Volleyball celebrates Senior Day

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Seniors Christina Lawrence, Caira Dortch and Yun Tang will close their careers and the 2008 season leading the University of Arkansas volleyball team in action for the final time Saturday at 1:30 p.m., in Barnhill Arena. The Razorbacks (7-22, 4-15) host Ole Miss (13-15, 9-10 SEC) in the final match of the year for both teams. “We want to send our seniors out on a high note,” said Arkansas head coach Robert Pulliza. “I’m really proud of them and I know they want to come out and show what they are made of.” Lawrence has paced Arkansas all season and for much of her four-plus year career with the Razorbacks. The Sullivan, Mo., native has battled injury throughout her career but still managed to elevate her game this season. Lawrence became the 13th player in program history to record her 1,000th-career kill and she leads the team with a .302 hitting percentage. “It was interesting to get a new coaching staff to start my senior year,” said Lawrence. “I was excited about that and I’m still excited for that. We’ve improved so much and this has been a very exciting year for us. I’m sad my career is over but I’ve enjoyed my time as a Razorback.” Dortch is the former Caira Daugherty of Springfield, Mo. A setter in high school, Dortch served Arkansas as both a setter and defensive specialist during her career. Tang spent just two short seasons with the Razorbacks. The 6-3 middle blocker hails from Beijing, China, and was a shot-changer in the middle for the Razorbacks. Although the Razorbacks had some individual successes this year, the program has battled in the win-loss column. “We just didn’t get it done in terms of win-loss,” said Pulliza. “But skill-wise, we are much better than we were in August. It’s been up-and-down, even in individual matches, but we’ve done a good job at looking at the positives and we’re just going to keep on building.” The match is the final match of the 2008 season for both teams. For more information about Arkansas volleyball, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.