Match Results
San Francisco, CA – The Academy of Art University hosted Pacific West Conference members Notre Dame de Namur on Friday morning. The Knights battled the elements during a cold and windy morning but did not allow that to stand in their way during today's match. ART U relied heavily on their serve and volley tactics, and it quickly paid off. The Knights got things going right away and never looked back. ART U came away with a clean sweep over the Argos, winning with a final score of 9-0.
“These are difficult conditions to play under, but the team did what they've been doing all year long and were very disciplined in their play,” Head Coach Dave Allen said.
Coach Allen mixed things up in doubles play which proved successful for the Knights. The new team of Laone "Lala" Botshoma, and Amal Ben El Hadj proved to be very competitive as they defeated their opponents 8-0. Paola Correa Fe and Maria Tenorio also teamed up and did very well winning 8-2, while Kunkanda "Cartoon" Phukchampa and Courtney DeWalt also over-powered their Argo challengers.
The Knights continued their doubles success into their singles play, and looked in control of the match the entire time. Never faltering, ART U's sinlges players went right to work on NDNU, taking each match in two sets. Phukchampa won in the No. 1 spot, 6-0, 6-0. Botshoma was next up and won 6-1, 6-1, followed by Correa Fe who defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-0. In the No. 4 spot Courtney DeWalt came up big for her team winning 6-0, 6-0 to ensure the momentum going their way. Ben El Hadj kept things going next with a 6-1, 6-1 victory, and Cecilia Hedin closed out the match by defeating her challenger 6-3, 6-3.
“Cartoon led with a singles matchup where she played very strong and the match of the day was Cecilia stepping into singles,” Coach Allen remarked. “She won with strong 6-3, 6-3 scores so that was really good because she's been working on her game and it showed in singles play.”
After the win, the Academy of Art University's record improves to 7-2 overall, while Notre Dame de Namur University's record falls to 0-4. The Urban Knights have a few days rest before they compete again. They are next scheduled to host Dixie State on March 18th. First serve is set for 12:00 pm.
