HONOLULU – Academy of Art volleyball stayed with Chaminade throughout Friday night's Pacific West Conference matchup, but the Silverswords managed to secure the 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-19) victory inside McCabe Gymnasium when the final whistle sounded.

Fueled by the support of its home crowd for the first time this season, Chaminade built an initial 6-2 lead only to see it soon cut down to one point at 12-11 on a kill by graduate student outside hitter Maya McClellan to cap a 3-0 run. After sophomore right side Katherine Von Kraut and sophomore middle blocker Janaya Delone combined for a block to tie things up at 14-14, a brief lead for the Urban Knights was shifted as the Silverswords moved in front 20-16. However, graduate student outside hitter Amalie Rupertova logged a kill in a 5-1 response which led to three more deadlocks including a 23-23 score. Chaminade had just a little extra late, taking the opening frame 25-23 on a kill and an attack error.

ART U quickly grabbed hold of the second set as multiple kills from Von Kraut came on either side of a block by McClellan and senior middle blocker Jillian Wheaton during a 4-0 start. Though the home team would rally for a tie thereafter, but McClellan's first solo block of the season helped Academy of Art hold its lead temporarily. Following two ties, the teams traded points until Chaminade broke away, turning a 17-15 margin into the eventual 25-16 victory.

The Silverswords gained control of the third frame with a 9-4 start, but seven unanswered points (including two kills by Rupertova and one from freshman middle blocker/right side Kaia Fittz) gave ART U a 11-9 advantage. As the lead was exchanged on brief bursts, Von Kraut's seventh kill of the contest knotted the squads at 18-18. Seven of the final eight points, however, went to Chaminade, ending the night with the home team on top 25-19.

ART U, who moves to 1-11 overall and 0-3 in PacWest play, was led offensively by the tandem of Rupertova and Von Kraut who combined for 17 kills. Freshman setter Ainsley Robare added 11 assists while the trio of Von Kraut, Wheaton, and Delone each contributed two block assists apiece. In her encore to breaking the program's single-match digs record, senior libero Isaura Santos finished with 16 digs.

Now winners of five straight matches, Chaminade improves to 8-6 overall and 3-0 PacWest. Sasha Colombo paced the Silverswords with nine kills while Greta Corti was just behind with eight kills.

The second stop on Academy of Art's Hawaii roadtrip will be at The Shark Tank in Honolulu tomorrow evening for a 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT) first serve against Hawaii Pacific.