SAN FRANCISCO – Winning by way of a sweep for the third time this season, Academy of Art University volleyball handled Holy Names 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-12) on Thursday night inside Kezar Pavilion. The Urban Knights raised awareness for breast cancer with "Dig Pink" shirts during warmups then raised the roof in the contest, making it now four consecutive matches with 9.0+ blocks as a team.

Though the Hawks gained an early 6-3 lead, ART U steadily battled back and eventually used a 5-1 run to even the score. That push expanded to 10-3 with redshirt freshman outside hitter Ema Causevic notching a kill and a service ace en route to a 17-13 advantage. Back-to-back blocks by senior outside hitter Melissa Brum and junior middle blocker Margaret Winkler pumped the team up down the stretch and eventually it was Brum's ace that sealed the 25-19 opening set victory.

Academy of Art carried the momentum from the first set into the second, going up 9-2 after kills by four different Urban Knights and finally two service aces from redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Lyndsay Mlynar. Holy Names came back to within a single point at 10-9, but the Knights used a 5-1 run highlighted by a pair of kills by Winkler to separate once again. When freshman setter Lilika Teu wasn't setting up Brum for spikes in the latter stages of the set, she was scoring herself and, like the first frame, finished the 25-17 set on a service ace.

In the decisive third set, redshirt sophomore middle blocker Safua Elisaia became heavily involved early, logging a kill and teaming with her fellow Knights on two blocks in a 7-4 start. Brum then delivered three kills and a block assist of her own amid a 7-1 run to put ART U ahead 14-6. Academy of Art scored five of the final six points including another kill by Elisaia for the 25-12 win and the sweep.

Now 6-13 on the year and 4-6 in PacWest play, ART U ended with an 8-1 advantage in service aces as well as a 9-4 difference in total blocks. Brum had eight kills, four block assists, and 10 digs while junior middle blocker Bailey Soolsma added seven kills with no errors for the highest attack percentage by any player in the match (.412). Causevic finished with seven kills and 11 digs, Elisaia had six kills and four block assists, and Winkler furthered the balanced attack with five kills and four block assists. Teu had 24 assists.

Holy Names continues to search for its first conference win after falling to 0-12 with the loss as well as 1-19 on the year. Madison Stark had a team-high seven kills for the Hawks.

Academy of Art heads to Fresno Pacific this Saturday, Oct. 22 for a 3 p.m. matchup inside the Sunbirds' Special Events Center.