Match #29
ART U Urban Knights (1-27, 1-19 PWC) vs. Concordia Eagles (8-20, 7-13 PWC)
Friday, November 9, 2018 at 7 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – CU Arena
Live Stats & Live Video

Match #30
ART U Urban Knights (1-27, 1-19 PWC) vs. Biola Eagles (21-6, 17-3 PWC)
Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 1 p.m.
La Mirada, Calif. – Chase Gymnasium
Live Stats & Live Video

ART U REMATCHES CONCORDIA, BIOLA IN SOCAL
This weekend, Academy of Art volleyball makes its way down to Southern California for the second time this season and the trip will serve as the conclusion to ART U's 2018 season. Concordia and Biola, two teams the Urban Knights played on consecutive days back in mid-September, await.

FIRST SERVE
Playing on back-to-back days, Academy of Art will begin its brief SoCal tour with a 7 p.m. matchup with Concordia this Friday, Nov. 9 inside CU Arena in Irvine. Then, on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 10, the Urban Knights challenge Biola inside Chase Gymnasium in La Mirada beginning at 1 p.m. Live coverage will be available via the links above. 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
As the season draws to a close, ART U's senior trio will each have opportunities to rise further on the program's career records list. Redshirt senior outside hitter Safua Elisaia, who became the Urban Knights' career blocks leader on Halloween, has continued to further the record (311) and needs 22 kills to reach fourth in the career category. Redshirt senior libero Lyndsay Mlynar and senior setter Alana Lucas are now both among Academy of Art's top five in career service aces at 78 and 77 respectively with a shot at third overall (84) still an outside possibility. Mlynar, who leads the team in digs per set (3.23) could move into second in career digs with 36 more and Lucas needs just 10 more assists to become the fourth Urban Knight to achieve the 1,000-assist milestone.

After being named PacWest Freshman of the Week for the third time this season, middle blocker Jillian Wheaton has ascended to fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (.362), 37th in the country, and currently at the highest mark in program single-season history. She has also moved up to sixth in the PacWest in blocks per set (0.95) with no fewer than four total blocks in each of her last five matches. At fifth in the PacWest in assists per set (6.94), freshman setter Picabo Reinhold has delivered 20 or more assists in six of her last seven matches, adding nine double-doubles. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Pawlak remains the team's leader in kills per set (2.53), is second in digs per set (2.95), and has produced eight double-doubles thus far. 

EAGLES EAGER FOR A WIN
Following its first meeting with Academy of Art on Sept. 15, Concordia topped Chaminade twice, Fresno Pacific, and Dominican, but also went 4-12 in that span. The Eagles, currently eighth in the PacWest standings, look to carry momentum from a five-set victory over the Penguins in San Rafael on Nov. 3 most recently. For a CUI squad that ranks second in the conference in service aces per set (1.64), it is Riley Gill and Alisa Watson who have combined for 72 aces thus far while Patience O'Neal checks in at seventh in the PacWest in kills per set (2.99). Following this season's result, Concordia finds itself now 5-0 all-time versus the Urban Knights.

THE BIO ON BIOLA
Receiving votes on the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association National Poll, Biola has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success since its Sept. 14 pairing with ART U. The Eagles have gone 15-2 with their only losses coming to UH Hilo and Azusa Pacific. Saturday will be BU's Senior Day as they close the regular season with Academy of Art after meeting Holy Names on Nov. 9. Ranked top three in the PacWest in hitting percentage (.259), kills per set (13.31), assists per set (12.46), blocks per set (2.20), and service aces per set (1.66), Biola relies heavily upon Sierra Bauder whose .440 hitting percentage leads the PacWest and would be ranked second in NCAA Division II were BU fully eligible. Christina DenBoer adds 3.16 kills per set for the fifth-highest average in the conference. In their relatively brief history against the Knights, Biola is 3-0.