Box Score
Anchorage, AK -- In Academy of Art University's first match of the regular season, the Urban Knights defeated University of Mary in four sets (20-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-12) as part of the Extended Stay Deluxe Invitational at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. Sophomore outside hitter Dan Yang finished with a match-high 16 kills and junior outside hitter Jelena Jakovljevic followed close behind with 14 kills and a team-high four service aces.
AAU (1-0) struggled through five service errors in the opening set and although the Knights stayed close, they would lose 25-20 after a late push by the Mauraders (0-1). In the second set, Academy of Art University bounced back to tie the match with a strong 25-16 victory which gave AAU momentum heading into a crucial third set.
The third game was the closest of the match, but Academy of Art University was able to capture a 12-7 lead as things began. Yang and Jakovljevic led the charge with five kills apiece in the set and the Urban Knights held on under the pressure to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. AAU ran away with the fourth and final set as freshman setter Melissa Cheng seemed to do a bit of everything with three kills, eight assists, and five digs in the set. After snatching an 18-11 lead, the Knights never looked back and won 25-12.
In this season opener, Cheng posted 36 assists and 14 digs, both match-highs. In addition to her 16 kills, Yang registered 11 digs and four block assists. The Knights played a well-rounded match with Yang and Jakovljevic on the attack while sophomore middle blocker Amy Bush racked up a match-high six block assists.
For the Marauders, outside hitter Lauren Wells had a team-high 11 kills and libero Kendra Hobbs led the team with 13 digs. Setter Tessa Hanson finished with 30 assists to go with eight digs of her own.
Later today, Academy of Art University gets set to play University of Alaska Anchorage, the host institution for the tournament. The match is set for 7:00 PM in Anchorage, AK (8:00 PM PST) and can be seen online here (click on the UAA Volleyball Live Video Feed link on the right side of the page).
