LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 24) – The Saint Vincent College men's volleyball team was defeated 3-0 by Geneva College in each teams' Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opener in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
Set scores were 25-22, 25-22 and 25-20.
Matthew Minkin and Shawn McSwiggen each recorded double-doubles to lead the Bearcats (1-1, 0-1 AMCC), with Minkin going for 13 kills and 10 digs, and McSwiggen 11 kills and 11 digs. Minkin hit at an impressive .423 clip, committing just two attack errors, while McSwiggen led his team with two total blocks. Zach Wyant dished 29 assists to go with nine digs, while Matthew Klasnic was a third Bearcat to reach double figures in digs with 10.
In the opening set, the Bearcats took a quick 2-0 lead on kills by McSwiggen and Wyant, before the Golden Tornadoes responded with six unanswered points to make it 6-2. Zebadiah Wyant and McSwiggin countered with kills, and from there, the teams traded points, with Geneva's lead hovering between two and four points over the next several rallies. The Golden Tornadoes would then go on another lengthy run to open up a 19-11 lead, but the Bearcats refused to go away. Minkin put down back-to-back kills to cut the gap to 21-16, before a pair of Geneva errors pulled SVC to within three at 22-19. Three more Geneva errors made it a one-point game, 23-22, but the hosts would score the final two points to close out the 25-22 win.
The teams went back-and-forth throughout the early stages of the second set, with the Bearcats taking leads of 4-2, 5-3, 7-5 and 8-6. Minkin and McSwiggen had two kills over the span, while Zachary Mumpower and Zebadiah Wyant each had one kill. Geneva countered with a 5-1 run to take an 11-9 lead, before a Zebadiah Wyant kill, Michael Pollak ace and Geneva error put SVC back in front, 12-11. The teams traded points over the next several serves, with SVC leading 19-18, before Geneva scored three straight to take a two-point lead. A McSwiggen block and Geneva error made it a one-point game, 22-21, but Geneva scored three of the final four points to take the set, 25-22.
The teams traded six ties and six lead changes early on in the third set, with the Bearcats taking a 10-9 lead on a Pollak kill and a 12-11 advantage on a Geneva error. The Golden Tornadoes would twice take a two-point lead, but Minkin put down two kills and McSwiggen one to forge an 18-all tie. Geneva would then regroup, ending the set on a 7-2 run to close out the victory.
Jake Williams led Geneva with nine kills and three aces, while Byron Spear totaled nine kills and two blocks.
The Bearcats will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28, traveling to a doubleheader at Penn State-Behrend. SVC will face Concordia in a non-conference match at 12:30 p.m., before facing the host Lions in an AMCC bout at 2:30 p.m.
