Match #14
ART U Urban Knights (1-12, 0-6 PacWest) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (0-9, 0-5 PacWest)
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 5 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #15
ART U Urban Knights (1-12, 0-6 PacWest) vs. No. 18 Chaminade Silverswords (13-2, 2-2 PacWest)
Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #16
ART U Urban Knights (1-12, 0-6 PacWest) vs. UH Hilo Vulcans (5-7, 2-2 PacWest)
Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 2 p.m.
San Francisco – Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats | Live Video

HAWAIIAN TRIO TO VISIT BAY AREA THIS WEEK
Academy of Art volleyball prepares to face the Pacific West Conference's three Hawaii-based schools this week as Hawaii Pacific, Chaminade, and UH Hilo come to town for matches over a four-day span.

FIRST SERVE
The Urban Knights continue their current homestand with their first look at the Sharks on Wednesday at 5 p.m. followed by the Silverswords on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The Vulcans close out the week and six straight home matches for ART U on Saturday at 2 p.m. All matches are set to take place inside Kezar Pavilion. 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
Having fought to a fifth set in each of its last three matches, Academy of Art has seen its graduate student tandem of outside hitter/right side Maya McClellan and outside hitter Amalie Rupertova each amass 20 or more kills in individual matches with the former dropping 25 versus Westmont and the latter totaling 20 most recently against Fresno Pacific. The duo has seven and six double-doubles respectively with McClellan ranking fifth in the PacWest in kills per set (3.55) and sixth in points per set (3.94) while both are among the team's top three in digs per set. Their respective career kills per set averages have both Rupertova (3.10) and McClellan (3.06) firmly sixth and seventh in ART U history. Along with junior setter Elly McInerney holding the third spot in assists per set (6.72) and freshman libero LC-Reece Nakagawa at eighth with 3.36 digs per set, graduate student middle blocker Chandra Reed has entered the conference's top 10 in hitting percentage as her .320 mark has elevated her to seventh overall. She has hit over .333 in eight of her 13 matches played thus far.

SHARKS ON THE ATTACK
Winless in 2023, Hawaii Pacific opened the year by taking three total sets in its first four matches as host of the Hawaii Challenge, but the Sharks have been swept in all five of their PacWest contests to date. Traveling to the mainland for the first time this season, HPU is one of five conference teams currently averaging over two blocks per set (2.03) and a big part of that defense has been Morghn Monahan who ranks ninth in the PacWest at 0.90 blocks per set while Kyle Komo carries a 3.36 digs per set average good for seventh in the conference. Offensively, the team has relied on Demi Winters and her 2.14 kills per set. Splitting their matchups each of the last two years, Hawaii Pacific is ahead of Academy of Art 18-6 historically.

CHALLENGING CHAMINADE
Defending PacWest Champions and NCAA Division II West Region Championship runners-up last year, No. 18 Chaminade continued that momentum to the tune of 12 wins to open 2023, but the Silverswords ran into trouble recently with 3-1 losses to Point Loma and Concordia in the final nine days of September. Slated to face Dominican in San Rafael first this week, CUH comes into October ranking first in the PacWest in points (17.31), assists (11.95), and service aces (2.44) per set while adding the conference's top hitting percentage (.241). Silverswords pop up all around the PacWest's statistical leaders including four in the top seven in service aces per set (led by Ajack Malual's 0.49 average) and two in the top 10 in kills per set (Malual is third at 3.64 and Mahala Ka'apuni is 10th at 2.74). Malual adds the most points per set (4.45) and is sixth in hitting percentage (.325). Chaminade's recent success has pushed them to a 15-8 advantage in the historical matchup with the Knights.

HELLO HILO
After going 3-5 in its two non-conference tournaments, defeating No. 14 Alaska Anchorage along the way, UH Hilo has split its first four PacWest matches. The Vulcans defeated Hawaii Pacific and Concordia to start, but have since fallen to Point Loma and Azusa Pacific with Fresno Pacific and Dominican up next before the mainland trip ends in San Francisco this weekend. UH Hilo currently leads the conference in digs per set (16.04) thanks in large part to Tani Hoke's 4.19 average (third in PacWest) while Emerson Reinke paces the PacWest in assists per set (9.25), often setting up Isabella Hadaller and Taylor Tullo for success in the form of their 3.65 (second in PacWest) and 3.13 (seventh in PacWest) kills per set respectively. Despite wins for ART U in two of the teams' last three meetings, the Vulcans remain in front 16-5 all-time.

LATE TIES BROKEN BY PLNU RALLIES TO END ART U SOCAL TRIP
Continuing a Pacific West Conference homestand of near-victories, Academy of Art volleyball held a two-set advantage on Fresno Pacific, but the Sunbirds managed a comeback for the 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-9) on Sept. 27 inside Kezar Pavilion. Highly competitive throughout each of the five sets, the contest saw three Urban Knights register double-digit kills and four others reach double figures in digs.

LOOKING AHEAD
ART U departs the Bay Area for two matches next week, traveling to Southern California for the second time this season to take on Concordia (Oct. 13) and Westmont (Oct. 14).