SAN DIEGO – While three different Urban Knights attackers successfully swung over .380 to power Academy of Art volleyball's best hitting percentage of the season, Saturday's Pacific West Conference matchup went Point Loma's way 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-23) inside Golden Gymnasium.

A 6-3 advantage for the Sea Lions to start was quickly erased by kills from freshman outside hitter/right side Crystal Creek, graduate student outside hitter/right side Maya McClellan, and graduate student outside hitter Amalie Rupertova. Another gap was closed soon after with junior setter Elly McInerney assisting four kills from Creek, freshman middle blocker/outside hitter Alohi Garcia, and graduate student middle blocker Chandra Reed during a 6-1 response that elevated ART U to a 17-16 lead. From there, however, PLNU regained control to end with nine of the next 12 points and a 25-20 result.

McClellan and Rupertova each sent down two kills apiece while the Urban Knights built a 10-8 lead in the second set yet back-and-forth action continued as the frame's 11th tie ensued at 13-13. An 11-2 surge by Point Loma took them to a 25-16 win in the lone set that did not see a deadlocked score late because the teams exchanged runs early in the third before four straight points bookended by Garcia kills had ART U ahead 15-11. An 8-2 comeback brought another tie at 19-19 prior to a 22-19 advantage for PLNU. Rupertova and McClellan each had kills in the waning moments, but the home team was able to escape with the 25-23 match point.

The Knights finish their first conference road trip of the season at 1-9 overall and 0-3 in PacWest play. Toward ART U's season-best .260 hitting percentage, McClellan posted 15 kills at a .389 clip while Creek added a season-high seven kills with a .500 hitting percentage and Garcia provided six kills with her highest hitting percentage of the year (.417). Rupertova had six kills alongside a team-best 10 digs, McInerney delivered 21 assists to extend her current streak of 20+ assists to now seven consecutive matches, and freshman libero LC-Reece Nakagawa ended with eight digs.

On Point Loma's side, the now 5-4 overall and 2-0 in conference action Sea Lions were paced by Abigail Nua's 12 kills, Sophia Baugh's 17 assists, and Macy Reynolds' 12 digs.

After being on the road for the first 10 matches of the 2023, Academy of Art will at last make its home debut versus Biola on Sept. 22 with first serve set for 6:30 p.m. from Kezar Pavilion.