Match #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Dominican Penguins (1-0)
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at Noon
San Rafael, Calif. – Castellucci Family Tennis Center
Live Results

Match #2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. San Francisco Dons (0-1)
Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 2:30 p.m.
San Francisco – Olympic Club

Back in the Bay Area as a collective unit for the first time since last March, Academy of Art University women's tennis get set to start its 2021 campaign this week. At the helm for her fourth season, Head Coach Clarisse Baca has embraced the confidence of this young Urban Knights team as they return to competition in the sport they love.

Spanning the months of February, March, and April, the 2021 ART U regular season will feature a mixture of Pacific West Conference and NCAA Division I opponents. Pairings with Dominican (Feb. 13), San Francisco (Feb. 16), and Fresno Pacific (Feb. 20) make up the current month's action then Biola (Mar. 1), Santa Clara (Mar. 7), UH Hilo (Mar. 16), Nevada (Mar. 20), and Hawaii Pacific (Mar. 27) are on tap for March. The Knights will face Dominican (Apr. 10) and Fresno Pacific (Apr. 17) leading up to the PacWest Conference Championship currently slated for Apr. 21-24 in Surprise, Arizona. For a more in-depth look at the 2021 schedule, click here!

Not one of the six student-athletes on Academy of Art's 2021 roster is an upperclassman so leadership has been embraced by sophomore Sofia Ragona and the returning freshmen who did not have a chance to complete the first collegiate seasons. Ragona, a member of the singles and doubles All-PacWest Third Teams in 2019, finished 2020 above .500 in both singles and doubles while freshmen Julia Ortega and Maria Vittoria Casucci will look to pick up where they left off after each boasted 6-1 singles records. Ranging from the third to fifth singles positions, Aitana Comas Adam also walked away with a positive record last year.

As they unite in 2021, team gains two new additions in sophomore Yun "Nicole" Shiau and freshman Erica Hellbe. A transfer from Elon University, Shiau was the team's Most Improved over the course of her freshman season and carries a diverse tournament background from her time on the youth circuit. Hellbe brings valuable international experience as well particularly after preparing for her collegiate debut with successful fall competition in her home country of Sweden.

Driven by their passion for the sport of tennis, Academy of Art will toss its first serve of the year this Saturday.