Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Grand Junction, CO -- Academy of Art University women's volleyball went for the kill to conclude its participation in the Holiday Inn Crossroads Classic on Saturday night. ART U put away Colorado Mesa 3-1 (27-25, 11-25, 25-21, 25-23) with an exciting fourth set finish and a consistent defensive effort. Despite four Urban Knights posting double-digit kills in the first match, Fort Lewis edged out the Urban Knights 3-2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-10).

“The feeling after the second match was a feeling of complete cohesive contributions from everyone: Coaching staff, those sitting on the bench, and the players on the court,” Head Coach Allison Magner said. “That's what we've been striving for the last two weeks. The kids finally understood that and it felt very good. They believed in themselves tonight.”

Coming off a five-set match the night before, Academy of Art appeared headed in that direction once again against Fort Lewis as each team took a set to begin. In the first, the Skyhawks and Knights battled through six ties before a four-point lead was gained by FLC. ART U would later refocus, coming out of a timeout with a quick burst to bring them within one, 18-17. Fort Lewis, however, pulled away to win the first set 25-20.

The second frame was a back-and-forth dogfight until its waning moments. After being down early, Academy of Art used service aces by four different Urban Knights at various key moments in the set to come back. A well-placed serve by freshman outside hitter Julie Cremoux capped the stretch of aces and was part of a 6-0 run by ART U to close out the second on top, 25-18. Freshman middle blocker Holli "Ka'ena" Kaina had five of her 18 kills in the second.

An even match to that point, the third set was arguably the closest yet. Key kills by sophomore outside hitter Mykal "Myke" Vailu'u kept the Knights in front early, but soon things were tied 19-19. It was anyone's set down the stretch though FLC capitalized on miscues and took the 25-23 win. Uninterested in throwing in the towel after such a hard-fought set, Academy of Art worked hard to forge a 16-10 advantage midway through the fourth frame. Getting ART U to that point were kills by a variety of faces including Vailu'u, senior outside hitter Leinani Keanini, junior right side Angela Heath, and senior middle blocker Amy Bush. The Urban Knights never relinquished the advantage for the remainder of the set and won 25-21 on a put-away by Keanini.

In the decisive fifth set, the teams battled to a standstill at 5-5 before the Skyhawks executed a 7-3 run to push ahead. Academy of Art responded with a valiant effort, denying any string of opponent serves, but ultimately it was a 15-10 FLC victory which finished the match.


It was all about shutting the door in ART U's final contest in the tournament, an evening faceoff against Colorado Mesa, one of the tournament hosts. An early 6-1 Knights advantage was created in the opening set, but the frame eventually became another intense battle with 12 ties before a winner could be decided. The 27-25 margin came thanks to back-to-back kills by Keanini off assists from freshman setter Lehuanani "Kawai" Oleole.

Heath had a fair share of kills in the beginning stages of the second set, but a confident run by the Mavericks brought the home squad to its 25-11 victory to even the sets. Academy of Art did not wait to take command in the third with a 10-5 lead quickly in their favor. Kills by Heath and Oleole kept the pressure on and though CMU came to within one point at 22-21, the Knights stayed in front and took a 25-21 win.

A running theme during this 2011 ART U season has been finishing and Academy of Art rallied back to prevent a fifth set by winning the match in the fourth. Down by three points on multiple occasions midway through, the Knights hung tough. The visitors sniffed their opportunity when behind 22-19 and then ended on an impressive 6-1 burst which sent them home with the 25-23 set victory and the match.

“This morning, we started off strong, but we were not executing our blocking very well which hurt us in the end,” Coach Magner said. “People were contributing with double-digit kills and digs, but we were just lacking in one area: our block. After that match we needed to persevere and stay competitive. [The second match] was kind of similar to last weekend where we built and built against a strong opponent. We didn't let it go five sets, we got a lot of touches on the ball, and our defense was able to turn those into offensive kills.”

Led by an 18-kill performance from Kaina in the first set, the Knights pushed Fort Lewis to the limit. Oleole delivered 50 assists in that match, setting up a total of four ART U players with double-digit kills. After having recorded 80 digs or more just five times in the program's first three seasons, Academy of Art did it twice on Saturday.

“Defense wins games,” Coach Magner said. “It has been a goal of ours ever since last year ended. When I took over last season, we had to go back to the fundamentals. Defense is what won us this match. It was about sacrificing yourself and getting a hand on the ball and we finally played relentless defense.”

Keanini provided double-doubles in both matches (17 kills, 13 digs vs. FLC, 12 kills, 19 digs vs. CMU). In the victory over Colorado Mesa, Academy of Art got 14 kills from Heath, 11 from Bush, and a solid 27 digs from senior libero Nicolette Hagan. ART U is now 2-6 overall this year.

“I was consistently proud of everyone this weekend, but Lei is one player who never shuts down. You can always rely on her and I think everyone else fed off that attitude,” Coach Magner said. “Kawai's assist numbers have been off the charts. For a young player to come in and take charge of this team, she has shown she is a true competitor. That kid has heart and desire coming out of her ears. She's willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and really showed her competitive side in that second match.”

For Fort Lewis, Kristin Stephan offered a team-high 10 kills and seven block assists. Supporting Stephan defensively were Hannah Starbuck and Jenna Kinzer who combined to log 29 digs. Ciara Krening had 29 assists for the 2-5 Skyhawks.

Though no Colorado Mesa player achieved double-digit kills in the match, Antionette McCormick and Rachael Beaty each had nine. Jordyn Moody added 31 assists while Megan Rush provided 17 digs. The Mavericks are now 3-5 on the season.

For everything the team accomplished in the first two tournaments of the season, Coach Magner aimed the spotlight on her coaching staff, “Having a staff that is so loyal and willing to do whatever it takes to produce a winning lineup and team; I can't say enough about them. They helped us get through this weekend. It's incredible to have a staff that complements one another's strengths and weaknesses.”

It is the Urban Knights' return home to Kezar Pavilion which comes next. On Sept. 15, Academy of Art will face William Jessup in a non-conference home opener followed by Sept. 17 meeting with Dominican to commence Pacific West Conference play.