Match #20
No. 28 ART U Urban Knights (14-5) vs. No. 46 CUI Golden Eagles (16-6)
Friday, May 10, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.
Livermore, Calif. – The Club at Livermore
Live Stats

BEST OF THE WEST
For the first time since the 2019 campaign, No. 28 Academy of Art women's tennis is moving onto the NCAA Division II West Regionals. After the squad's 4-0 victory over No. 19 Azusa Pacific in the Pacific West Conference Championship on Apr. 20, the Urban Knights were awarded the No. 1 seed in the West Regionals, and are set to host No. 46 Concordia in the first round of the postseason tournament at The Club at Livermore on May 10.

READY FOR ROUND TWO
The match between the Knights and Golden Eagles will not be unfamiliar territory for either squad, as the pair matched up earlier this season on Feb. 29. In a match that came down to the final point on Court 3 in a freshman Estelle Najean and Jessica Bear head-to-head battle, Najean would come away on top with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in a heated match up with all eyes watching. Freshman Amelija Supulniece and junior Erica Hellbe had their own shining moment in the match as they took down the No. 10 team in the nation in doubles in Sophie Rachor and Tiffany Carillo. The match was played at the halfway mark of the season for both teams, and the win for the Knights was the fifth straight at the time for the squad.

In the PacWest Tournament, CUI also saw early success, similar to the Knights. Earning themselves a first-round bye, the Golden Eagles went straight into the Quarterfinals, and took down Biola steadily with a 4-1 score. It would be the Semifinal match that kicked Concordia out of the winner's bracket, as Azusa Pacific would triumph 4-0 to head to the Championship match and take on the Knights. 

PACWEST PATHWAY
Entering the PacWest Tournament as the No. 5 seed, ART U had to earn their way into the Quaterfinals, and they would do just that after defeating Colorado Mesa 4-0. Finding revenge against No. 36 Hawaii Pacific in the next stage after the team's loss earlier in the season, the Knights headed to the Semifinals with a 4-2 win over the Sharks. A 4-1 victory came next, as ART U took down No. 30 Point Loma propelled by singles wins in straight sets from sophomore Jessica Plazas and junior Paulina Alvarez. In the Championship match, the Knights saw success consistently coming from all angles at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Arizona, with the squad winning their first PacWest Championship in program history over #19 Azusa Pacific with a 4-0 sweep. With senior Viktoria Leth being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, Alvarez went an undefeated 6-0, and Plazas was a focal point towards the success of each round.

Prior to the conference championship concluding, the PacWest gave out season awards. Supulniece received mass amounts of praise in just her first season, as she took home the Freshman of the Year award, while also being named to the All-PacWest Singles First Team and All-PacWest Doubles Second-Team. Hellbe joined Supulniece on the All-PacWest Doubles Second-Team, and Plazas was named to the All-PacWest Singles Second-Team.

POSTSEASONS PAST
The Knights now enter the NCAA Tournament as the West Region's No. 1 seed after the official announcement came on May 6, and this marks the first occasion that the squad has earned the highest seed in the West Region while entering the tournament. ART U, who previously hosted Regionals in 2015, has made it passed this round one time before after their 2018 win over No. 11 Azusa Pacific, where the team also enjoyed victory in the following round against No. 35 Concordia (N.Y.). 

The winner of Friday's matchup will head to Altamonte Springs, Fla. to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament beginning on May 20.