HIRAM, Ohio - March 31, 2021 – Hiram Terriers men's volleyball clinched the No. 1-seed in the 2021 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Men's Volleyball Tournament on Wednesday with their three-set win over the Geneva College Tornadoes in Price Gymnasium.
 
After two quick Hiram points, Geneva took the lead to open the first set on Curtis Thomas' serve. Up 7-4 following a Hiram attack error, the Tornado extended their lead to as large as six, leading 12-6 midway through the first set.
 
But the Terriers made their way back, closing the gap to four, 14-10, on Dangelo Boehner's kill from Jake Lininger and then knotting the score at 16-all behind a 6-2 run on a pair of kills from Andrew Diaz.
 
Geneva retook the lead on a service error and rattled off five of the next seven to take a 22-18 lead, but again the Terriers answered, scoring five-straight to take a 23-22 lead.
 
Geneva's Peter Barbato knotted the score at 23-all, but Tom Supan and Kilvio Montero each smashed kills to give the Terriers a 25-23 victory in set one, and a 1-0 lead.
 
Hiram opened up the early lead in the second set, breaking a 2-2 tie with a 6-2 run to take an 8-4 lead on a kill from Montero, assisted by Diaz. Emerson Spear brought Hiram's lead down to three, before the Terriers extended it all the way out to 18-13 on another Diaz kill.
 
Geneva though, with a 5-0 run of their own, made their way back to even the score at 18-18. The Terriers and Tornadoes again stood tied at 19, before Hiram rattled off three of the next four to take a 22-20 lead.
 
Spear pulled Geneva within one, but Andrew Gard answered with a kill to make it 23-21. A bad set made it 23-22, but Montero and Supan again finished off the set to give the Terriers a 25-22 victory in set two and a 2-0 match lead.
 
Boehner started the third set out hot with a pair of early kills, but the Tornadoes took an early 7-4 lead. However, Hiram, down by three, held Geneva without a point over the next six serves, going on a 7-0 run to take an 11-7 lead they'd never relinquish.
 
A Barbato kill slowed the run, but Hiram went on another run, holding the Tornadoes to just four points the rest of the match to finish off the 25-13 third-set victory and a 3-0 match victory.
 
With the win, the Terriers remain atop the AMCC with a 7-1 (6-0 AMCC) record, while Geneva takes their first conference loss, falling to 9-6 (4-1 AMCC). The Terriers also clinch the No. 1-seed in the AMCC conference tournament, beginning next Wednesday, April 7, and will have a chance to clinch the AMCC Regular Season title for the first time in program history on Saturday against Hilbert (N.Y.)
 
Supan led the Terriers with 21 kills, adding seven digs, while Montero added 11 kills and four digs. Lininger led Hiram with 24 assists, while Diaz added 22, and both Supan, Lininger and Hunter Rock tallied a pair of service aces.
 
Defensively, Grant Phelan notched a team-high 11 digs, while Cory Fischer added eight, and Diaz led Hiram with four blocks.
 
Hiram will wrap up the 2021 regular season on Saturday, April 3 when they host the Hilbert College Hawks in Price Gymnasium at 2:00 p.m.