HILO, Hawaii – In a bit of déjà vu from its previous match hosting Fresno Pacific, Academy of Art volleyball evened the score with a second set victory, but fell in a back-and-forth third set to ultimately sustain a 3-1 loss (25-19, 21-25, 27-25, 25-16) to UH Hilo in Pacific West Conference action inside UHH Gymnasium on Friday night.

"The team continues to show improvement in both effort and competitive spirit," said head coach Allen McCreary. "Winning sets has added more confidence and given them measurable success."

PacWest Freshman of the Week middle blocker Jillian Wheaton registered the first kill for ART U during a 3-0 start by the Knights, but the Vulcans responded with a 13-2 run. UH Hilo maintained that margin until the end on the verge of taking the set. Academy of Art resiliently fought off four set points with a combined block from Elisaia and sophomore middle blocker Sadie Emery then kills from each, but UH Hilo ultimately prevailed 25-19.

From a 13-13 tie in the second set, sophomore outside hitter Ashley Pawlak posted kills on back-to-back plays amid what ended up being the difference-making shift in momentum. The Knights went ahead 16-13, denied another deadlock on junior outside hitter Kaytlin Yost's first kill since the season-opener, and eventually closed out the 25-21 victory on a 5-2 run to the finish. It was just the third set an opponent had won on the Vulcans' home floor this season.

Although UH Hilo jumped out in front 16-10 in the third set, a string of successive kills by four different Urban Knights quickly brought them back. ART U then made a decisive 6-0 run to go from down 22-17 to up 23-22, using two service aces from freshman setter Picabo Reinhold and a tandem block from Yost and Wheaton at the end. The Vulcans then went on to threaten with three set points (two of which saw Academy of Art kills deny the win) before taking the frame 27-25 and going ahead 2-1.

Momentum on their side, the home team then built a 14-9 advantage to start the fourth set and then scored five unanswered points before finishing the match with a 25-16 victory in the final frame.

Its overall record now 0-16 and 0-8 in conference play, Academy of Art was once again lead by Wheaton who hit .519 en route to 14 kills. Pawlak and Reinhold each had their respective fourth double-doubles of the year and third straight with 10 kills and 15 digs as well as 40 assists and 10 digs respectively. Reinhold had the Knights' middles busy Friday night as Elisaia finished with nine kills plus 10 digs and two blocks and Emery added eight kills plus a career-high seven blocks.

"The team continues to provide more consistent passing that sets up our first tempo options for our middle attack," said McCreary. "It has really been the catalyst for providing [Picabo Reinhold] the opportunity to run our fast tempo offense. Moving forward, we hope to continue to build on some of these successes and momentum."

UH Hilo maintains its position in second-place in the PacWest standings with a 6-1 conference record and now 10-3 overall. Kiley Davis finished with a team-high 10 kills while Mina Grant provided 24 digs.

The second match of ART U's three-part Hawaii roadtrip pits the Urban Knights against Hawaii Pacific on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. HT (9 p.m. PT) inside Saint Andrew's Priory in Kaneohe.