Early SEC Test Sunday Against No. 3 Florida

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Having picked up its fifth-straight win in its last outing, the University of Arkansas volleyball team returns to Barnhill Arena Sunday afternoon to host No. 3 Florida. First serve of the SEC match is schedule for 1 p.m. (CT). The Razorbacks carry an 11-2 overall record this season and are 1-0 in SEC play. Individual match tickets are $5 with doors opening one hour prior to the match. Students—with valid ID—and fans 17 years and younger receive free admission.

Live Stats | Match Notes

All-Time Series vs Florida
Two of Arkansas’ three wins in its series against Florida have come at Barnhill Arena with five-set wins during the 2007 and 2015 seasons; the third win was in the championship match of the 1997 SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga. Sitting at No. 3 in the country, this will be the highest-ranked Florida team to come to Fayetteville since 2013 when the Gators were second in the polls. Sunday’s match will be the first of two meetings this year with the teams also set to play Nov. 10 in Gainesville.

Last Time Out
Arkansas beat Tennessee in straight sets (Sept. 20) to open SEC play behind a match-high 17 kills from Pilar Victoria and 12 kills from freshman Elizabeth Pamphile. The team had a .291 hitting percentage—setter Rachel Rippee had 39 assists—and were aided by seven service aces in the win. The Razorbacks now lead their all-time series with Tennessee, 20-19.

Five in a Row
The conference-opening win over Tennessee pushed Arkansas’ win streak to five-consecutive matches and home record this season to 5-0. The victory also marked the program’s fifth straight to open SEC play. Arkansas is 15-9 in SEC openers.

Middle Duo
In the Razorbacks’ win against Tennessee, middle blockers Elizabeth Pamphile and Kelly O’Brien combined for 19 kills and a .517 hitting percentage. Pamphile and O’Brien each tied their respective career highs with 12 and seven kills. Defensively, the pair also contributed three total blocks apiece.

Milestone Watch
Entering Sunday’s match, junior libero Okiana Valle is four digs shy of moving into a tie for seventh place on the program’s career list. She has 1,058 career digs and leads the team with 3.46 digs per set and a pair of 20-dig performances, most recently with 21 digs in a five-set win at SMU (Sept. 16).

Season tickets are still available with pricing options beginning at $40 and can be purchased through the Razorback Ticket Center by calling 800-982-HOGS (4647). Following Sunday’s match against Florida, the Razorbacks’ next home match will be Friday, Oct. 6 when the team hosts Ole Miss at Barnhill Arena.

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