2019 Volleyball Schedule

SAN FRANCISCO – Ahead of its 12th campaign, the Academy of Art University volleyball program and head coach Allen McCreary have officially announced the Urban Knights' 2019 schedule.

A pair of Southern California tournaments start ART U off beginning with Cal State Dominguez Hills' Toro Classic. ART U opens the season against a NAIA opponent in La Sierra on Sept. 6 then faces California Collegiate Athletic Association members Humboldt State and tournament host CSUDH both on Sept. 7. A new opponent, La Sierra went 19-12 overall, winning seven consecutive matches to finish its California Pacific Conference regular season before falling in the conference tournament semifinals.

One week later, Academy of Art travels to San Diego for the annual Division II West Region Volleyball Showcase which pits them against Chico State and Saint Martin's on Sept. 13 followed by Montana State Billings and tournament host UC San Diego on Sept. 14. A combined 4-6 historically against the first three teams, the Urban Knights will get their first-ever look at UCSD in the tourney's finale.

"The goal of the first two tournaments is to prepare us for the conference season and to get a feel of what the region is like," said McCreary. "We will be playing some matches that will challenge us and some that we will be very competitive in."

Seven matches into the 2019 campaign, Academy of Art will host its first opponent while also commencing Pacific West Conference play on Sept. 20 with Concordia (Calif.) in town. That contest comes as part of an eight-match homestand that features Biola (Sept. 21), Notre Dame de Namur (Sept. 25 - "Dig Pink"), Point Loma (Sept. 27), and Azusa Pacific (Sept. 28) to close the opening month of competition. The Knights continue to compete inside Kezar Pavilion in early October with Hawaii Pacific (Oct. 2), UH Hilo (Oct. 3), and Chaminade (Oct. 5) all touring the Bay Area.
 
"The eight consecutive home matches are very important to a team as you can get some momentum before heading on the road," said McCreary. "It should also help our team stay healthy and be able to rest in our own environment."

Back on the road for the first time in what will be 25 days, ART U stays in the Northern California pod for its first meetings with Dominican (Oct. 9) and Fresno Pacific (Oct. 12). Academy of Art then travels to Southern California for back-to-back matches versus Biola (Oct. 18) and Concordia (Calif.) (Oct. 19). Despite being the only team with 30+ wins overall last year, BU ended up second in the PacWest standings with a 19-3 record.

The Urban Knights will depart PacWest play briefly for an Oct. 25 matchup with NCAA Division III UC Santa Cruz before returning home to host Fresno Pacific on Oct. 26. In the Bay Area through early November, ART U challenges Holy Names in Oakland on Oct. 30 then welcomes Dominican to Kezar Pavilion on Nov. 6.

Nov. 8 at PacWest regular season defending champion Azusa Pacific marks the start of Academy of Art's third and final Southern California roadtrip. The following day, Nov. 9, features a rematch with Point Loma in San Diego before the Knights return to the Bay Area for one more contest at Notre Dame de Namur (Nov. 13) and "Senior Night" against Holy Names on Nov. 14. The last time ART U and HNU met inside Kezar Pavilion was on Halloween in 2018 and saw Academy of Art accomplish a thrilling five-set victory.
 
For the first time in program history, ART U will finish its regular season with three road matches in Hawaii. Beginning with Hawaii Pacific on Nov. 20, the Knights travel between two islands to play Chaminade (Nov. 21) and UH Hilo (Nov. 23), the teams who finished third and fourth respectively in the PacWest standings last year.

"Keeping the team motivated to compete all season long is the goal and even with the Hawaii trip being our last, we can still shake things up in the conference," said McCreary. "The ultimate goal is to compete every day and the team will make sure to accomplish that this season."