Match #4
ART U Urban Knights (0-3, 0-3 PWC) vs. Holy Names Hawks (2-1, 2-1 PWC)
Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 1 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #5
ART U Urban Knights (0-3, 0-3 PWC) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (7-3, 3-0 PWC)
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 5 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – Special Events Center
Live Stats & Live Video

PACWEST NORCAL REMATCHES ON HORIZON FOR ACADEMY OF ART
Opening its second round of contests against teams from the Northern California Pacific West Conference pod, ART U volleyball is set to face Holy Names then Fresno Pacific over the course of six days.

FIRST SERVE
Academy of Art plays its final home match of the 2020-21 season this Thursday, Apr. 1 inside Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont with a 1 p.m. first serve. Then on Wednesday, Apr. 7, ART U will take on Fresno Pacific at 5 p.m. inside the Sunbirds' Special Events Center. 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
Moving up five spots over the past week to now fifth in the PacWest in kills per set (3.42), freshman outside hitter Ashley Mecham remains the Academy of Art team leader in points per set at 3.71 (tied for seventh in the conference). She has recorded double-digit kills in all three of her collegiate matches thus far. Also impressing in her first year, freshman setter Nina Garcia not only leads the PacWest in assists per set (8.25), but additionally sits fourth in the PacWest at 0.58 service aces per set (27th in NCAA Division II). Now up to 95 service aces in her career, senior outside hitter/libero Ashley Pawlak needs just six more to tie Brittany Ulmer (101) for second in program history with ART U leader Kanoe Irvine (106) five up from there. Pawlak carries the highest digs per set average on the team (3.00) and, with double-digit efforts in all three matches thus far, she has amassed 1,088 digs in her career, moving ever closer to program record holder Melissa Brum (1,152).

REMEMBER THE NAMES
The PacWest leader in kills (14.21) and assists per set (12.64), Holy Names enters Thursday with a 2-1 record that has saw the Hawks defeat Dominican and ART U before falling to Fresno Pacific in five sets. Sierra Allen, who had 14 kills versus the Knights previously, ranks third in the conference with a .356 hitting percentage while Lauren Sera is just behind Mecham with the sixth-highest kills per set average (3.36). At 4.93, Cassidy Simon is one of just four PacWest student-athletes with a digs per set average higher than 4.90. Despite the loss earlier this season, Academy of Art remains firmly ahead of HNU historically at 18-6 all-time.

A PLACE IN THE SUN
The only undefeated team in the PacWest NorCal pod, Fresno Pacific has needed three, four, and five sets to defeat each of its conference opponents to date. The Sunbirds are slated to face Dominican this Friday, Apr. 2 prior to hosting ART U on Apr. 7. Contributing to the highest team hitting percentage in the PacWest (.252), Corinne Acosta leads the conference in kills per set at 4.58 (26th in NCAA DII) and ranks second with a .398 hitting percentage (13th in NCAA DII). Backing her up has been Makena Ogas who averages 3.26 kills per set (seventh in PacWest) and 1.08 blocks per set (fifth in PacWest). The historical matchup is nearly even with Dominican ahead of ART U 14-12. Though the Knights defeated FPU twice last year, the Sunbirds' 2021 victory has them now up 15-2 historically.

DOMINICAN OUTLASTS ACADEMY OF ART IN TEAMS' FIRST MEETING
Getting its first look at Dominican in 2021, Academy of Art volleyball nearly executed a third-set comeback, but the Penguins wound up holding on for a 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-23) Pacific West Conference victory on Mar. 26 inside Walter Gleason Gym.

LOOKING AHEAD
After ART U rematches Fresno Pacific for the second time, the 2020-21 season finale is set to take place at Dominican on Friday, Apr. 16.