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Pulliza and his wife Jamie reside in Lexington with their dog, Zoey.
sixth all-time for assists in a single season. Her
54 service aces last year rank seventh on UK's
single-season aces list. She had five double-doubles
on the year, and charted a career-high 70
assists vs. San Diego State.
Pulliza’s 2007 class earned the distinction of
being ranked eighth in the nation, giving him
back-to-back top 30 recruiting classes.
"Our recruiting has gained a great deal of
respect across the country in large part due to
Robert," UK head coach Craig Skinner said.
"He is one of the best in the country at training
setters and recruiting. We are very fortunate
to have him in Blue."
Pulliza, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico,
joined the Kentucky staff as its top assistant
after gaining experience with some of the
best volleyball programs in the country. Pulliza
spent three seasons as an assistant at
Texas before pursuing a career in private
business in May 2004. While at Texas, Pulliza
helped the Longhorns to two NCAA
Tournament appearances.
Prior to his move to Austin, Pulliza spent
two years on the Wisconsin staff and helped
the team to the 2000 Big Ten title and a spot
in the NCAA title match against Nebraska. At
Wisconsin, Pulliza mentored All-America setter
Lizzie Fitzgerald.
Pulliza spent the 1998 season at Northern
Illinois, where he assisted the Huskies to the
Mid-American Conference Championship and
the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to his stint at NIU, he coached two
years as an assistant at James Madison while
pursuing his master's degree in administration
and coaching.
The 33-year-old Pulliza began his coaching
career as an assistant coach at Burris High
School in Muncie, Ind. Burris claimed two
state titles and was named the national runnerup
by USA Today in 1994.
Pulliza has international coaching experience
as well, serving as an assistant coach for
the US National A2 Team in 2003 and the US
Girls Youth National Team in 2000 and 2001.
The 2000 team claimed a silver medal at the
NORCECA Zonal Championships.
Pulliza is a 1996 graduate of Ball State with
a degree in general studies and sports administration.
He served as team captain for two seasons
as Ball State advanced to the NCAA Final
Four in both 1994 and 1995. Pulliza and Skinner
were teammates on the Cardinals' volleyball
team for two seasons. He also was a member of
BSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Board and
earned dean's list honors in 1995-96.
Pulliza and his wife, Jamie, reside in Lexington.
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