2008 Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball

If you are looking for information about this year's team, go to current Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball..

2007 was not a good season for the Arkansas Razorbacks volleyball team. It finished 2007 with an overall record 12-19 and an SEC record of 6-14. However, the Razorback Volleyball program begins a new era in 2008, welcoming Robert Pulliza as the second head coach in program history.

Pulliza steps in at the helm of a young team looking to rejuvenate the team from a disappointing 2007 campaign. Senior Jessica Dorrell earned a tournament MVP honor to open the season at the Clarion Inn Invitational where she tallied 58 kills, a 4.83 kill per game average and hit .339 for the three-match weekend. Dorrell added one assist, four service aces, 28 digs and eight total blocks leading Arkansas to the team title.

Junior Christina Lawrence also joined Jessica Dorrell on both all-tournament teams as the season began. Lawrence opened hitting .347 with 45 kills and a 3.75 kill per game average at the Clarion Inn Invitational. She added three assists, five digs and 10 total blocks earning her first all-tournament team honor. Seniors Jessica Dorrell and Ashley Miller were both rewarded for standout play last season. Dorrell gained SEC Player of the Week twice last year.

Coach Pulliza is widely known as one of the nation's top recruiters and setting coaches. He comes to Fayetteville after stops in some of the nation's best programs including most recently as the associate head coach at Kentucky. During his career, Pulliza has had several nationally-ranked recruiting classes, 11 recruits have been named FAB 50s and two have been Gatorade State Players of the Year. Six of Pulliza's signees earned All-America honors and five have been named freshman of the year in their respective conferences.

So far this season, the Lady Backs are 1-2 in the SEC; 4-9 overall. So, unfortunately, it not looking like this year will be better than last. Still, under the leadership of Pulliza, the long-term future looks bright.

The following information was posted last year on this page: Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball has enjoyed great success since beginning play in 1994. They have won the SEC Western Division eleven times and made several appearances at the NCAA Tournament. 2005 was a fantastic season for the Razorbacks, but they were not able to hold on to that momentum in 2006. Now they are dedicated to proving themselves in 2007.

The Lady Backs had a decent season in 2006, finishing with a 16-13 record; ranked fourth in the SEC West. This was a great disappointment after tying LSU for first place in the West in 2005. The Razorback ladies made it to the NCAA tournament where they lost to Missouri State in the first round.

Arkansas will face a tough schedule this year, playing eight NCAA Tournament teams, but they remain optimistic.

Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball has a number of strong players rejoining the team this season. Jessica Dorrell will play her last season with the Lady Backs as starting outside hitter after enjoying continual success since joining the team as a freshman. Dorrell had an incredible season in 2006 and was named to the all-tournament team after racking up an impressive number of kills and digs.

Sophomore Destiny Clark is expected to make a big impact on the team this season after an impressive showing in 2006 when she was named SEC Freshman of the Week, as well as being a member of the All-Freshmen team. Clark obtained a school record in blocks last year in the match against Ole Miss and was second in total blocks and blocks per game for the Backs.

Caira Daugherty will be back as starting setter for the Lady Backs. The junior averaged 5.93 assists per game in 2006, a career-best for the Springfield, Missouri native.

Two Lady Backs had the opportunity showcase their talent in Europe this summer where they took part in the 2007 Global Challenge volleyball tournament. Catherine Fowler and Heather Royal, both juniors, joined other top players from the U.S. to play on one of sixteen teams in seven different countries. The Lady Backs have been working hard off the court as well, earning an overall 3.53 team grade point average (the highest the team has ever had).

Arkansas will have a new face on the staff this season after Gokhan Yilmaz, former head coach for Northwood University, joined as assistant coach for the Lady Backs. Yilmaz, who was once a volunteer coach for Arkansas, will be replacing Jenny Wilson who left in May to pursue a medical career.

Arkansas Razorbacks volleyball seems to be growing stronger year after year, but with a tough schedule ahead of them, the Lady Backs will be challenged to have another winning season in 2007.

Prediction: Second to LSU in the SEC West. Yes, another NCAA bid.

You won't find better Arkansas Razorbacks Merchandise and Apparel, Arkansas Fathead, Tickets, and Baseball Caps anywhere.

Learn more about our 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball.

2007 Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball Schedule:

August 24 Georgia Tech 7:00 pm Home
August 25 Pittsburgh 12 noon Home
August 25 Pepperdine 7:00 pm Home
August 28 Oral Roberts 7:00 pm Home
August 31 Virginia 6:00 pm Away
September 01 Temple 10:00 am Away
September 01 Norfolk State 4:00 pm Away
September07 Kansas State 12 noon Away
September 07 Fresno State a 5:00 pm Away
September 08 Northern Iowa 10:00 am Away
September 14 Mississippi 7:00 pm Home
September 16 LSU 1:30 pm Home
September 21 Mississippi State 7:00 pm Away
September 23 Alabama 1:30 pm Away
September 28 Kentucky 6:00 pm Away
September 30 Tennessee 12:30 pm Away
October 05 Georgia 7:00 pm Home
October 07 Auburn 1:30 pm Home
October 12 Florida 7:00 pm Home
October 14 South Carolina 1:30 pm Home
October 19 LSU 7:00 pm Away
October 21 Mississippi 1:30 pm Away
October 26 Alabama 7:00 pm Home
October 28 Mississippi State 1:30 pm Home
November 02 South Carolina 6:00 pm Away
November 04 Florida 12 noon Away
November 09 Auburn 7:00 pm Away
November 11 Georgia 12:30 pm Away
November 16 Tennessee 7:00 pm Home
November 18 Kentucky 1:00 pm Home
November 24 Connecticut 1:30 pm Home

2007 Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball Roster:

1 Phoebe Bautista L/DS 5'2" Freshman Oakland, California
2 Lindsay Scanlan S 6'0" Sophomore Rockwall, Texas
3 Yun Tang MB 6'3" Junior Beijing, China
4 Jessica Dorrell OH 5'11" Senior Aledo, Texas
5 Hillary McCormick OH 6'1" Freshman Overland Park, KS
6 Kelli Cole L/DS 5'3" Senior Russellville, Arkansas
7 Christina Lawrence OH 6'1" Junior Sullivan, Missouri
9 Ashley Miller L/DS 5'7" Senior Vacaville, California
10 Heather Royal OH 6'0" RS Freshman Plano, Texas
12 Lauren Fielding L/DS 5'5" Sophomore Plano, Texas
13 Sarah Freudenrich MB 6'4" Freshman Broken Arrow, OK
15 Kristin Seaton OH/MB 6'0" Sophomore Fort Smith, Arkansas
20 Catherine Fowler MB 6'2" Sophomore Conway, Arkansas
24 Caira Daugherty S 5'8" Junior Springfield, Missouri
25 Nicole Martin S 5'11" Junior Carmel, Indiana
32 Destiny Clark MB 6'1" Sophomore Manhattan, Kansas

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2008 Arkansas Razorbacks Volleyball