SAN FRANCISCO — Growth and advancement symbolized the 2015 Academy of Art University women's tennis season. The Urban Knights had made the postseason and received national recognition before, but it wasn't enough. And under first-year head coach Nicole Briceño-Garzón, ART U was determined to do even better.?
 
"Overall I feel very good about the progress we made this season," said Briceño-Garzón. "We really stepped it up a notch in our practices and in terms of work ethic so our performance during competition and the results we achieved were all because of that. Jumping in so quickly, things can go either way, but the team really fought hard throughout the season and this helped us significantly."
 
The Urban Knights opened their 2015 campaign with three consecutive wins in mid-February. A pair of 9-0 sweeps (Dominican, Cal State Stanislaus) sandwiched a 6-3 triumph over then-ranked No. 23 Sonoma State. ART U's home opener against the Warriors featured a thrilling comeback by senior Nina Gajdosikova and sophomore Annika Schneider at No. 1 doubles as well as the third singles victory in straight sets by senior Jenny Johansson. Gajdosikova and Schneider would finish the year ranked No. 22 nationally and No. 4 in the region, marking the highest placements for any Academy of Art doubles team.
 
A roadtrip to Santa Cruz on Feb. 27 saw the end of ART U's season-opening win streak with a hard-fought 6-3 loss to NCAA Division III member Claremont-Mudd Scripps. The match, held at a neutral site on the campus of UC Santa Cruz, pit the Knights, undefeated and ranked No. 12 at the time, against an Athenas team that was also undefeated and No. 5 in DIII. Academy of Art would bounce back with another home victory on March 9, this one a 6-3 result hosting Point Loma.
 
"Our loss to Claremont was one of two moments in our season that were huge turning points and made us compete better," said Briceño-Garzón. "Claremont is a tough team and we did not play well in this match. I think it was a huge eye-opener for everyone and I believe this loss really helped us fight hard for the next couple of matches."
 
Up next was a three-part roadtrip to Hawaii in which the Knights faced two of the top-six teams in the country with No. 4 BYU-Hawaii and No. 6 Hawaii Pacific. The Seasiders topped ART U 8-1 on March 18, but the trip was evened by a sweep of Chaminade the following day. Wrapping up in Kailua on Mar. 21, Academy of Art stepped into the first of what would be three unforgettable battles with a Hawaii Pacific team they had never beaten previously. The Sharks eked out a 5-4 win on this occasion, but the competitive fire on both sides would continue to burn into the postseason.
 
"The second turning point was our loss to HPU during spring break," said Briceño-Garzón. "This loss was a heartbreaker, however, it gave the team lots of confidence moving forward. This was exactly what we needed to play against the following tough conference rivals. When it came to game time, we knew we could do it and just had to rely on fighting hard for every point."
 
It did not take long for the Urban Knights to return to their winning ways, besting a top-20 UC San Diego team in front of a large home crowd on March 27. That victory gave way to five more wins as ART U topped Stanislaus 7-2 in the road rematch, defeated then-ranked No. 18 Azusa Pacific and put away Cal State LA 6-3. Junior Michelle Dandik Zaale and freshman Dorota Markowska were among the doubles highlights in that stretch, remaining undefeated together through the regular season. No. 17 Dandik Zaale was one of three Knights (No. 6 Gajdosikova, No. 10 Zavarcikova) among the West Region's top 20 singles players at the end of the year.
 
"I am really proud of the fight we displayed throughout the season and it was great to see stellar moments from everyone. If we continue to move forward and take steps into consistently having the right mindset every day the team will keep getting better."
 
Academy of Art also maintained a perfect record at home through two more matches against Bay Area competitors from the Pacific West Conference. A sweep of Dominican on April 10 was backed up by a 6-3 win over Holy Names on Senior Day in which teammates and fans alike had the opportunity to celebrate Gajdosikova, Johansson and Kinga Kurczbuch.
 
"Our seniors were a huge piece to our success because their leadership both on and off the court continued to be very strong," said Briceño-Garzón. "Their work ethic helped the team push harder in tough moments. I truly believe that everyone is capable of being a leader, but like everything, you have to work for it. I feel we made big strides this year as a whole in this department and a lot of good qualities will remain with the team."
 
Following a 6-1 loss to NCAA Division I member San Jose State at the tail end of the regular season, ART U geared up for the PacWest Conference Championship Tournament in a return to Surprise, Ariz. The opening round matchup was with Sonoma State, whom the Knights made short work of thanks to two doubles wins and singles victories by junior Lucia Zavarcikova, Johansson, and Schneider for the 5-1 final. No. 9 Zavarcikova and Johansson would go on to join No. 4 Gajdosikova and Schneider among the top 10 doubles teams in the West Region.
 
In what would become Academy of Art University's greatest moment in program history, the only art school in the NCAA delivered another unthinkable achievement by reaching the tournament finals with a dramatic 5-3 triumph over Hawaii Pacific in the semis. Down 5-0 in a decisive third set of what was a crucial singles match, Zavarcikova came all the way back to win 7-5 and push ART U into its first-ever PacWest Championship final. There, the Knights faced BYU-Hawaii once again, but fell 5-1 in the Seasiders' run to their ninth straight title.
 
"We just have to keep reminding ourselves what we are trying to do here at ART U," said Briceño-Garzón. "I am very excited for our newcomers because I expect them to take charge and continue to lead by example. In general, I am just very excited to see the upperclassmen step up to the occasion and keep pushing the team to bigger and better things."
 
Thanks to its best-ever finish at the PacWest Championship, the Urban Knights earned their best regional ranking in program history. ART U was listed as No. 2 behind top-ranked BYU-Hawaii, leading to the opportunity to host an NCAA Regional for the first time. After making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2014 and having to trek halfway across the Pacific Ocean to play HPU, ART U hosted the Sharks in a third and decisive matchup. Hawaii Pacific would earn the victory, eliminating the Urban Knights for the second year in a row with a 5-3 win.
 
"Hosting the first round of the NCAA Tournament was one of the best experiences both this team and I have had thus far," said Briceño-Garzón. "It was a constant reminder of everything we had put in this year. It was huge for our program and just a small glimpse of what we can accomplish so I think it definitely will give us some confidence for the future.
 
"To have so many people at a match on your home turf was really rewarding for the team and for the program in general. The match obviously did not come out the way we wanted, but I believe with more preparation and experience, we will come back stronger."
 
For its successes, the postseason awards poured in for ART U. Five players earned All-PacWest honors, with Gajdosikova earning first team honors in singles and doubles. The team earned three awards at the second annual ARTYs, taking home recognitions for Highest Team GPA, Best Moment (defeating HPU at the PacWest Championship) and Team of the Year. The academic success was also recognized individually when seven players earned PacWest Academic All-Conference accolades.
 
Despite the graduations of Gajdosikova, Johansson and Kurczbuch, the Urban Knights will return two All-PacWest players in Schneider (first team doubles) and Dandik Zaale (second team doubles), as well as three Academic All-Conference players. The competition won't get any softer for the Urban Knights in 2016. Seven West Region teams graced the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's final top-30 rankings. ART U was 8-4 against top-30 teams in 2015 and will look to again improve upon its already strong success.
 
"I am extremely excited to get the year going again and the future of ART U Tennis," said Briceño-Garzón. "It's always tough to top seasons like the ones this team has had these past two years, but I personally like to think more of the process and what we can learn to get better; one step, one day at a time.
 
"This team is extremely competitive with ambitious goals, so to achieve what we want to achieve it's going to take a lot of dedication and hard work. The great thing is that this team can do it and this past season was evident of that."