Match #1
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Dominican Penguins (0-0)
Friday, February 4, 2022 at 11 a.m.
San Rafael, Calif. – Castellucci Family Tennis Center

Back on the court and ready to experience all that a complete season has to offer, Academy of Art University women's tennis comes off a successful fall that helped ART U to a No. 25 national ranking to start 2022. Head Coach Clarisse Baca's fifth season at the helm has the Urban Knights focused on maximizing their full potential.

Navigating its first full slate since 2019, ART U will begin on the road at Dominican (Feb. 4), at Fresno Pacific (Feb. 10), and in a Feb. 11 neutral site matchup with Point Loma in Fresno. The month wraps up with the Knights' first home match against Holy Names (Feb. 18) ahead of road battles with UC Santa Cruz (Feb. 20) and Stanislaus State (Feb. 26). Academy of Art then hosts Dominican (Mar. 5) and Hawaii Pacific (Mar. 9) before departing to Southern California to face Concordia (Mar. 29), Azusa Pacific (Mar. 30), and Biola (Mar. 31). The regular season concludes with three home matches as Cal State Los Angeles (Apr. 2), FPU (Apr. 16), and Stanislaus State (Apr. 17) come to the Bay Area in the lead up to a return to Surprise, Arizona for the PacWest Conference Championship on Apr. 20-23. For a more in-depth look at the 2022 schedule, click here!

Leading the way last season and in the most recent fall, sophomores Sofia Ragona and Yun "Nicole" Shiau come into the spring ranked No. 6 nationally in doubles. The duo combined for an 11-4 record in the top two singles positions this past spring then proceeded to up their strength as a collective pair in the fall, winning the ITA West Regionals doubles title and reaching the ITA Cup Quarterfinals. Ragona opens this spring ranked No. 18 among singles competitors as well.

Despite being with the program for two seasons each, Aitana Comas Adam, Maria Vittoria Casucci, and Julia Ortega all enter 2022 as freshmen athletically representing the future of the program. The trio brings a total of 33 singles wins into their first complete campaign.

New to the team last spring, freshman Erica Hellbe finished tied with the most doubles victories on the squad. She is joined by incoming true freshman Paulina Alvarez and Francis Marion University sophomore transfer Viktoria Leth. Alvarez found herself among the top 30 in Mexico while Leth was FMU's team Most Valuable Player and Peach Belt Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2021 prior to a quarterfinal run with ART U at the ITA West Regionals in the subsequent fall.

Working toward success at the PacWest Conference Championship and beyond, Academy of Art officially starts its 2022 journey this Friday.