Genna Garrett started as a volunteer with Academy of Art University volleyball in August 2019.
Garrett helped guide the Urban Knights through eight five-set matches, a series sweep of Dominican, and ultimately a new ART U single-season service aces record (197) in 2023. The squad was led by
All-PacWest Second Team honoree Maya McClellan who ranked inside the Pacific West Conference's top two in both points (4.22) and kills (3.63) per set. McClellan (675) joined Amalie Rupertova (624) among the top three two-year players in ART U history in total career kills (fifth and eighth respectively overall) while
Rupertova ended as a
CSC Academic All-District selection along with Elly McInerney, nine Urban Knights were
Academic All-PacWest Team as well.
The Urban Knights' 2022 season was highlighted by multiple victories in Hawaii, program milestones like
Isaura Santos' single-match digs record (39 versus CUI on
Sept. 10), wins on both sides of the season series with Dominican, a
3-0 sweep of Biola late in the year, and ultimately a new ART U single-season record in service aces per set (1.67). The squad was led by a pair of
All-PacWest Second Team honorees in Amalie Rupertova and Maya McClellan who both ranked inside the Pacific West Conference's top seven in kills per set. Along with Jillian Wheaton ranking third in the conference in hitting percentage (.320) while closing her five-year career as Academy of Art's career hitting percentage leader (.325) and a
CSC Academic All-District selection, four Urban Knights were
Academic All-PacWest Team as well.
Highlights from the Urban Knights' 2021 campaign, their first full season since 2019, included two victories to start, a three-part win streak bridging October and November that included a triumph at UH Hilo on
Nov. 4, and the program's single-season records in both kills (12.81) and assists per set (12.03). Academy of Art also garnered numerous postseason honors with outside hitter Ashley Mecham earning
Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year and
All-PacWest Second Team along with setter Picabo Reinhold and libero Elena Torres.
Returning to the court for the first time in over a year, Academy of Art volleyball competed in an abbreviated six-match spring campaign for its 2020-21 season. Along with valuable experience gained particularly for its freshman class, ART U finished with three players ranking among the Pacific West Conference statistical leaders including freshman outside hitter Ashley
Mecham third with 3.45 kills per set. The team garnered a total of eight
Academic All-PacWest honors at the year's end as well.
In the biggest turnaround of any PacWest team, Academy of Art volleyball highlighted its 2019 campaign with series sweeps of four conference opponents, a stretch where ART U won six of seven, multiple
PacWest postseason honors plus
11 Academic All-PacWest selections, and, following an 11-win improvement from 2018, the program's second-most victories in the Urban Knights' NCAA Championship era.
A four-year setter and three-year team captain at UC Merced, Garrett averaged 6.84 assists and 2.3 digs per set over the course of her career. She began by being named California Pacific Conference Freshman of the Year and earning an All-Cal Pac Second Team selection in her first season before going on to repeat the Second Team honor as a sophomore and junior. Garrett added three Cal Pac Player of the Week selections plus the prestigious UC Merced Bobcat Award for her leadership and commitment to the athletic department.
Among her highlights on the court were a career-high 53 assists versus William Jessup in 2013 and a team-best 29 assists with her digs career-high (23) against La Sierra in 2014 to send the Bobcats to the Cal Pac Championship game.
Garrett earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a double minor in Psychology and Cognitive Science from UC Merced in 2015. She also currently works as a specialty sales representative for Equator Coffees.
