Hayward, CA -- It was more of the same for the Academy of Art University volleyball team, as they split their fourth day in a row during tournament play, taking the morning loss to Cal State Monterey Bay in stride and showing a huge push in a winning effort against Saint Martin's in the nightcap. The Urban Knights fell to the Otters 3-2 in five sets (25-21, 17-25, 8-25, 27-25, 16-14) but then swept away the Saints in the tournament finale 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-14).

"Overall we've made some progress in our growth as a program," said head coach Ed Jackson. "This preseason was similar to last year and 4-4 is better than last season. We proved that we can defeat anyone on any given day."

Cal State Monterey Bay took the first set from the Knights 25-21, but Academy of Art came back and used a 6-0 run to come back to take a 14-13 lead in the second set. ART U would go on to have another 5-0 run en route to a 25-17 win to tie it up at 1-1. The Knights dominated the third set, winning 25-8 and handing the Otters their worst offensive performance since the introduction of rally scoring in 2000. CSUMB came back in the fourth set, rallying from match point to tie the game at 24-24 before a three-point run won the set. The decisive fifth set was a battle, with ART U going up 10-7 but eventually falling to give the Knights another hard-fought five-set match, already their third five-setter of the year.

Despite the loss, the Knights outhit the Otters .343 to .314, with four players getting into double figures in kills. Emily Papale led the field with 18 kills, followed by Caitlin Boring (13 kills, .333 hitting percentage), Lindsay Elgin (12 kills, .370 hitting percentage), and Melissa Brum (12 kills, .324 hitting percentage). Rachael Smith had 55 assists in the loss. Julia Ashen had 17 kills for the Otters, while setter Kelsey Johnston had 52 assists. 

"We could have been 7-1 or even 8-0, but our inexperience and inconsistent play kept us from achieving that level of success," said Jackson. "Statistically we are ahead of last season's results and we even defied the odds on two occasion having bettered two opponents in hitting percentage but lost each match."

But, for the third time this year, the Urban Knights took the loss early in the day and turned it into a win in the afternoon. And for the second straight day, they turned that win into a decisive 3-0 sweep, this time at the expense of Saint Martin's University in a rematch of the first match of the season. The Saints won that match 3-1, but the Urban Knights came out swinging as the teams met up again.

The first set tilted back and forth, as the Knights took an 11-6 lead before SMU came back to tie it up at 14-14. There were more ties at 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, and 21-21, but the Knights scored four straight to win the first set. It was another battle in the second set, as the Knights saw a 17-10 lead dissipate into a 17-17 tie. But the Knights battled again, actually losing the lead briefly at 23-22 before going on a 4-1 run to end the set and go up 2-0. The last set was all Urban Knights, as they took a close game at 12-11 and blew it open, eventually leading 22-12 before winning 25-14 and earning the sweep.

Brum and Papale led the Knights again with nine kills apiece, as Academy of Art outhit their opponents again and held Saint Martin's to a .055 hitting percentage. The Knights two middles performed well again, as Elgin had seven kills, a .583 hitting percentage, and four total blocks. Boring had seven kills as well to go along with a .412 hitting percentage. Smith had 33 assists, while junior Kanoe Irvine led the Knights with 20 digs.

"Our strengths moving forward are our serving and blocking," said Jackson. "We will continue develop our attackers on their ability to terminate and score. Improving our defensive effort and ball control will impact our ability to score points. I feel our team has unlimited potential. This group of players are excited at the endeavor to be the best and are looking forward to practice on Monday."

The Urban Knights come out of the non-conference schedule at with a 4-4 record, and will take start a three-game home stand next week. California Baptist will kick off the PacWest Slate on September 19th, followed by Point Loma Nazarene University on September 20th and Dixie State University on September 24th.