Match #13
ART U Urban Knights (4-8, 1-3 PacWest) vs. UH Hilo Vulcans (5-2, 2-1 PacWest)
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Tobin Gymnasium
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #14
ART U Urban Knights (4-8, 1-3 PacWest) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (2-9, 1-2 PacWest)
Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 2 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

VULCANS, SHARKS NEXT UP ON ART U HOMESTAND
Academy of Art volleyball comes off a dominant win over Fresno Pacific and a tough loss to No. 24 Chaminade in its first two home matches of the fall season as UH Hilo and Hawaii Pacific, two teams just ahead of the Urban Knights in the Pacific West Conference standings, await this Wednesday and Saturday respectively.

FIRST SERVE
The busiest week of ART U's homestand continues with the Knights hosting UH Hilo this Wednesday, Sept. 29 at Holy Names' Tobin Gymnasium in Oakland with first serve set for 6:30 p.m. Fans will not be permitted for this match. Then, on Saturday, Oct. 2, Academy of Art returns to Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont for a 2 p.m. first serve versus Hawaii Pacific. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Remaining one of the top offenses in the PacWest, ART U ranks third in both hitting percentage (.208) and assists per set (11.80) as well as fifth in kills per set (12.65). A versatile Academy of Art attack still includes three Knights among the conference's top 10 in kills per set. Junior outside hitter Isaura Santos leads the crew with the seventh-highest average at 3.27 kills per set while freshman outside hitter Ashley Mecham sits ninth at 3.15 kills per frame and fellow freshman outside hitter Katherine Von Kraut is 10th at 2.89 kills per set. Second on the team at 3.17 digs per set, Mecham's double-double total is now up to seven. The squad's top two in hitting percentage are senior middle blocker/opposite Sadie Emery (.327) and junior middle blocker Jillian Wheaton (.292). Fresh off being named PacWest Defender of the Week, freshman libero Elena Torres' record-breaking 31 digs in ART U's 3-0 sweep of FPU helped her rise to ninth in the conference at 4.13 digs per set. Among the leaders all season, junior setter Picabo Reinhold is second in the PacWest with 10.46 assists per set, ranking 27th in all of NCAA Division II.

A HILO HELLO
Playing its first six matches on the Island of Oahu, UH Hilo went 4-2 with three of those wins in straight sets (Cal State East Bay, Saint Martin's, Montana State Billings). Since the start of PacWest action, the Vulcans defeated Chaminade 3-1, fell to Hawaii Pacific 3-2, then began their first mainland trip with a 3-1 victory over Dominican. For a UH Hilo team that paces the PacWest in kills per set (14.04) and is second in hitting percentage (.225), a total of three different Vulcans lead conference stat categories with Bria Beale's 3.77 kills per set, Ashton Jessee's .364 hitting percentage, and Kendall Kott's 10.77 assists per set all atop the lists. Across 17 previous meetings, UH Hilo carries a 14-3 edge against Academy of Art.

WHEN SHARKS ATTACK
Hawaii Pacific started the year with pairs of losses to Alaska and Alaska Anchorage in its own Hawaii-Alaska Challenge then picked up its first win of the fall over Western Oregon in five sets on Sept. 10. The Sharks have gone 1-4 since that time, but their lone win was against UH Hilo in five sets once again and matchups with Fresno Pacific (Sept. 29) as well as Dominican (Oct. 1) come prior to their weekend contest against the Knights. It is Ella Dotson who paces HPU with 2.75 kills pers set while Demi Winters checks in at third in the PacWest in blocks per set (1.08) and Cara McClean follows with the eighth-highest assists per set average (6.31). The historic matchup between ART U and Hawaii Pacific has favored the Sharks 16-4.

ACADEMY OF ART FALLS TO NO. 24 CHAMINADE IN BELMONT
The Urban Knights matched No. 24 Chaminade point for point in the early going, but the Sept. 27 Pacific West Conference contest ended in the hands of the visitors to Walter Gleason Gym 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-20) despite a match-high kill total from junior outside hitter Isaura Santos.

LOOKING AHEAD
The final portion of ART U's six-match homestand features PacWest rematches with Azusa Pacific (Oct. 7) and Point Loma (Oct. 8) next week.