Match #3
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) vs. Cal Poly Pomona Broncos (1-3)
Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco – Main Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #4
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) vs. Alaska Nanooks (4-1)
Friday, September 8, 2017 at 11:15 a.m.
San Francisco – Main Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #5
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) vs. Cal State Monterey Bay Otters (3-1)
Friday, September 8, 2017 at 6 p.m.
San Francisco – Main Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #6
ART U Urban Knights (1-1) vs. SF State Gators (3-1)
Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco – Main Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

ACADEMY OF ART FACES FOUR IN D2 WEST REGION SHOWCASE
Two matches into the 2017 season, Academy of Art University volleyball accelerates its schedule with four contests in three days as part of SF State's D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. ART U is set to face opponents from the other two West Region conferences with Alaska of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) plus Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Monterey Bay, and SF State of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) on tap.

FIRST SERVE
Thursday will be a single match for ART U against Cal Poly Pomona beginning at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Friday, the Knights play twice with Alaska in the morning at 11:15 a.m. and Cal State Monterey Bay in the evening at 6 p.m. Finally, Academy of Art will square off against host SF State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. All matches will take place inside the Gators' Main Gymnasium. 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
Resuming its place at second in the PacWest Conference in service aces per set (1.85) to start the year, Academy of Art has senior middle blocker Margaret Winkler (0.56) and redshirt junior middle blocker Safua Elisaia (0.50) both in the top seven. Winkler also ranks fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.22) and passed Lindsay Elgin for second on the ART U all-time list with 236 blocks in her career. She is now just 32 blocks from surpassing career record-holder Amy Bush. Freshman outside hitter Ashley Pawlak has led the Urban Knights in points per set (3.17) thus far thanks in large part to a 2.89 kills per set average. Though she has shared time at the setter position, sophomore Lilika Teu ranks among the PacWest's top 10 in assists per set (5.69).

BRONCOS KICK OFF TOURNEY
Cal Poly Pomona navigated the Otter Classic Tournament to the tune of a 1-3 record with a victory over Dixie State, but losses to Northwest Nazarene, Metro State, and Cal State Monterey Bay. The Knights will be their first matchup in this second and final non-conference tournament and this will be their second time ever facing ART U after Academy of Art won their first match back in 2010. Andrea Bosnic is the team's kills per set leader (3.27) and Samantha Figueroa adds 5.27 digs per set.

NOOKS AND CRANNIES
Through one of two tournaments Alaska will play, the Nanooks convincingly defeated Kutztown, Mount Olive, and Converse College, but fell to Slippery Rock as part of the Viking Virginia Beach Invitational. Alaska has matchups with Holy Names and UH Hilo on Thursday prior to meeting ART U for third time to date (the Knights are 2-0 all-time). Leading the way thus far, Markie Miller averages 3.47 points per set while Jenna Hickel has excelled defensively putting up 5.38 digs per set.

OBSERVING THE OTTERS
On their home floor for their first tournament, the Otter Classic, Cal State Monterey Bay defeated Dixie State, Cal Poly Pomona, and Metro State, but dropped a 3-1 decision to Northwest Nazarene. The Otters take on UH Hilo and Biola before challenging ART U for the seventh time in the programs' histories (CSUMB leads 4-2 all-time). Three Cal State Monterey Bay players are averaging 3.00 or more kills per set including Maddy Underwood (3.62), Anela Visesio (3.46), and Amber Tygart (3.00) leading to a strong 10.54 assists per set for Erica Chapa.

GATORS CHOMPING AT THE BIT
Four matches into the 2017 season, D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase host SF State is 3-1 with wins over Dominican, Notre Dame de Namur, and Holy Names plus a loss to Biola as part of the Route 92 Showdown. SFSU will get a rematch with the Eagles as well as the Hawks in addition to their contest against UH Hilo prior to the program's fourth meeting with Academy of Art in the finale (the Gators lead 2-1 all-time). Drew Morris is SF State's primary offensive threat, averaging 4.00 points and 3.73 kills per set.

VOLLEYBALL EARNS FIRST VICTORY OF 2017
Behind a complete team effort with three players registering double-digit kills, Academy of Art University volleyball defeated Humboldt State 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 15-10) in a rematch on Sept. 1. The Urban Knights rallied back from down 2-1 and created the necessary separation with a 6-1 run midway through the fifth set.

LOOKING AHEAD
With its first and only non-conference tournament complete, ART U will commence PacWest Conference play next week with a back-to-back at Notre Dame de Namur on Sept. 15 then hosting Dominican on Sept. 16.