Game Day Volleyball Blog

8:27 PM — That’s all from Barnhill Arena tonight. Remember, no live blog tomorrow for football as the Razorbacks are on the road at Austin, Texas. Join us again this coming Saturday for the live blog from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium as the Razorback football team hosts Florida at 11:30 a.m.

8:25 PM — Kristy Jaeckel cranks the big hit for the Gators to close it out 25-21; Florida wins 3-0 but Arkansas shows the largest crowd of the year at Barnhill Arena a strong showing by a young team.

8:24 PM — Gators drive it wide to make it a 6-0 run; Mary Wise uses her first time out of the third match. Pulliza and the Razorback bench is fired up. The 21 point total is the best so far in the three sets tonight.

8:23 PM — Gators move it to match point, but fail on the service; Razorbacks still alive in this one. Seaton earns the point to put Arkansas at 24-18. A four-hitter by UF makes it 24-19. Lawrence gets the dink, and it’s a 5-0 run.

8:21 PM — Arkansas starting to move closer, Stipanovich with the kill and now 19-14.

8:19 PM — Lawrence stops another short Florida burst; now 19-12.

8:18 PM — The crowd is official at 870, that’s the best so far this year; a large percentage of that number in UA students.

8:16 PM — Arkansas is now on a 3-0 run, punctuated by a kill from Lawrence; 14-9 UF.

8:13 PM — Stipanovich breaks the Gator run, Arkansas follows with an ace from the libero Phoebe Bautista; now 12-6 UF.

8:11 PM — The Razorbacks are young, and that inexperience shows at times. Pulliza calls his second and last time out here at 9-3 as the Gators start another run. However, what is very obvious to the fans is the fire in both the players and the coaching staff. They are a fun bunch to watch.

8:09 PM — Tang and Royale on the block — Arkansas is showing some comeback fire at 6-3 Florida.

8:08 PM — Seaton cranks it; Pulliza does a fast-clapping happy dance.

8:07 PM — Gators get a run started to 4-1, Coach Pulliza calls his first timeout.

8:04 PM — And we’re underway again in the third set, a 1-1 open.

8:02 PM — More from Oxford — the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week Lindsay Patterson has one of the two goals scored by Arkansas at Ole Miss. Kathleen Paulson has the other.

7:59 PM — Remember, tomorrow there is no live blog from football as the Razorbacks are on the road at Austin to face the Longhorns. The game is on ABC regional TV, and we believe will stream from ABC’s website. It should also be available on ESPN 360 for those that have that service available in their area.

7:58 PM — It’s final in Oxford — no, not the Presidential debate — Arkansas downs Ole Miss, 2-0, in soccer to open league play at 1-0 and continue the team’s winning streak at seven matches.

7:55 PM — The halftime contest is the Big Pants Showdown — the team that can get the most served volleyballs into a pair of oversized Razorback sweat pants. It’s a heck of a lot harder than it sounds. Imagine racing to catch the serve in a baggy old pair of gray sweats — you fighting first the awkward, sack-race like movement problems then trying to scoop those lobbing serves up on the run.

7:50 PM — Stipanovich’s kill makes it 22-16, but Gators take back the point to move to 23-16. Moves to set point, but Lawrence’s big hit holds off the Gators momentarily. Florida finishes out the set 25-17 to take a 2-0 lead in the match. We go to the 10 minute promotional break.

7:49 PM — Heather Royale booms one across the face of the Gator front line; 19-14 Florida.

7:45 PM — Lawrence gets the kill off a quick set in the middle for an Arkansas point coming out the timeout.

7:45 PM — In Oxford, Razorback soccer takes a 2-0 lead with only six minutes left in the match; here in Fayetteville, Coach Pulliza calls his second and final time out of the set. Razorback cheerleaders take the floor to call the hogs.

7:44 PM — Arkansas point breaks the UF run, now 14-11.

7:43 PM — Gators pick up pair of points, but extremely spirited volleys on both sides of the net. This is one of those matches to be watching on-line.

7:41 PM — Stipanovich breaks the Gator run, she’s at .333 for Arkansas and its now a 2-0 Razorback run to tie at 9-9.

7:39 PM — Pulliza calls his first timeout of the second set to stop a 2-0 run by the Gators; UF up 9-7. Lawrence is hitting .308 at this moment for the second set for Arkansas.

7:36 PM — Razorbacks continue to hang with No. 10 Florida, 7-7 here in the second set.

7:35 PM — Razorbacks regain the lead at 5-4; another exchange and it’s 6-5.

7:33 PM — Seaton brings the thunder for a 3-3 tie, and Coach Pulliza off the bench with a fist-pumping approval.

7:32 PM — It’s a 2-0 start for Arkansas.

7:31 PM — Razorbacks battled the first set, and Lawrence opens the second with the first point. In the first, Florida hit for a whopping .517, but as a testament to Arkansas’ staying power in the first set the Razorbacks remained close in the face of that attack.

7:29 PM — The HogWild band plays that old standard, NFL Today, during the break.

7:28 PM — The fans stand up and stretch; the student-athletes who are here to support the volleyball team switch ends of the arena. The lower level west seats are full, and a large number of the bottom rows of the south end are as well. A great crowd — could be the largest so far this season.

7:27 PM — Gators push out two points to take the first set, 25-19.

7:26 PM — Seaton’s "attack" pressures Florida, results in a net contact; Lawrence adds another kill and an ace from Stipanovich puts Arkansas on a 3-0 run — the longest of this first set. Florida’s Mary Wise now calls her first timeout of the opening set. Razorbacks back to a 23-19 margin.

7:24 PM — Seaton brings down the kill out of the timeout, 22-16.

7:23 PM — Pulliza calls his second time out. Florida back on another run, 22-15 UF.

7:21 PM — Razorbacks snap the Gator run at eight points, now 18-14 Florida.

7:19 PM — Gators now on the first sustained run by either team, 5-0, to lead 16-13; Coach Pulliza calls his first time out. HogWild band strikes up a cadence and the Razorback cheerleaders take the floor.

7:17 PM — Play stops momentarily as the rotations are checked, after restart a booming backrow attack by Lawrence is thwarted by the Gators.

7:16 PM — Lawrence cranks one of the Gator block, backs it up with a service and point — Razorbacks have their largest lead so far, 13-11.

7:15 PM — Neither team able to establish solid momentum; Gators just sent the service into the net for an 11-10 Arkansas lead.

7:13 PM — Caira Dortch scores the first ace of the night for either team, Arkansas is on a three-point run after Florida got the first consecutive points of the night; 9-8 Arkansas.

7:11 PM — The Gators overpass the service and Kristen Seaton makes them pay; 6-5 UA.

7:09 PM — Kristina Lawrence’s kill evens it again at 3-3; neither team able to establish a run thus far.

7:07 PM — Gators get the first point of the evening off a solid blast off the Arkansas block; Kelli Stipanovich answers for the Razorbacks with a boomer. The teams trade points and it stands at 2-2.

7:06 PM — Florida has its radio broadcast crew here, so the traditional Eastern and Western Division leaders are just about ready to start.

7:05 PM — Arkansas starters run out of the Big Razorback with the fog machine running at full-tilt. They throw souvenir volleyballs to the crowd.

7:03 PM — HogWild band gives the traditional good-natured business to the starters for the opponent.

6:59 PM — Clock is winding down the final minute of pregame; nice crowd in the house. Florida has returned to the floor and we’re getting ready for the National Anthem.

6:57 PM — Arkansas soccer has opened up a 1-0 lead in Oxford, Miss. — this is the opening weekend for SEC action in soccer. The game is available tonight as audio in RazorVision, and live on KXUA FM in the Fayetteville area.

6:55 PM — Here come your ARKANSAS RAAAAAAAZOOORBAAAACKS — volleyball enters the floor to Arkansas Fight from the Razorback band.

6:52 PM — Tonight’s match is live on RazorVision. The streaming video is part of the premium package. Andrew Reynolds has the play-by-play on the stream.

6:51 PM — Arena announcer John Norwood makes the first welcome announcement as the Gators step on for their hitting warm-up.

6:50 PM — Big Red is working the upper concourse on the south side meeting and greeting with the little kids.

6:46 PM — Razorbacks take the court for their full warm-ups. Head coach Robert Puilliza is resplendent on the bench with his pink tie.

6:43 PM — Warm-ups continue and the Razorback band settles into its seats on the east baseline. Florida is now on the court for their full warm-up.

6:39 PM — Quick pic from the warm-ups from the Arkansas end of the floor

6:30 PM — Team warm-ups are underway.

6:17 PM — Along with Bikes, Blues and BBQ in Fayetteville, there’s also a Four-State Volleyball Challenge tournament, and it looks like lots of the teams are heading into Barnhill to see the match tonight.

6:09 PM — Tonight is also the volleyball team’s participation in the SEC Together We CAN drive. Fans are asked to bring a canned food item and leave it in the bins at both the north and south entrances of Barnhill Arena.

6:05 PM — Arena doors are open and tonight is Pack the Barn night — $1 admission for all fans. Blog’s now got my shaky handed web shot of the big blow-up Razorback head. The team makes its entry through the Razorback in the southwest corner of the facility.

6:00 PM — Welcome to Barnhill Arena. Tonight, Arkansas hosts 10th-ranked Florida. The last time the Gators came to Fayetteville, the result was a five-game upset by Arkansas. We’ll have the live blog entries as the match goes along. Here’s the pregame blog link.