Match #18
ART U Urban Knights (4-13, 3-5 PacWest) vs. Azusa Pacific Cougars (8-8, 4-3 PacWest)
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 4 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #19
ART U Urban Knights (4-13, 3-5 PacWest) vs. Biola Eagles (9-7, 6-3 PacWest)
Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 7 p.m.
Belmont, Calif. – Walter Gleason Gym
Live Stats & Live Video

HOMESTAND TO FEATURE MATCHUPS WITH AZUSA PACIFIC, BIOLA
Coming off its first home win, a thrilling 3-2 triumph over Dominican on Sept. 29, Academy of Art volleyball now plays host to the final two Pacific West Conference opponents it has yet to see this season in Azusa Pacific and Biola this week.

FIRST SERVE
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Academy of Art will host Azusa Pacific with an earlier start time of 4 p.m. A later first serve of 7 p.m. will begin the Knights' matchup with Biola on Saturday, Oct. 8. The two home matches are both set to start at 6:30 p.m. inside Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont. 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
Academy of Art graduate student outside hitters Amalie Rupertova (3.74) and Maya McClellan (3.25) make up one of just two pairs inside the PacWest's top eight in terms of points per set. Rupertova, who comes off her fifth double-double of the year (24 kills, 11 digs versus Dominican), ranks fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.32) while McClellan's six double-doubles included her most recent 14-kill and season-high 22-dig effort. ART U has also maintained its spot at fourth in the PacWest in service aces per set (1.63) with sophomore setter/defensive specialist Nina Garcia now tied for eighth in the conference (0.38 service aces per set).

With her highest assist total of the year (48) coming in her last time out, junior setter Elly McInerney now sits eighth in the PacWest at 5.40 assists per set while senior libero Isaura Santos' fifth time posting 20 or more digs came versus Dominican (23) and she currently finds herself fifth in the conference at 4.11 digs per set. After posting four or more block assists and at least one block solo in each of her last two matches, senior middle blocker Jillian Wheaton is now up to 0.78 blocks per set while continuing to rise in the program career block ranks including fourth in total blocks (236), fifth in block assists (199), and third in block solos (37).

COUGAR CHATTER
After going 4-5 in non-conference play (which included four losses to ranked opponents), Azusa Pacific has started PacWest play 4-3 with all four wins coming by 3-0 scores over Dominican, Holy Names, UH Hilo, and Hawaii Pacific. The Cougars will rematch two of those teams in Holy Names (Oct. 3) and Dominican (Oct. 4) prior to ending a Northern California swing at ART U on Wednesday.  APU's offense ranks among the conference leaders with the team second in hitting percentage (.234), kills (12.62), and assists (11.87) per set thanks in large part to two of the PacWest's top six in hitting percentage (Kyra Palmbush is first at .336, Kaitlin Craig is sixth at .278) as well as Annaka Jorgenson (3.57) and Katarina Radisic (2.76) who are second and ninth in kills per set. Azusa Pacific is ahead of Academy of Art 10-3 in the historical matchup.

ENTER EAGLES
Prior to PacWest play, Biola was 3-4 with a five-set win over No. 7 Cal State Bernardino among the highlights. Now, the Eagles are 6-3 against conference opponents with losses only coming to Fresno Pacific, Point Loma, and Chaminade. BU's meeting with ART U comes at the end of a NorCal trip that includes pairings with Holy Names (Oct. 5) and Dominican (Oct. 6). Leading a Biola team that is one spot back of APU in kills (12.48) and assists (11.35) per set, Anna Aubele ranks third in the conference in kills per set (3.49) as well as fourth in service aces per set (0.43) while Abby Brewster adds the second-highest assists per set average (9.56). The Eagles lead the Knights 7-0 historically.

ACADEMY OF ART PUTS AWAY DOMINICAN WITH DOMINANT FIFTH SET
After trading blows throughout four sets of no fewer than 23 points on each side, everything changed when Academy of Art volleyball and Dominican stepped into a decisive fifth frame on Sept. 29 inside Walter Gleason Gym. The Urban Knights turned up the heat both offensively and defensively during a 9-1 start and eventually outlasted the Penguins 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 28-26, 23-25, 15-8) thanks to strong efforts from all eight student-athletes to touch the floor.

LOOKING AHEAD
With its homestand complete, ART U next ventures on its first of two trips to Southern California for rematches with Point Loma (Oct. 14) and Concordia (Oct. 15).