Match #16
ART U Urban Knights (0-15, 0-7 PWC) vs. UH Hilo Vulcans (9-3, 5-1 PWC)
Friday, September 28, 2018 at 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT)
Hilo, Hawaii – UHH Gymnasium
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #17
ART U Urban Knights (0-15, 0-7 PWC) vs. HPU Sharks (3-10, 2-5 PWC)
Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 6 p.m. HT (9 p.m. PT)
Kaneohe, Hawaii – Saint Andrew's Priory
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #18
ART U Urban Knights (0-15, 0-7 PWC) vs. Chaminade Silverswords (10-3, 4-3 PWC)
Monday, October 1, 2018 at 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT)
Honolulu – McCabe Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

ART U CLASH WITH HAWAIIAN TRIO
Departing the Bay Area for the first time since the second weekend of September, Academy of Art volleyball travels to Hawaii for three Pacific West Conference matches, facing UH Hilo on Friday, Hawaii Pacific on Sunday, and Chaminade on Monday.

FIRST SERVE
Competing in Hawaii three times on the upcoming roadtrip, the Urban Knights open at UH Hilo on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT). On Sunday, Sept. 30, ART U then takes on Hawaii Pacific at 6 p.m. HT (9 p.m. PT) inside Saint Andrew's Priory in Kaneohe. Academy of Art finishes off its travels with a Monday, Oct. 1 pairing with Chaminade inside McCabe Gym in Honolulu at 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT). Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Following two breakout performances averaging 14.0 kills and 7.5 blocks per match for Academy of Art last week, middle blocker Jillian Wheaton was named PacWest Freshman of the Week. She moved up to eighth in the conference in hitting percentage (.304) and now ranks second on the team with 1.73 kills per set. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Pawlak leads ART U in both kills (2.13) and digs per set (3.19) in addition to creeping closer to the program's top 10 in career service aces (45). Pawlak comes off a career-high 20 kills plus 19 digs against Fresno Pacific which marked her third double-double of the year and second in as many matches. Freshman setter Picabo Reinhold, who ranks fourth in the PacWest in assists per set (6.96), also offered two career games, amassing a season-best 41 assists and 14 digs in each contest versus Notre Dame de Namur and Fresno Pacific. Redshirt senior middle blocker Safua Elisaia needs just four more block assists to set the program's career record and she remains 21 total blocks from besting former teammate Margaret Winkler for the Urban Knights' career record.

THE HI-LO-DOWN
Sporting the second-highest win percentage in the PacWest, UH Hilo went into a fifth set in three of its first four matches, but has since won seven of eight with six sweeps in that span. The Vulcans recently finished a tour of Southern California in which they fell to Azusa Pacific, but defeated Concordia, Biola, and Point Loma to lead into their matchup with ART U which opens a six-part homestand. Statistically, UH Hilo ranks top three in the conference in kills (12.89), assists (12.18), blocks (2.25), and digs (16.16) per set at the forefront is Ashton Jessee whose 1.19 blocks per set rank 25th in the country. In 13 previous meetings with Academy of Art, UH Hilo leads 3-10 all-time.

ATTACKING SHARKS
In a challenging start to the season, Hawaii Pacific dropped four matches with only one set won before defeating Humboldt State 3-1 on Sept. 1. The Sharks opened PacWest play by defeating NDNU in five sets, but have since gone 1-5 and are set to face Holy Names on Sept. 30 prior to the Knights. With three HPU players averaging over two kills per set, it is Mahea Pescaia who ranks eighth in the conference with 5.94 assists per set. Hawaii Pacific leads ART U 12-3 in the historical matchup.

SWORDPLAY
One of just two PacWest teams with 10 wins overall at the time of print, Chaminade began as one of the conference's hottest teams, winning nine in a row to open 2018. The Silverswords swept Simon Fraser, UC San Diego, Seattle Pacific, Chico State, NDNU, and Dominican before a Southern California roadtrip saw them take losses to Biola, Azusa Pacific, and Concordia. CUH also gets Holy Names on Sept. 29 before facing ART U. Chaminade leads the PacWest with 14.54 kills and 13.41 assists per set while ranking second in hitting percentage (.254) and much of their offensive production has come from PacWest kills leader Emma Tecklenburg (3.63 kills per set) and Alana Handy (3.39 kills per set) who ranks third in the conference. A relatively even matchup over the years, Academy of Art leads Chaminade 8-6 since the teams' first meeting back in 2008.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following their Hawaii roadtrip, the Urban Knights return to Kezar Pavilion for a rematch with Notre Dame de Namur inside Kezar Pavilion on Oct. 8. It begins a three-part homestand that will also feature Azusa Pacific (Oct. 12) and Point Loma (Oct. 13).