Match #23
ART U Urban Knights (3-19, 2-13 PacWest) vs. Dominican Penguins (0-21, 0-14 PacWest)
Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 7 p.m.
San Rafael, Calif. – Conlan Center
Live Stats | Live Video

ROAD SWING CONTINUES WITH FIRST MATCH VERSUS PENGUINS
Academy of Art volleyball opens up the final month of the season with one of two more local Pacific West Conference pairings as ART U takes on Dominican this weekend.

FIRST SERVE
Meeting for the first time this season, the Urban Knights and Penguins will match up this Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. inside DUC's Conlan Center in San Rafael. 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
Currently ranked third in the PacWest in service aces per set (1.78) after delivering eight versus Fresno Pacific on Oct. 27 for three consecutive matches with that total or higher, Academy of Art remains one of just three conference teams with two student-athletes among the top 10 in both points and kills per set. Graduate student outside hitter/right side Maya McClellan, who surpassed the 1,000-kill milestone in her collegiate career versus FPU, holds the fourth position in each category (4.18 points and 3.58 kills per set) while graduate student outside hitter Amalie Rupertova checks in at 10th in each (3.21 points and 2.71 kills per set). The two have combined for 19 double-doubles (McClellan 11, Rupertova nine) and they remain two of ART U's six student-athletes to average over 3.00 kills per set in a career (McClellan 3.16, Rupertova 3.04). Despite a slight drop, junior setter Elly McInerney can still be found at third in the PacWest with 5.84 assists per set and freshman libero LC-Reece Nakagawa sits just behind the fourth spot in the conference in digs per set (3.91).

DUELING DOMINICAN
Winners of just two sets through 14 conference matches, Dominican has yet to earn a victory this year. The Penguins, who most recently took a set from Fresno Pacific in their last time out, are led by Braenwnne Matthews' 1.95 kills per set while Miekayla Surnip ranks seventh in the PacWest at 3.49 digs per set. Though recent history has been on the side of ART U in the form of wins in the two teams' last four meetings, the all-time matchup stands at an even 16-16.

SUNBIRDS TOP URBAN KNIGHTS IN SECOND PACWEST PAIRING
Meeting Fresno Pacific exactly one month following their five-set Pacific West Conference battle in September, Academy of Art volleyball delivered eight service aces for the third consecutive match, but could not overcome consistent offense toward a 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-18) win for the Sunbirds inside the Special Events Center on Oct. 27.

LOOKING AHEAD
To wrap up its last five-part road swing, ART U heads to Hawaii next week for three matches across four days, starting with UH Hilo (Nov. 9) on the Big Island before moving to Oahu for contests against Chaminade (Nov. 11) and Hawaii Pacific (Nov. 12).