Match #20
ART U Urban Knights (4-15, 3-7 PacWest) vs. Point Loma Sea Lions (12-5, 7-2 PacWest)
Friday, October 14, 2022 at 6 p.m.
San Diego – Golden Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #21
ART U Urban Knights (4-15, 3-7 PacWest) vs. Concordia Eagles (10-7, 7-3 PacWest)
Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 5 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – CU Arena
Live Stats & Live Video

FIRST OF TWO SOCAL TRIPS FEATURES PACWEST REMATCHES
Having competed at home for slightly more than the past two weeks, Academy of Art volleyball now heads back out on the road as the Urban Knights make their way to Southern California for their second rounds with Point Loma and Concordia on back-to-back evenings.

FIRST SERVE
Initially inside Point Loma's Golden Gymnasium in San Diego on Friday, Oct. 14, ART U is set to meet the Sea Lions at 6 p.m. Just under 24 hours later, Academy of Art squares off against Concordia inside CU Arena in Irvine at 5 p.m. 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
Besides Point Loma and Biola, Academy of Art remains the only other Pacific West Conference team with two student-athletes among the top 10 in points per set. Graduate student outside hitters Amalie Rupertova (3.54 points per set) and Maya McClellan (3.22 points per set) continue to provide all-around production as the pair rank first and second on the team in kills per set (Rupertova 3.16 - fifth in PacWest, McClellan 2.72) as well as second and third in digs per set (McClellan 2.74, Rupertova 2.65). The pair have combined for 11 double-doubles.

Other Urban Knights listed inside the top 10 of different statistical categories in the PacWest include junior setter Elly McInerney, senior libero Isaura Santos, and sophomore setter/defensive specialist Nina Garcia. McInerney is eighth in assists per set (5.51) after totaling 20 or more saves for the eighth time with her 22 against Biola most recently. Santos remains third in the conference at 4.11 digs per set, having registered double-digit digs in 12 of her 17 matches played. Garcia finds herself tied with two others for eighth at 0.36 service aces per set thanks in large part to her six times delivering two or more in a match.

Senior middle blocker Jillian Wheaton has posted at least one block in all but one of her 12 matches played this season and is currently averaging a team-high 0.75 blocks per set. She looks to continue her ascension up the program's career block ranks where she is currently fourth in total blocks (237), fifth in block assists (200), and third in block solos (37).

GETTING TO THE POINT
After opening PacWest play at Academy of Art on Sept. 9, Point Loma won its next five matches before dropping decisions to Chaminade and Fresno Pacific then most recently sweeping Holy Names. The Sea Lions pace the conference in kills (13.10), assists (12.02) and blocks (2.45) per set while sitting third in digs per set (15.81). Naturally PLNU carries the PacWest's kills per set leader in Abigail Nua (4.29), its assists per set leader in Lauren Phillips (10.08), and its digs per set leader in Courtney Dyer (5.21). The win earlier this season put Point Loma ahead of ART U 15-1 historically.

INSIDE THE EAGLES' NEST
Concordia's win over the Knights came during a four-match win streak that included the beginning of conference play, but the Eagles soon dropped a pair to PLNU and Biola thereafter. Since that time, CUI has gone 4-1 with a sweep at Chaminade's hand the only blemish. Along with leading the PacWest in digs per set (16.56), Concordia is among the conference's top five in hitting percentage (.202), kills (12.05), assists (11.18), and blocks (2.05) per set. (12.48) and assists (11.35) per set. Halli Hooks is the PacWest's blocks per set leader (1.29), Kirra Schulz provides the fourth-most kills per set (3.39), and the tandem of Shulz (3.85) plus Julia Wilson (4.03) are both inside the conference's top six in digs per set. es lead the Knights 7-0 historically. Though Academy of Art swept the series in 2019, it is CUI who leads the all-time matchup 9-2.

ART U HOMESTAND CONCLUDES WITH BIOLA PICKING UP THE WIN
In action at home for the second time in three days, Academy of Art volleyball saw all three of its sets versus Biola follow similar scripts as the Eagles made late runs to secure the 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-14) Pacific West Conference victory on Oct. 8 inside Walter Gleason Gym.

LOOKING AHEAD
Local PacWest road rematches will follow the Urban Knights' Southern California roadtrip as matchups with Holy Names (Oct. 22) and Dominican (Oct. 24) are on the horizon.