Match #27
ART U Urban Knights (8-18, 5-13 PacWest) vs. Holy Names Hawks (7-19, 4-14 PacWest)
Friday, November 19, 2021 at 7 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Tobin Gymnasium
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #28
ART U Urban Knights (8-18, 5-13 PacWest) vs. Dominican Penguins (1-26, 1-17 PacWest)
Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 2 p.m.
San Rafael, Calif. – Conlan Center
Live Stats & Live Video

ART U'S FINAL MEETINGS WITH HAWKS, PENGUINS COME ACROSS BRIDGE
Remaining local for its last two matches of the season, Academy of Art volleyball is set to rematch Pacific West Conference rivals Holy Names and Dominican this Friday and Saturday.

FIRST SERVE
On Friday, Nov. 19, Tobin Gymnasium in Oakland will be the site of the season's second pairing of the Urban Knights and Hawks which starts at 7 p.m. The following afternoon, Saturday, Nov. 20, ART U closes its campaign with a 2 p.m. matchup with Dominican inside Conlan Center in San Rafael. 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
Approaching this final weekend of competition with a shot to pass Hawaii Pacific for seventh in the PacWest standings, Academy of Art ranks second in the conference in assists per set (12.11) and sixth in kills per set (12.87). The career records watch continues for junior setter Picabo Reinhold who is now firmly second ART U history in assists (2,781), fourth in service aces (91) back of Ashley Pawlak's 95 in third, and ninth in digs (760) all while ranking second in the PacWest with 10.67 assists per set (23rd in NCAA DII) this season.

Freshman outside hitter Ashley Mecham delivered her 16th match with double-digit kills most recently and holds the eighth-highest kills per set average in the conference at 3.18 (first among freshmen) along with 14 double-doubles this season. Junior outside hitter Isaura Santos logged her seventh double-double of the year with a 13-kill, 15-dig performance against Concordia and ranks second on the team at 2.95 kills per set followed closely by freshman outside hitter Katherine Von Kraut (2.91) who has posted double-digit kills in eight of her last 10 matches.

Back into the PacWest's top 10 in hitting percentage is senior middle blocker/opposite Sadie Emery who has risen to eighth (.287) after posting 12 kills with no errors in her previous two matches. Junior middle blocker Jillian Wheaton continues to wield ART U's highest career hitting percentage at .325 while also ranking third in Knights history in career block solos (32), sixth in career total blocks (204), and ninth in career block assists (172), just six away from jumping to sixth. As she has for virtually the entire season, freshman libero Elena Torres finds herself among the conference's top 10 in digs per set, checking in at eighth with an 4.39 average (fourth-highest in program history).

KNOWING THE NAMES
Since its 3-0 loss to Academy of Art on Oct. 30, Holy Names has gone 1-3 with its lone win coming over Dominican on Nov. 12. The Hawks rank third in the PacWest in digs per set (18.11) with many coming from Cassidy Simon whose 4.48 average sits seventh in the conference. Offensively, HNU continues to rely on Lauren Sera who ranks fifth in the PacWest at 3.28 kills per set while Saupuni Mavaega's 1.07 blocks per set (third in PacWest) have strengthened the defense. The Knights' sweep of Holy Names earlier this season was their 10th all-time as part of a 19-7 lead in the historical matchup.

PENGUIN POINTERS
A 3-1 win for ART U over Dominican on Oct. 29 came amid the Penguins' current 13-match losing streak which has included just four set victories. Dominican will face Fresno Pacific on Nov. 18 prior to its season finale with the Knights. The Penguins are paced by Mariah Ahid's 1.81and Samantha Brown's 3.90 digs per set. Despite the victory for Academy of Art earlier this year, the historical series still slightly favors Dominican 16-13 coming into the weekend's pairing.

VOLLEYBALL SENIORS STAR IN HOME FINALE BUT BIOLA PREVAILS
Energized by a Senior Day crowd who partook in a pre-match ceremony celebrating outside hitter Celena Davison, libero Catharina Brant Bambirra, opposite Kiersten Kerch, middle blocker/opposite Sadie Emery, and setter Picabo Reinhold, Academy of Art volleyball came out strong, but Biola would end up prevailing 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-16) on Nov. 13 inside Walter Gleason Gym.