BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace men's volleyball team hosted a non-conference match against Geneva (Pa.) College, defeating the Golden Tornadoes 3-1 by set scores of 25-27, 25-15, 25-16, and 25-18.
BW (3-3) was led by sophomore All-MCVL outside hitter Michael Beard (Hilliard/Darby) as posted a double-double, tallying 15 kills and 10 digs. Beard also had four total blocks and two service aces. Sophomore setter Brandon Long (Hinckley/Metea Valley, Ill.) also had an impressive night, finished with a double-double (38 assists and 10 digs). Long also added a career high six service aces. Freshman libero/defensive specialist Andrew Soriano (Aurora, Ill./Benet Academy) also finished with a career high in digs, totaling 21.
Despite dropping the first set by a 27-25 score to Geneva (3-7), the Yellow Jackets turned things around for the remaining three sets, earning wins by 25-15, 25-16, and 25-18 scores. BW earned the edge on the offensive end, outhitting the Tornadoes 48 kills to 39. The Yellow Jackets also hit .231 as a team to Geneva's .099 average.
On the defensive end, BW also grabbed the advantage in digs (71-44) and total blocks (7-6). The Yellow Jackets also totaled 10 service aces in the match. The teams shared 22 tie scores and there were seven lead changes.
Other notable Yellow Jackets were:
- Sophomore outside hitter Nick Irelan (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) tallied nine kills and 15 digs.
- Freshman right side hitter Michael Devlin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) earned seven kills and eight digs.
- Sophomore right side hitter Chris Moehl (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino) added eight kills.
The Yellow Jackets return to play tomorrow, February 5 as they travel to Hiram, Ohio for two non-conference matches. BW will take on Hiram College at 1:00 p.m. and Eastern Mennonite (Va.) University at 3:00 p.m. These matches will take place in Price Gymnasium where no outside spectators are allowed at this time.
