Volleyball Hosts McNeese State Friday in Opener
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team begins its 2015 season Friday evening with day one of the Arkansas Invitational at Barnhill Arena. The Razorbacks face McNeese State to open the 22nd season in program history with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT). The rest of the field for the Arkansas Invitational includes Army and Kansas.
Beginning at $40 and a free team knit hat with each purchase, season tickets are currently on sale online or through the Razorback Ticket Center by calling 800-982-4647. Individual match tickets are $5 at the Barnhill Arena ticket window prior to each match while UA students (with valid ID) and fans 17 years and younger receive free admission. Students are asked to use the street-level entrance on Stadium Drive.
Among Friday’s promotions, one UA student will receive a pair of Beats By Dre Headphones while the first 50 students will receive a voucher for free hot dog, popcorn and a drink. Click HERE for full list of this weekend’s promotions.
The Razorbacks are 14-7 all-time in season openers and have won its last three season openers including last year’s victory over Tennessee State in front of 1,463 fans, the No. 4 home attendance in program history. Overall, nine of the top-10 home crowds at Barnhill Arena have been registered in the past five years with three of those marks coming in Arkansas’ season opener.
Following Friday’s opener, the Razorbacks return to the court Saturday at 11 a.m. to face Army and 7 p.m. to play Kansas in the weekend finale. Arkansas carries a 1-0 advantage in its brief series history with both McNeese State and Army, while Arkansas and Kansas have split the last four meetings between the two programs dating back to 2012. The Razorbacks won last year’s Arkansas Invitational with a five-set comeback win over Michigan.
In the SEC preseason coaches’ poll, Arkansas was picked to finish fifth in the conference by the league’s head coaches. The Razorbacks also picked up an individual nod when senior Chanell Clark-Bibbs was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team, marking the program’s first preseason selection since Jasmine Norton in 2012. Clark-Bibbs joins Monica Bollinger and Liz Fortado as Arkansas’ seniors during the 2015 campaign. Head coach Robert Pulliza enters his eighth seasons at the helm of Razorback Volleyball.
All three of Arkansas’ matches this weekend will be streamed live on SEC Network+, the network’s digital platform. Web broadcasts are available online at SECNetwork.com, ESPN3.com or through the WatchESPN app.
For more information about Arkansas volleyball, follow @RazorbackVB on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
