Match #9
ART U Urban Knights (4-4, 0-0 PWC) vs. NDNU Argos (4-5, 0-0 PWC)
Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 7 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

PACWEST PLAY PITS ART U AGAINST NDNU
Coming out of two non-conference tournaments with a 4-4 record, Academy of Art University volleyball now embarks upon its first Pacific West Conference match of the 2015 season. ART U is set to make its second appearance at Notre Dame de Namur this weekend to take on the Argonauts.

FIRST SERVE
Academy of Art returns to NDNU's Walter Gleason Gym this Saturday, Sept. 19 for a 7 p.m. first serve to open PacWest play. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Through ART U's first eight matches, it is freshman outside hitter Stine Raben who leads the Knights with 3.26 kills per set while sophomore middle blocker Margaret Winkler ranks second in the PacWest Conference with 1.26 blocks per set. Senior setter Rachael Smith paces Academy of Art with 9.93 assists per set through four matches in Seattle with redshirt freshman Lyndsay Mlynar (4.88 digs per set) and junior Kabrina Speakman (3.67 digs per set) serving as the squad's top defensive tandem.

For the career watch, junior outside hitter Melissa Brum needs just 12 more kills to move into second among the Knights' all-time kills leaders.

READY, SET, ARGO
After winning three of its first four matches at NDNU's own Route 92 Showdown, the Argonauts proceeded to sustain four straight losses in the Western Oregon Invitational. Notre Dame de Namur opened by defeating Cal State East Bay 3-1, falling to Stanislaus State 3-1, then sweeping both Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Monterey Bay. Chico State, Adelphi, Concordia (Ore.), and host Western Oregon topped NDNU in Monmouth, but three of those matches went five sets. Earlier this week on Sept. 15, the Argos put away Santa Cruz thanks to a match-high 23 kills from outside hitter Bianca Alvarez who comes in averaging 4.28 kills per set. In 15 historical meetings, ART U holds an 11-4 advantage over NDNU including a win last year's season finale.

ART U WRAPS UP NON-CONFERENCE PLAY 4-4 AFTER PACWEST-GNAC CROSSOVER
Opening the PacWest-GNAC Crossover on Sept. 10 with a rematch against Montana State Billings, the Urban Knights stayed perfect against the Yellowjackets with a 3-1 victory. Much later that same day, ART U topped Alaska 3-1 behind a match-high 16 kills from Raben. Academy of Art then fell to tournament host Seattle Pacific 3-1 on Sept. 11 and Simon Fraser 3-0 on Sept. 12 to produce an even record after two weekends of action.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Knights continue PacWest play with three matches in Hawaii across three days. The trip begins Sept. 24 at UH Hilo then shifts to Oahu where ART U will face Hawaii Pacific on Sept. 25 and BYU-Hawaii on Sept. 26.