. Thiel did not falter, coming all the way back to gain a 22-21 lead late in the set, but Geneva closed on a 5-2 run to snatch back the set, getting a solo block from junior Daniel Spear to win the final point.

Three early kills by Stowe sent the GTs out in front 4-2 in set four, and then back-to-back Spear kills a few moments later pushed that lead to 8-4. Thiel battled back to knot the score at 12-all, and the two side traded points over the next several minutes. Sophomore Matthew DeGraaf recorded two kills late in the frame, making the score 23-23, but the Tomcats scored the final two points to win the set as well as the match overall.

Kelley was the team leader in kills, notching 14 to go with six digs. Stowe put together a nine-kill, seven-dig effort, while senior Andrew Ubinger and sophomore Christian Parks tied for the team-lead with 15 digs apiece. Ubinger also set up 31 assists across the four sets, the most from either team.

The GTs go on the road for their next two matches, with the first one coming at Grove City this Saturday, March 21. After that, they will travel to face Saint Vincent before returning home for a Senior Day clash with Bethany the following 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).