Volleyball opens 2006 with first practice Wednesday

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas volleyball team returns to campus for fall workouts with the first practice scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Wednesday in Barnhill Arena. The Lady Razorbacks return a solid corps of players paced by seniors Amy Allison, Kele Brewer and Denitza Koleva. All three have earned numerous Southeastern Conference honors and will be heavily relied upon to lead the team. "I’m really excited about this season," said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. "We have depth in every position and a good mixture of experience and athletic youth." Arkansas opens Wednesday with the first day of two-a-day practices beginning at 2:00 p.m., with the second practice scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday’s schedule has two practices with a 2:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. start time and Friday’s times are not yet scheduled. "We’re working around a lot of class schedules right now," said Poole. "We have several players who are in class for the second summer session and we’re just trying to schedule things around classes. I’m sure we’ll get into a bit more of a routine when this session ends." Arkansas will be looking for both the routine and consistency when the season begins. The Lady Razorbacks open Aug. 19 with an Alumni Match at 1:30 p.m., in Barnhill Arena. The first regular season match is slated for Aug. 25-26, when the Lady’Backs travel to Norman, Okla., for the Oklahoma Tournament facing the host Sooners along with Idaho and North Carolina. Arkansas opens September with their own home tournament welcoming Sacramento State, Stephen F. Austin and Southeast Missouri State before traveling to Lawrence, Kan., for more tournament play. The Lady’Backs begin Southeastern Conference play at Kentucky Sept. 15. The match is the first of the SEC schedule featuring the new home-and-away format in which the Lady’Backs face each team in the league twice. For more information about Arkansas volleyball or for schedule and ticket information please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.