Match #21
No. 28 ART U Urban Knights (15-5) vs. No. 29 UIndy Greyhounds (14-5)
Monday, May 20, 2024 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET)
Altamonte Springs, Fla. – Sanlando Park
Live Stats | Bracket

Match #22
No. 28 ART U Urban Knights (16-5) vs. No. 3 North Georgia Nighthawks (24-1)
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET)
Altamonte Springs, Fla. – Sanlando Park
Live Stats | Bracket

SWEET SIXTEEN
For the first time since the 2018 campaign and for the second time in program history, No. 28 Academy of Art women's tennis is headed to the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament. After the squad's 4-2 victory over No. 46 Concordia in the NCAA Division II West Regional on May 10, the Urban Knights were placed as the #11 seed in the national tournament and are set to battle with No. 29 UIndy (#6 seed) in the first round at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. on May 20.

KNIGHT WATCH
As conference champion ART U is coming off their 4-2 West Regional win against Concordia, the squad is ready for a non-PacWest opponent in postseason play. Defeating Colorado Mesa, No. 36 Hawaii Pacific, No. 30 Point Loma, and No. 19 Azusa Pacific en route to their first PacWest Conference title, the squad has put together an impressive postseason run thus far.

In their most recent match, the Knights started it off with a doubles point victory on Courts 1 and 2 with No. 22 nationally ranked PacWest Freshman of the Year Amelija Supulniece and junior Erica Hellbe taking down the No. 8 nationally ranked doubles team in Sophie Rachor and Tiffany Carrillo with a 6-0 sweep. Recently named ITA West Region Player to Watch sophomore Jessica Plazas and freshman Estelle Najean followed that up with a 7-6 (7-4) clinch to give the squad an early 1-0 lead. Going back-and-forth for the next few points that included a singles win by PacWest Tournament Most Outstanding Player senior Viktoria Leth, the Knights ultimately shut the door on the Golden Eagles with Najean and Plazas finishing within minutes of one another, both with singles victories to secure the 4-2 triumph. 

Now on a eight-match win-streak, ART U looks ahead at UIndy to tie the program record and make it nine straight.

GREETINGS TO THE GREYHOUNDS
The match between the Knights and Greyhounds will be unfamiliar territory for both teams, as this will be the first time the pair have faced off. UIndy, champions of the GLVC Conference, have created a hot streak of their own late in the season, as the squad has won 10 in a row while entering their match against the Knights, with their overall score being 46-10 over the course of those matches. The Greyhounds most recently took down a 14-10 Grand Valley State team with a 4-2 score in the NCAA DII Midwest Regional to advance to the tournament, as they contain a roster that utilized just six players over all their doubles and singles courts. 

Tyffaine Pais, the team's player on Court 1 in singles against GVSU, is currently No. 58 in the nation with a ranking that was at one point as high as No. 7. Over on the doubles court, Benedetta Sensi and Maria Fiacan lead the Greyhounds as they compete on Court 1, with the pair playing on Courts 2 and 4 in singles. 

A team that was 4-5 before their 10-match win streak, UIndy has recorded big wins this season from beginning to end. Earlier in the campaign, the Greyhounds defeated No. 8 Wayne State 4-2 before later conducting a 7-0 sweep over No. 25 Findlay, while adding another 4-2 takedown of No. 25 Tiffin. Now squared up with ART U, the upcoming contest for the Greyhounds will be their first match against a nationally ranked opponent in eight matches, while the Knights have faced a nationally ranked team in each of their last four.

NEXT UP, NIGHTHAWKS
A team with the No. 3 nationally rank in the country and a 24-1 overall record, the Nighthawks defeated No. 33 Charleston in the Sweet Sixteen to climb into the Elite 8. Also conference champions as they won the Peach Belt Conference Championship over No. 8 Flagler, UNG defeated No. 11 Columbus State in the Southeast Regional to earn their bid. 

Similar to the Knights, the Nighthawks' Court 1 doubles duo has a nationally ranking (No. 49), while their Court 1 and 2 in singles do as well (No. 10 and No. 67). While being one of the highest ranked teams in the country, UNG is just 6-4 when battling for the doubles point in their last 10 matches. The Knights will look to once again earn an early advantage in doubles, as they have done so for their last 13-straight matches.

The Nighthawks will be the fourth-highest ranked opponent that that squad has faced in program's history, only behind No. 1 Barry in 2018, No. 1 BYU-Hawaii in 2016, and No. 2 Hawaii Pacific, also in 2018.

POSTSEASON PAST TO PRESENT
After the Knights entered the NCAA Tournament as the West Region's #1 seed, they will enter Florida as the #11 seed out of 16 total teams after the official announcement on May 15. The last NCAA Tournament appearance for ART U came back in 2018 as the squad took down Concordia (N.Y.) with a 5-0 sweep. If the Knights were to win against UIndy, they would next be matched up against the winner of No. 3 North Georgia (#3 seed) and No. 33 Charleston (WV) (#14 seed) on May 21 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) in the Quarterfinal match.