Match #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (4-3, 0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 1 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Video

Match #2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Holy Names Hawks (0-0, 0-0 PacWest)
Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 1 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Tobin Gymnasium
Live Stats & Video

Academy of Art volleyball reunites on the court for its 2020-21 debut this week, marking its first official match since November 2019. Working hard to prepare under Head Coach Allen McCreary and his staff, the Urban Knights' roster features a talented core of returners including multiple All-PacWest Team honorees as well as an exciting new freshman class.

After initial changes to the schedule, ART U now starts its 2020-21 campaign by hosting Fresno Pacific this Thursday, Mar. 18. The Urban Knights will take two turns facing each of its Pacific West Conference Northern California opponents, going to Holy Names on Mar. 23 before hosting Dominican on Mar. 26. After a home match versus HNU (Apr. 2), Academy of Art ends the season with road contests at FPU (Apr. 7) and Dominican (Apr. 16). To view the 2020-21 schedule, click here!

A grand total of five seniors will be in action this abbreviated season including opposite Kiersten Kerch, outside hitter Carly Evetts, outside hitter/libero Ashley Pawlak, defensive specialist/outside hitter Michaela Charrette, middle blocker/opposite Sadie Emery. Evetts, Pawlak, and Emery were three of five Urban Knights to average 2.00 or more kills per set in 2019 with leader Evetts finishing that campaign on the All-PacWest Second Team. Coming off a previous season that saw her pick up two PacWest weekly honors, Pawlak enters 2021 ranked seventh in career kills (46 behind fourth-ranked Bailey Soolsma), third in career service aces (nine away from triple digits), and third in career digs (exactly 100 back of record-holder Melissa Brum).

Pairs of juniors and sophomores return to the team represented by outside hitter Celena Davison and middle blocker Jillian Wheaton along with defensive specialist Zoey Kister and outside hitter Annie Blumenstein. Wheaton joined Evetts on the 2019 All-PacWest Second Team, ranking among the nation's top 50 and conference's top five with a .346 hitting percentage that kept her as the current program leader in career attack percentage (.348) heading into this season.

The quartet that makes up ART U's freshman class features outside hitters Katherine Von Kraut (Cherry Creek) and Ashley Mecham (Island), setter Nina Garcia (Southwest Career and Technical Academy), and middle blocker Hannah Richman (Sunrise Mountain). All multi-year varsity letter winners at their respective high schools, each individual joins the Urban Knights sporting experience from outside of California.

Literally rising to the challenge of the program's 2020-21 season, Academy of Art comes together as a squad to compete this spring.