Matches #13 & #14
ART U Urban Knights (5-7, 2-0 PWC) vs. Dixie State Red Storm (6-6, 1-3 PWC)
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM
San Francisco, CA - Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats

Matches #15 & #16
ART U Urban Knights (5-7, 2-0 PWC) vs. Cal Baptist Lancers (8-6, 2-2 PWC)
Friday, October 7, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 7:00 PM
San Francisco, CA - Kezar Pavilion
Live Stats

OPENING SERVE
The Urban Knights start a busy week of PacWest play, with back-to-backs against Dixie State and Cal Baptist. The Red Storm are currently in eighth place in the PacWest (1-3) and the Lancers are fifth (2-2). The Knights are currently atop the standings at 2-0, although they have played the least conference matchups in the PacWest. 

BACK TO EARTH
Academy of Art is coming off a disappointing loss to Holy Names that went the distance in every set. Neither team was able to build any sort of momentum, and there were a total of 39 ties and 218 total points. Head Coach Allison Magner called the game a "reality check" for the Knights, who had won four in a row before facing off with the Hawks. Magner was impressed with some of the key contributions off the bench, but in the end it wasn't enough. "We have to beat the teams that we should beat and play hard against those teams that will challenge us," said Magner. "We can't take the wins for granted." 

BUSH BACK ON TOP
It has taken the first couple months of the 2011 season, but senior middle blocker Amy Bush has returned to the top of the PacWest leaderboard for hitting percentage. After leading the conference in 2010 with a .352 hitting percentage, Bush is back at it again with a .359 percentage so far this season. The Knights sit in the middle of the pack in both hitting percentage (5th, .167) and opposition hitting percentage (5th, .156). 

CALMING THE STORM
The Red Storm of Dixie State have lost two in a row against Hawaii-Hilo and BYU-Hawaii but are still sitting at .500 for the year. Against BYU-Hawaii, Dixie was up in the first set 24-21, but the Seasiders mounted an improbable comeback and went on to dominate the Storm 3-1. The Knights will have to deal with Dixie's Alex Shearer, who had 17 kills against the Seasiders, and will look to attack libero Brita Jensen, who led the Red Storm with 31 digs. The Storm rank second in the PacWest in kills, averaging 13.12 kills per set. Morgan Hill is second behind Bush in hitting percentage (.352). 

COMEBACK KIDS
The Lancers of Cal Baptist are celebrating their entrance into the PacWest by putting putting up a solid performance so far, sweeping their first 12 sets at the Cal Poly Pomona Tournament to jump out to a 4-0 start. They had lost three in a row before defeating Hawaii-Hilo 3-2 on Saturday. Cal Baptist 2-1 before rattling off three straight sets against the Vulcans to take the match. Sophomore middle blocker Jelena Dragovic had 14 kills against Hawaii-Hilo and added nine total blocks. Dragovic is leading the PacWest in blocks (1.12 per set, 56 total). The Lancers are second in the conference in hitting percentage (.233) and are also second in blocks (2.10 per set, 105 overall), and service aces (1.86 per set, 93 total).

SOCIAL NETWORKING
Remember to check @UrbanKnightNews on Twitter for score updates and recaps. Also become a fan of the Knights on Facebook by 'Like'-ing the Urban Knights page.

LOOKING AHEAD
After the four games this week, the Urban Knights will stay in California but still make trips on the road to face William Jessup (Oct. 14) and Notre Dame de Namur (Oct. 20). William Jessup plays in the Activities Building in Rocklin, CA, and NDNU play their home matches at Walter Gleason Gym in Belmont, CA. Both games will start at 7:00 PM.