GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team won the first set of its match at Grove City on Saturday afternoon, but the Wolverines responded with three close set victories to win 21-25, 25-21, 28-26, 25-22. Geneva is now 8-16 overall, 2-7 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.
Geneva used an 8-1 run to grab an 11-7 advantage early in the first set. Freshman Aaron Villi and Joshua Stowe each had aces, while senior Andrew Ubinger contributed two kills and a block in the run. The Golden Tornadoes eventually stretched their lead to 20-14 after a kill and another ace from Stowe, and sophomore Matthew DeGraaf finished off the set, 25-21, with a kill.
In set two, kills from Stowe, DeGraaf and junior Owen Kelley helped Geneva grab a 14-11 lead midway through the set. However, Grove City answered with an 8-1 run to gain control of the set, and the Golden Tornadoes never got closer than three points in falling 25-21.
The third set was the tightest one of the match. Two kills from junior Daniel Spear gave Geneva a 17-15 advantage before Grove City strung together five straight points. The Golden Tornadoes battled back to tie the score on a block from DeGraaf and senior Evan Puhl at 23-23, and the teams alternated the next six points. The last point for Geneva came on a kill from Kelley to pull Geneva back even at 26-26, but the Wolverines scored the next two points to win 28-26.
The fourth set was similarly close, with kills from Kelley and freshman Hunter Mozley pulling Geneva within 19-18 late. However, Grove City scored the next three points and held off the Golden Tornadoes to close out the match 25-22.
Spear led a balanced offensive attack with a career-high ten kills on a .474 hitting percentage. Kelley and DeGraaf both added nine kills, Stowe eight kills and Puhl seven kills. Ubinger totaled 39 assists, 10 digs, five kills and four blocks. Geneva outhit Grove City .166 to .146 and had four more kills. Sophomore Christian Parks led the team with 18 digs.
Geneva heads next to first place Saint Vincent on Wednesday night for a 7:00 p.m. match with the Bearcats.
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).
