SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art University volleyball used the energy of a large "Battle of the Halls" home crowd to gain momentum and push past visiting Notre Dame de Namur 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12) on Saturday afternoon inside Kezar Pavilion. A valiant defensive effort led by a career-high 26 digs from junior libero Kabrina Speakman helped the Urban Knights rally from down 2-1 to eventually win the fifth set 15-12.

With the crowd of over 350 a buzz following introductions, ART U controlled the opening set. The Knights started with a service ace by senior setter Rachael Smith and went up 6-2. Kills by freshman outside hitter Stine Raben and junior outside hitter Melissa Brum would help Academy of Art eventually double that lead to 16-8. The margin maintained for the remainder of the set until the crowd erupted on Smith's kill at 25-16.

The Argonauts fought back against that momentum, getting ahead 12-3 in the second frame then responding to the Knights' 11-1 surge with five unanswered points for a 25-18 set victory. An even 1-1 in sets, the teams played a back-and-forth third set with the advantage on the line. Two kills by Brum brought ART U to within one at 20-19, but NDNU took four of the final six points to win 25-22.

Much like the opening set, Academy of Art came out hot in the fourth, getting multiple putaways from senior outside hitter Isabel Emrich. A 5-1 lead eventually grew to 13-8 as sophomore middle blocker Amorelle Applin put down multiple kills. Notre Dame de Namur would come to within two points midway through, but errors and four straight points by the Knights down the stretch forced the fifth set after a 25-17 final in the fourth.

The decisive fifth set saw an early 6-3 advantage for the ART U, but NDNU steadily came back and soon tied it 8-8. Three more ties followed with the match hanging in the balance before a service error, two kills by Brum, and the final hammer by Emrich gave Academy of Art fans much to celebrate in the 3-2 victory.

ART U rises to 6-8 overall and 2-4 in PacWest play with the victory. Brum finished with 20 kills and 13 digs, working in tandem with Raben who posted 14 kills and a season-high 17 digs. Speakman delivered the aforementioned career-high 26 digs while Smith stuffed the stat sheet, offering 46 assists, five kills on a .714 hitting percentage, nine digs, and five block assists. Applin had her best match as an Urban Knight with eighth kills while Elisaia added seven block assists to tie her career-high.

The loss puts NDNU at 6-9 on the season and 2-4 in conference play. Bianca Alvarez matched Brum with 20 kills and she was supported by 17 kills from Dominique Tarrant. Five Argonauts had double-digit digs led by 22 from Carina Quintero.

Academy of Art next matches up with PacWest rival Dominican on Oct. 7 as they begin a four-match road swing.