BELMONT, Calif. – Getting its first look at Dominican in 2021, Academy of Art volleyball nearly executed a third-set comeback, but the Penguins wound up holding on for a 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-23) Pacific West Conference victory on Friday inside Walter Gleason Gym.

Though freshman outside hitter Katherine Von Kraut's service ace helped the Urban Knights start up 3-1, Dominican came back with six straight points to establish a 7-3 lead. A pair of kills from freshman outside hitter Ashley Mecham and a service ace from senior outside hitter/libero Ashley Pawlak brought ART U to within two at 10-8, but eight of the next nine points went the Penguins way before their 25-12 set one victory.

An 11-2 start for Dominican in the second set created distance early and, though Mecham racked up three more kills in the frame thereafter, it would go to the visitors 25-11 in the end. A closely contested third set ensued with a 4-2 initial advantage for Academy of Art before the Penguins shifted the momentum for their own 15-11 lead. The Knights responded with a 7-3 run highlighted by two kills from freshman middle blocker Hannah Richman and soon it was anyone's match. A 5-2 push got Dominican to match point at 24-11, but Von Kraut's seventh kill combined with a Penguin attack error nearly continued the battle. One final kill wound up finishing the set at 25-23, giving Dominican the 3-0 win.

ART U, now 0-3 overall and in PacWest play, was led by match-highs in kills (14) for Mecham and assists (24) for Garcia. Pawlak's 11 digs led the team and elevated her into sole possession of second in program history with 1,088 career digs.

The Penguins move to 1-2 on the year and in conference after getting a team-high 12 kills from Catherine Johnson plus four blocks off the hands of Mariah Ahid.

Academy of Art will next play its third and final home match of this spring season on Thursday, Apr. 1 when the Urban Knights host Holy Names back inside Walter Gleason Gym.