OPENING SERVE 
The Knights have hit a rough patch in their 2011 schedule against some high-caliber Pacific West Conference opponents, but seem to be back on the right track despite Tuesday night's loss to Grand Canyon. ART U actually had more kills than the "Lopes (41-40) but couldn't close out their conference foes. Camille Board had 10 kills, and Leinani Keanini had 11 kills and 8 digs in the loss.

TIME FOR A CHENG
Head coach Allison Magner introduced some knew wrinkles in the offense for the Knights, and their effectiveness was apparent in the first two sets, as the Knights battled hard with GCU. A big part of that effort was setter Melissa Cheng's ability to read the blockers, and Magner again had high praise for her setter's ability to step back into the fold. "I like to run an intricate, spicy offense and she (Cheng) and I have been able to go to the whiteboard over and over and you could really see that put into play and implemented tonight," Magner said. "Melissa's understanding of who I am as a coach and how I like to run things has helped tremendously."

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING
Academy of Art is looking to replicate their success against William Jessup, a program that they swept earlier this year back on September 16. In that first matcup between the two teams, middle blocker Amy Bush had nine kills and six total blocks, Angela Heath added eight kills, and Kawai Oleole had 31 assists in the victory. Leinani Keanini littered the box score with her stats, totaling seven kills, ten digs, three total blocks, and a service ace.

WOUNDED WARRIORS
The Lady Warriors struggled directly following their loss to the Urban Knights, dropping two straight to Holy Names and Menlo College before defeating UC Merced. William Jessup dropped another to Simpson University and then beat Pacific Union last week for their third win of the year. Against the Knights, the Warriors were led by Lauren Koons (7 kills) and Hannah Baldwin (6 kills). Last week against Pacific Union, Sarah Hickenbottom had 12 kills for the Lady Warriors. 

LOOKING AHEAD 
The Urban Knights will head to the South Bay and take on the Lady Argos of Notre Dame de Namur on Oct. 20. NDNU plays their home matches at Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont, CA, and the game will start at 7:00 PM.