The 10th season of Academy of Art University volleyball was one of dedication to one another. United through challenges that came their way, the 2017 Urban Knights achieved victories in multiple five-set non-conference battles, accomplished an impressive comeback win in San Diego, and bid farewell to a pair of accomplished four-year seniors in head coach Ray Batalon's fourth year at the program's helm.

"We're really proud of how well our team handled all our adversity this season," said Batalon. "Despite all the challenges we faced throughout the year, the players came to practice each day willing to learn and give their best effort. We thought the biggest step we took this year was our team culture. We developed a much deeper understanding of one another. Much of the offseason, we spent considerable time addressing this part of our program. Although it didn't translate to wins this season, we felt that it laid a foundation for the future of our program."

Starting the year on the road, ART U played nine sets of action against Humboldt State across two days and split the series. The Knights' Sept. 1 win came at the end of five close sets and featured a season-high 17 kills from freshman outside hitter Ashley Pawlak.

Academy of Art then entered the Division II West Region Volleyball Showcase where they began by attempting come-from-behind efforts against Cal Poly Pomona (Sept. 7) and Alaska (Sept. 8). Those would fall short and Cal State Monterey Bay gained a victory over ART U (Sept. 8) as well, but the Showcase ended on a triumphant note with the Knights overthrowing tourney host SF State 3-2 behind five players with statistical career-highs including senior outside hitter Bailey Soolsma's 23 kills and Pawlak's 30 digs.

"The wins over Humboldt and SF State were big in terms of our ability to keep fighting," said Batalon. "It felt great to get those wins on the road for our team." 

Staying in the Bay Area for the start of Pacific West Conference play, Academy opened with Notre Dame de Namur on Sept. 15 then turned around and hosted Dominican on Sept. 16. ART U's blocking was strong despite a loss to NDNU and an incredible rally by the Penguins helped them overcome a two-set lead for the Knights in a match that saw freshman outside hitter Kimiah Johnson break out for a season-high 20 kills.

In Hawaii for an abbreviated roadtrip this year, Academy of Art began to see its various offensive threats emerge. Despite losses to UH Hilo (Sept. 22) and Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 23), it was clear that Soolsma, Johnson, and others were starting to find their rhythm. ART U's diverse attack was then on display in a Sept. 27 victory over UC Santa Cruz where Soolsma and Johnson each had 17 kills and sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Argelander added 10. Pawlak would also post the second-most digs in the program's single-match history with 36 through four sets.

After being barely edged by Fresno Pacific in five sets on Sept. 29, the Knights headed out on their toughest roadtrip of the season. A tour of Southern California began with California Baptist, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II at the time and the eventual No. 1 team in the country, on Oct. 4, continued with then-ranked No. 24 Azusa Pacific on Oct. 5, and ended at Point Loma on Oct. 7. Bouncing back from defeats at the hands of the Lancers and Cougars, ART U overcame a 1-0 PLNU start by winning three straight sets, seeing middle blocker Sadie Emery gain PacWest Freshman of the Week for her career-high 11 kills on a .556 hitting percentage in the match, and having senior middle blocker Margaret Winkler become the program's new career blocks leader in the process.

"The win over Point Loma was another good road victory for us," said Batalon. "Sadie gave us a big lift offensively and she demonstrated her potential for the future. Earning the career block record for Margaret is a testament to the all the hard work she's put in the gym."

Despite the success in San Diego, a tough homestand followed for the Knights with HPU, Concordia, Dixie State, and Biola all sweeping ART U in San Francisco. That streak was broken, however, when Academy of Art shut out Holy Names 3-0 in Oakland on Oct. 22. Road rematches went to Dominican and Fresno Pacific as October turned into November and the Knights were once again in a five-set dogfight on Nov. 7 with NDNU in town. Although the Argos came away with the victory, ART U established new season-highs with 13.0 blocks and 119 digs (the second-most in the program's single-game history).

In the final stretch of the season, Chaminade and Dixie State both ended up defeating Academy of Art, but the Knights used a complete team effort and their second-highest hitting percentage of the season to take down Holy Names on Nov. 15, winning the season series.

Point Loma prevailed in the Knights' Nov. 17 season finale, but not before Academy of Art celebrated its senior class of Bailey Soolsma and Margaret Winkler. Both finished among the program's career leaders in multiple statistical categories after four years in the ART U black and red.  At the season's end, Soolsma was named All-PacWest Team Honorable Mention after ranking seventh in the PacWest in kills per set (3.23).

"I can't say enough about how much we will miss our outgoing seniors," said Batalon. "They have given so much of themselves for the betterment of our program and we will miss them very much."