Match #9
ART U Urban Knights (1-7, 0-0 PacWest) vs. UH Hilo Vulcans (5-5, 0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 at 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT)
Hilo, Hawaii – Vulcan Gymnasium
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #10
ART U Urban Knights (1-7, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (0-6, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 at 6 p.m. HT (9 p.m. PT)
Honolulu – The Shark Tank
Live Stats | Live Video

VULCANS, SHARKS OPEN KNIGHTS' 2024 PACWEST SLATE
Coming off its first two non-conference tournaments of the season, Academy of Art volleyball travels to Hawaii to commence Pacific West Conference play against UH Hilo and Hawaii Pacific.

FIRST SERVE
The start of PacWest action takes ART U to Hilo for a 7 p.m. HT (10 p.m. PT) pairing with the Vulcans on Thursday, Sept. 19 inside Vulcan Gymnasium. Two days later on Saturday, Sept. 21, Academy of Art will face off against Hawaii Pacific inside The Shark Tank at 6 p.m. HT (9 p.m. PT). Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Coming off a Mountaineer Volleyball Classic in which both graduate student opposite Claire Ricard and sophomore libero LC-Reece Nakagawa were named to the All-Tournament Team, Academy of Art enters conference play with both sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Alohi Garcia (2.45) and Ricard (2.42) leading the way offensively. Still fourth in the PacWest, senior setter Elly McInerney has orchestrated the Knights hitters to the tune of 7.85 assists per set. She joins Nakagawa and freshman libero/defensive specialist Kyriah Trefren in pacing the squad with eight service aces thus far and, with five total double-digit dig efforts, Nakagawa can now be found inside the conference's top 10 at 3.42 digs per set. The tandem of sophomore right side/middle blocker Katherine Von Kraut (0.58) and graduate student middle blocker/outside hitter Fina Tuinauvai (0.56) are atop ART U's blocks per set list.

ALOHA HILO
Chosen by the PacWest coaches to finish sixth in the conference standings, UH Hilo began 2024 by defeating Alaska, Alaska Anchorage, and Bemidji State, but has since gone 2-5 for a now a 5-5 overall record. Though Samara Cruz paces the Vulcans with a 2.93 kills per set average, it is Kamryn Childs who ranks eighth in the PacWest in hitting percentage (.308) and Tani Hoke who checks in at third in the conference in digs per set (4.62). The Knights have won two of the last three matches in Hilo, but the Vulcans remain up 18-5 in the historical series with Academy of Art.

INSIDE THE TANK
The conference's preseason poll had Hawaii Pacific in 11th just ahead of ART U, but the Sharks have opened the season 0-6 with seven sets won in total. Yet to include HPU's matchup with Dominican on Sept. 19, Lindsey Trapp paces the team with 1.68 kills and 2.71 digs per set while Tehani Pescaia adds 6.35 assists per set. After splitting their two matchups each of the last three seasons, Hawaii Pacific is ahead of Academy of Art 19-7 all-time.

NUMEROUS NAIL-BITING SETS WRAP UP KNIGHTS' COLORADO TRIP
The final day of the Mountaineer Volleyball Classic, Sept. 14, saw many of Academy of Art volleyball's sets go down to the wire as tournament host Western Colorado made a late move to win 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 28-26) before Fort Lewis managed to outlast the Urban Knights in two frames as part of a 3-0 (31-29, 25-11, 27-25) victory inside Paul Wright Gym.

LOOKING AHEAD
Set to compete in the Bay Area for not only the first time this season but also to start an 11-match stretch, ART U faces Dominican in San Rafael on Sept. 26 then opens a six-part homestand.