The Dominican University of California volleyball team earned a set one victory but ultimately dropped the season finale (25-22, 29-31, 20-25, 16-25) by a score of three sets to one against the Academy of Art University.

Seniors Braelyn Wakefield, Tiffany Wong, Kiana Pelton, Samantha Brown, Haley Frederking and Mariah Ahid were celebrated for their countless contributions to the Penguins volleyball team and the Dominican athletic department as a whole prior to the start of the afternoon matinee. The emotion from the celebration rolled over into the match, with Dominican jumping out to a quick 5-1 lead after a pair of service errors and Wong kills.

The Urban Knights stormed back, eventually taking a 12-11 lead before freshman Devon Condie converted on an overpowering attack. The tradition of trading points continued towards the end of the set before the Penguins tallied a pair of consecutive points that led to an Academy of Art timeout with Dominican leading 20-18.

Junior Gabi Maiocco was making herself comfortable behind the service line before an error gave the Urban Knights a point back. Dominican held a 21-20 point just moments later before an Ella Jiminez block party lead to a point from her own attack, before Jiminez and junior Edee Leslie teamed-up for another block to extend the score to 23-20. The Urban Knights battled back but their attempts were unsuccessful as, "whose house our house," chants rained from the bleachers while Jiminez tallied the set-point, giving Dominican a 1-0 lead on a 25-22 set one victory.

The Academy of Art jumped out to a slim lead as the combatants continued to trade points in the following set, but an Ahid swing brought the score back even at 4-4. An Urban Knight long-ball gave Dominican a 6-5 lead but the advantage was soon squandered when Sadie Emery recorded a kill for the Academy of Art. A trio of consecutive points were collected by the Urban Knights but Condie sent a perfectly placed kill into the back corner of the court, stopping the Urban Knight attack and bringing the score back within one at 8-7.

Condie regained the Dominican lead with an attack that preceded a setting error, giving Dominican a two-point advantage. Wakefield checked back into the game and made an immediate impact when the senior connected on an over-the-head, behind-the-back volley that landed directly onto the hand of Wong who completed the immaculate play with a smash.

Dominican called a timeout after the Academy of Art took a 14-13 lead. Leslie took lead of the welcoming committee when she sent an attack directly to the floor as soon as the stoppage of play concluded, bringing the game back even. Sophomore Sophia Hall checked into the game for Dominican a pair of plays later, also making an immediate impact after her serve was never returned when Condie and Leslie game together for their second block party. The Urban Knights broke through the wall on the next play giving it a 17-16 advantage before they sent another ball just outside the outstretched hands of Hall, doubling their lead.

A Dominican timeout was taken with the score leading 21-17 in favor of the Academy of Art, proving helpful to the Penguins as they notched a point on the returning play. The Urban Knights tallied a pair of points before Pelton pounced on an errant ball at the net, bringing the score to 23-19. An incredible rally was capped with a soft touch by Pelton at the net after a minute long rally to bring the Penguins within two moments before Dominican retook a late 25-24 lead that led to an Urban Knight timeout.

The Academy of Art tallied a pair of points prior to a Wong smash that brought the sore back even at 26 apiece. The Urban Knights answered back with an attack that glanced off the hands of a diving Wakefield before Wong replayed her previous attack with another, tying the set at 27-27. Frederking converted on a rare attack after electing to smash the ball over the net on the second hit as opposed setting it, with this occurring after the Urban Knights notched a point as the score read 29-28.

A service error was committed by the Urban Knights which made the score read 29-29, but another point was earned by them soon after. The second set came to an eventual end after the Urban Knights sent a ball barely past the hands of Brown, ending the extended set at 31-29 for the Academy of Art.

Wong welcomed the foes back to the floor with an attack that was immediately answered with a trio Knights points. A block by the Urban Knights wall went wide on the next play, giving Dominican a momentary break from the Urban Knight attack with the score reading 3-2 in set three.

The Academy of Art had its way in the early stages of the third set, leading by as many as six before Condie crushed a ball directly to the hardwood, bringing the score to 10-5. This point was immediately met by the Urban Knights when a Penguin block attempt landed on the wrong side of the out of bounds line, but Ahid brought the ball back to the Penguins side of the twine with a cross-court kill.

A Dominican timeout didn't solve its third set struggles as the Urban Knights continued to distance themselves with the score reading 15-7, but a Pelton kill brought the momentum back into the Conlan Center. The Penguins tallied consecutive points for the first time since the early stages of the set, going on a mini 4-0 run capped by a Leslie swing after the ball was gently returned by the defense, lessening the Urban Knight advantage to 15-10.

The squads traded tallies over the ensuing minutes, but attacks from Pelton and Condie brought Dominican within four as Brown continued to show her defensive prowess by refusing to let the opposing attacks hit the floor. Frederking then recorded a service ace that made the score read 19-16 that forced the Urban Knights to take a timeout.
Wong kept the ball alive with a one-handed dive that eventually setup an Ahid screacher that left the opposing wall with no chance at a return before Dominican showcased its own wall with Condie and Pelton coming together for a momentum-shifting block. The Urban Knights tallied the ensuing point, but the Dominican wall proved to be unshakeable as Condie, Ahid and Pelton all came together to keep Dominican within one.

The Academy of Art recorded a pair of points with the latter of the points coming via service ace, leading to a Penguin stoppage of play. The Urban Knights earned the initial point when the teams returned but Pelton answered with a smash. Dominican was unable to answer the rest of the Academy of Art attacks in the third set, with the final score eventually reading 25-20 as the Urban Knights took a 2-1 set advantage.

Pelton recorded the first Penguin point of set four after the Academy of Art earned its first point of the set, starting a mini 3-0 run that brought the score to 3-1. Brown gave Dominican a four-point, 6-2 lead moments later when she ended a minute-long rally with a soft volley that landed between a plethora of outstretched Urban Knight hands, but the Academy of Art battled back to eventually take a 10-8 lead.

Dominican elected to use a timeout with the score reading 15-11 for the Urban Knights, preceding a Frederking point for the Penguins. The Academy of Art attacked was on full display from here on out, expanding its lead to six with the score reading 18-12.  A slew of short rallies ensued with the Academy of Art consistently earning the point, setting the stage for a quick finish in set four. The Urban Knights enjoyed a large advantage in the deep part of the set, leading 22-15 before Dominican called a timeout.
A Condie kill brought Dominican within six but a service error halted the momentary rally. The final point was given to the Academy of Art when attack landed out of the bounds for Dominican, giving the Academy of Art a 25-16 win in the fourth and final set, and a 3-1 set win.

Wong finished her collegiate career with a game-high 15 kills, also adding 12 digs. Brown's farewell featured 27 digs, a pair of aces and a kill, while Pelton's stat line read seven kills, four blocks and a pair of digs. Ahid's final sendoff saw her with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Frederking tallied 29 assists, seven digs and a kill. Wakefield enjoyed 15 digs and one assist in her final game as a Penguin.

To hear the live call from Penguin radio, proceed to the following link: http://penguinradio.dominican.edu/2021vb/211118_vb_VS_fpu.mp3