Academy of Art University Athletics

The ART U women's tennis team had a .500 road trip at Grand Canyon, but one Urban Knight stood out from the rest, as junior Amal Ben El Hadj excelled in singles and doubles play throughout the tournament. Despite her 3-3 record in singles, Ben El Hadj victories were dominant, and her losses competitive.

The native of Tunisia mastered her opponents in both morning matches, defeating Hilo's Emelie Laussen 6-3, 6-0 on Friday and Western New Mexico's Nikolina Vukadin 6-1, 7-5 on Saturday, before finishing off her tournament with a resounding 6-3, 6-1 triumph over UCSD's Melinda Chu.

In doubles play, Ben El Hadj teamed up with Kunkanda Phukchampa to go 4-2 in the desert, including three straight wins to finish off the tournament. The pair beat Hawaii Hilo (8-1), Western New Mexico (8-2), Chaminade (8-3), and UCSD (8-6) to stay on top when it came to doubles matches.

"Amal continues her steady play," said head coach Jerry Peach. "She hangs around each point and has the chance to win each game because she makes her opponent play. There are no easy points when facing Amal."