FRESNO, Calif. – In a rematch against the current winningest team in the Pacific West Conference, Academy of Art University volleyball took a tough 3-0 loss (26-24, 25-18, 25-19) to Fresno Pacific inside the Special Events Center. The Urban Knights battled in each set and five of freshman middle blocker Safua Elisaia's team-high nine kills came in the third, but ART U's three-match win streak came to an end as the Sunbirds rallied each time to pick up their eighth straight victory.

"I thought the biggest difference tonight was patience. They were. We weren't," said head coach Ray Batalon. "I thought our effort was there and put us in a good situation in the first set, but some costly mistakes at the end of the set changed the momentum in their favor. We we right there again in sets two and three, but could never muster enough momentum to get any type of lead on them."

The Knights started strong, winning the first four points in the opening set, capped by a service ace from junior libero Kabrina Speakman. However, seven of the next nine points went to the Sunbirds as they steadily worked their way back. Late in the set, a 5-0 surge by ART U forced set point at 24-20 following kills by freshman outside hitter Stine Raben, junior outside hitter Melissa Brum, then two blocks and a kill from Elisaia. A resilient FPU squad proceeded to fight off four set points during a 6-0 response that ended up giving them the first set 26-24.

In the second set, a total of 11 ties occurred before the Sunbirds rattled off five unanswered and managed to hold onto that margin the rest of the way. A kill by sophomore middle blocker Amorelle Applin brought ART U to within four, but Fresno Pacific went on to win 25-18.

Set three was even 6-6 prior to a 6-0 FPU run which Academy of Art managed to erase with a 5-1 response not long after. When the Sunbirds went ahead 18-14, Elisaia put away two kills during a quick 3-0 rebuttal, but Fresno Pacific remained steady, taking seven of the next nine points to win 25-19 and secure the sweep.

Academy of Art, now 9-18 overall and 5-14 in the PacWest, was led by nine kills from Elisaia followed by eight apiece by Brum and Raben. Brum added 17 digs while Speakman chipped in 13 digs. Senior setter Rachael Smith posted 27 assists and 10 digs for her fourth consecutive double-double and eighth of the season.

The win puts Fresno Pacific at 12-12 overall and 12-7 in conference play. Morghan Williams' 14 kills led four Sunbirds with double-digit kill totals while Hannah Butler finished with 31 digs.

ART U now looks ahead to its final match of the 2015 season this Saturday, Nov. 21. The Knights will play host to PacWest rival Dominican inside Kezar Pavilion following a special Senior Day ceremony to honor Isabel Emrich and Rachael Smith prior to the first serve.

"Looking to this weekend, we definitely want to finish the year on a positive note and be able to send off the seniors with a good feeling," said Batalon. "We want to continue giving it our best effort on every point and, if we do that regardless of the score, we can feel good about ourselves."