The Geneva College men's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history, but the Golden Tornadoes saw their season come to and end at No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday evening in the first round of the tournament. Stevens won in straight sets 25-11, 25-12, 25-15. Geneva wraps up it season with a 19-15 overall record while achieving the program's first AMCC Championship.
Stevens came into the match with as impressive a resume as any team in NCAA Division III, and the Ducks took control of the first set quickly. Stevens jumped ahead 16-2 as Geneva could never get into a rhythm against the powerful Ducks. Freshman Andrew Ubingergot Geneva's first kill of the match on the next point, but Stevens finished off the set, 25-11.
Geneva took its only lead of the match in set two, 4-3, behind back-to-back service aces from junior Emerson Spear. An ace from junior Carter Milroy a few minutes later leveled the score at 8-8. Stevens took over from there, though, going on a 10-1 to take control, winning the second set 25-12.
The Golden Tornadoes tried to stay close in the third set, trailing just 6-5 early, but the Ducks were just too talented. An 8-2 run gave Stevens a 13-7 edge, and Geneva never got closer than four points the rest of the set, falling 25-15.
The Golden Tornadoes could never get their attack going, finishing the match just 12 kills, along with 20 errors, for a -0.113 hitting percentage. Stevens, on the other hand, hit .414. Ubinger finished with a team-high four kills.
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The Penn State Behrend men's volleyball team fell 3-2 in the 2023 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship match to New Jersey City University on Saturday afternoon in the Junker Center. The Lions defeated St. Elizabeth University in the first match of the day, 3-0.
Match One: Penn State Behrend 3, St. Elizabeth 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-13)
The Lions hit .413 as a team, knocking down 43 kills on 75 attempts to sweep St. Elizabeth. Dylan Buzalka led with 10 kills, while Kevin Skweres tallied six kills all in the second set. Alex Jackson registered 28 assists, three kills, two digs and one ace. Adrian Martinez managed eight digs and two assists. Five different players registered two or more kills in the first set to put Behrend ahead 1-0. Buzalka added four and Owen Wienczkowski added three for a 25-19 victory. Skweres took over the second set, posting three straight kills in as many attempts to start. Behrend never trailed in the second set for a 25-20 decision.
Kyle Hoffman and Mark Sandford tallied three kills apiece in the final six points to help the Lions get a 25-13 win. Caden Mealy dished out seven assists in the third set.
Match Two: New Jersey City 3, Penn State Behrend 2 (16-25, 21-25, 29-27, 25-19, 15-9)
Behrend held a 16-7 advantage in kills in the first set to post a comfortable win at 25-16. Wienczkowski had four kills and Jackson handed out 13 assist on the 16 kills. The Gothic Knights had a closer second set with 14 ties and four lead changes, but favored the Lions in the end 25-21. Hoffman registered five kills in the second set, finishing with a team-lead 18. New Jersey City won in extra points in the third, sparking new life for the final two sets. The Gothic Knights had 11 team blocks. Jackson had a double-double with 48 assists and 12 digs. Wienczkowski tallied 12 kills and five blocks, while Cameron Schleicher recorded 12 kills on 21 attempts for a .429 attack percentage.