BELMONT, Calif. – It was not the Pacific West Conference opener ART U volleyball had wanted on Saturday night inside Walter Gleason Gym. Despite a valiant effort particularly in the second set, Academy of Art fell 3-0 to Notre Dame de Namur.

A 4-4 start to the first set ended up seeing NDNU go ahead 19-7 on repeated kills by Bianca Alvarez. The Argonauts finished with five consecutive points and won 25-9. An evenly played third set turned in favor of the home team after a 10-1 run. Despite facing an uphill 23-12 score, the Urban Knights rattled off four straight and continued that momentum when facing set point. ART U then fought off seven consecutive points that would have ended the frame, using kills by sophomore Amorelle Applin and freshman Sydney Koehler as well as a service ace from freshman Alana Lucas. In the end, however, NDNU gained a 2-0 advantage by winning the set 25-23.

The Argos got ahead 6-1 in the third set, but 10 of the next 11 points went ART U's way, giving the visitors an 11-7 lead. After NDNU won eight of the 10 points that followed, they never relinquished their  advantage, taking the set 25-18 and earning a sweep in the match.

ART U falls to 4-5 overall and 0-1 in PacWest play. The Knights were led by seven kills from Brum, 15 assists from Smith, and 15 digs by junior libero Kabrina Speakman.

NDNU is now 5-5 on the year and 1-0 in conference play. The Argos were led by Alvarez and her 17 kills as well as 10 digs.

Academy of Art continues PacWest play in Hawaii next weekend with a three-part roadtrip featuring UH Hilo (Sept. 24), Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 25), and BYU-Hawaii (Sept. 26).