Match #18
ART U Urban Knights (6-11, 4-6 PWC) vs. Biola Eagles (8-9, 5-4 PWC)
Friday, October 18, 2019 at 6 p.m.
La Mirada, Calif. – Chase Gymnasium
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #19
ART U Urban Knights (6-11, 4-6 PWC) vs. Concordia Eagles (9-8, 3-6 PWC)
Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 3 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – CU Arena
Live Stats & Live Video

VOLLEYBALL CARRIES WIN STREAK INTO SOCAL TRIP
After securing two victories last week, ART U Volleyball now travels to Southern California to face Biola and Concordia, teams with whom the Urban Knights split back at the start of Pacific West Conference play in mid-September.

FIRST SERVE
Departing Northern California for the first time since Sept. 14, Academy of Art travels to La Mirada to play Biola on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. inside the Eagle's Chase Gymnasium. Less than 24 hours later, ART U will be in Irvine for a 3 p.m. first serve against Concordia inside CU Arena. 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
After turning in the second-highest dig total (122) in the past five years against Fresno Pacific this past weekend, Academy of Art has risen to third in the PacWest in digs per set (17.43) while remaining fourth in service aces per set (1.63) as well. At the forefront of that defensive effort, junior outside hitter Ashley Pawlak was named PacWest Defender of the Week after she averaged 6.50 digs per set in ART U's two previous road wins. She comes into this week as the team's leader in both digs per set (3.67) and points per set (3.29, 10th in PacWest). Pawlak, who moved up in several career categories (fifth in digs, seventh in service aces, and eighth in kills), is also tied for fourth in the conference in service aces per set (0.38), but it is junior outside hitter Mariana Figueroa Ferriera who sits above in third in the PacWest at 0.39 aces per set. Coming off a career-high 63 assists versus FPU which tied the program's single-game record, sophomore setter Picabo Reinhold has assumed the third spot in ART U's career assists list and now sits second in the conference at 9.37 assists per set. Her 12 double-doubles lead the team while Pawlak comes in behind with seven on the year. After hitting over .410 in the previous two victories for Academy of Art, sophomore middle blocker Jillian Wheaton has settled into the top spot in the PacWest and ranks 18th overall in NCAA Division II.

EXAMINING THE (BIOLA) EAGLES
Since Biola defeated the Urban Knights on Sept. 21, the Eagles have gone 2-4 including wins at Point Loma and over Hawaii Pacific in their roadtrip to Hawaii. BU ranks third in the PacWest in blocks per set (2.18) and has relied heavily on Abigail Copeland's 1.24 blocks per set (second in PacWest) to achieve that spot. Bekah Roth paces the Eagles in kills per set (2.10) while Raegan Tjepkema ranks ninth in the conference in hitting percentage (.317). Biola remains 4-0 all-time against ART U.

FLY, (CONCORDIA) EAGLES, FLY
Ahead of Concordia by one win, Academy of Art encounters an Eagles team that won three straight after its Sept. 20 loss to the Knights, but then dropped four in a row including three straight-sets results in Hawaii. CUI is slated to face Holy Names on Oct. 18 prior to its matchup with ART U. Concordia leads the PacWest and ranks 25th in the country in blocks per set (2.31) led by Hannah Tostado's 1.25 and Mackenzie Jensen's 1.09 averages which rank first and third in the conference. Jensen is slightly back of Wheaton in hitting percentage (.386) and Riley Gill is ninth in the PacWest in kills per set (2.85). In seven historical matchups, CUI is 6-1 versus the Knights.

LOOKING AHEAD
One final non-conference match pits Academy of Art against NCAA Division III UC Santa Cruz on Friday, Oct. 25 to complete the Urban Knights' five-part road swing. ART U then turns around and plays Fresno Pacific in a PacWest rematch back inside Kezar Pavilion on Saturday, Oct. 26.