biography

Fortunate to be one of the few coaches in the world to have coached in the Olympics and participated in the NCAA Division I Final Four as a player and a coach. Most recently I was on the sidelines at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with the Puerto Rico National Team. As a player I was a two-year captain for the Ball State men's volleyball team and helped lead the Cardinals to the NCAA Final Four in 1994 and 1995. Then as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, I was fortunate to help the Badgers to the Final Four during the 2000 season. 

In 2016 I helped Puerto Rico make history by qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time ever. Along the way we also made history by finishing first in the FIVB Grand Prix Group 2 qualifying round and winning silver at the Pan Am Cup.

Prior to joining the Puerto Rico National Team full time I was the Head Coach at the University of Arkansas and led the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013 and saw my student-athletes collect six AVCA All-America accolades, 13 AVCA All-South Region certificates and 17 All-SEC honors. Among those awards, Jasmine Norton was the 2009 Freshman of the Year for both the AVCA South Region and SEC, Amanda Anderson capped her career as the 2012 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and most recently, Okiana Valle, was named the 2015 AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year. 

In 2015 we added another key moment in program history when the Razorbacks broke a 16-year absence from the national poll with a No. 22 ranking in the Oct. 5 AVCA Top 25. During its 2015 campaign, Arkansas produced top-30 victories with wins over No. 9 Florida, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 26 Kansas State. In 2015 I became one of the five active head coaches in the SEC with a win over each of the other league teams. Individually, the Razorbacks added a pair of all-conference performers in 2015 with Pilar Victoria earning All-SEC honors while Valle earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. Pilar and Okiana were later joined by Bre Jones and all three became AVCA South Region honorees.

On Oct. 11, 2014, I was grateful to reach an important milestone when I recorded my 100th win as the Razorbacks’ head coach with a five-set win over Georgia at Barnhill Arena. Along the way I became the first Puerto Rico-born head coach in history at a Power 5 conference institution, the first one to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament and the first to collect 100 career wins at a Power 5 school.

Under my guidance, the Razorbacks’ success translated to academic excellence. The program earned its third-consecutive public recognition award from the NCAA when the 2015 APR success list was released. The team made program history with its first-ever AVCA Team Academic Award after posting a 3.405 cumulative grade-point average for the 2014-15 academic year. Between all of the SEC academic honor rolls, during my tenure, I saw our student-athletes rack up 60 accolades. 

I entered the 2015 season off a summer tour with the Puerto Rico National Team where I served as an assistant coach. Among the highlights, I helped Puerto Rico to a fourth-place finish at the XVII Pan American Games in Toronto. The finish represented the country’s first-ever appearance in the medal rounds. I was also on the bench for the first two legs of the FIVB World Grand Prix, helping Puerto Rico qualify for the Group 2 Finals in Poland, and for the team’s trip to Havana, Cuba, for the NORCECA Champions Cup.

On the recruiting front, my staff and I added eight top-100 players to the program including five that appeared on the 2015 roster. That list featured Chanell Clark-Bibbs (No. 25, 2011), Breana Jones (No. 52, 2012), Liz Fortado (No. 75, 2011), Danielle Harbin (No. 78, 2012) and Ana Sofia Jusino (No. 79, 2011). Among our recruiting successes at Arkansas, the 2012 class was ranked first among SEC teams and No. 16 in the country for the highest ranking in program history.

My effect on the Arkansas program can also be measured by the team's reflection in the RPI ranking. When we took over in 2008, the Razorbacks were ranked No. 140. Since that time, Arkansas was as high as No. 16 in the ranking on two occasions.

Using a fast-paced offense and building a competitive home schedule, we built a fan-friendly brand of volleyball that brought in the fans to legendary Barnhill Arena. Nine of the top-10 home crowds in program history were registered since the start of the 2010 season—including three in 2015—with the program record of 3,015 fans during the 2012 SEC home opener against No. 13 Florida.

In 2014, the Razorbacks capped their year with an All-American for the third-consecutive season with the selection of Meredith Hays who led the SEC with 4.34 kills per set. Hays became the second back-to-back All-American in program history. The three-year streak is the longest in program history. The duo of Hays and Clark-Bibbs also both earned AVCA All-Region and All-SEC accolades. Among its season’s highlights, Arkansas posted a road win at No. 20 Texas A&M in front of a national television audience on the SEC Network and a five-set win over Michigan to win the season-opening Arkansas Invitational. 

The 2013 season saw Arkansas make a second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the program's first back-to-back postseason appearances since the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In addition to AVCA All-America Honorable Mention performances by Hays and Raymariely Santos, libero Emily Helm eclipsed the 1,000-dig mark in her two-year Razorback career and earned the second and third SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors of her career. Under our watch, Santos finished her career ranked second in assists (3,661), 12th in digs (933) and 18th in service aces (62). All three also received AVCA South Region accolades.

Following the season, we continued the program's recent trend of seeing our seniors extend their careers into the professional ranks. Santos and fellow 2013 senior Ashley Vazquez became the seventh and eighth Razorbacks to sign with a professional league. That list also includes Anderson, Norton, Roslandy Acosta, Kasey Heckelman, Kelli Stipanovich and Janeliss Torres-Lopez. Vazquez won back-to-back league titles in 2014 and 2015 with Caguas in the Puerto Rico league.

In 2012, I guided the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament and posted a 22-10 overall record with a 13-7 tally in Southeastern Conference play. Both win totals represent highs for the program under my watch. The 20-win season was the first for Arkansas since the 2005 season, three years prior to me arriving in Fayetteville. The trip to the NCAA Tournament was the program's first since 2006.

Individually, Acosta and Norton were recognized as All-Americans by the AVCA and named to the All-SEC First and Second Teams, respectively. Conference honors continued with Anderson being named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Fortado earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Arkansas' four SEC selections represent the program's largest single-season collection since 2003.

Under our watch, Norton became just the second player in program history to be selected to the All-SEC Team all four years of her career and the first to be recognized with two AVCA All-America honors. She finished her career as the second-most prolific attacker in program history and No. 8 on the all-time SEC list with 1,799 career kills. Norton also became just the sixth Arkansas player with 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.

We continued to guide our team toward joining the nation's elite in 2011. At season's end, Arkansas owned an 18-13 overall record and a 10-win SEC tally. At the time, the conference total was the most by the program since the league went to the double round-robin format. The Razorbacks finished second in the SEC Western Division and fifth overall, the team's best conference finish since the 2005 season.

Individually, Norton, a preseason All-SEC selection, and Kelli Stipanovich capped their respective seasons by earning All-SEC honors. Norton was named to the All-SEC First Team and Stipanovich, the fourth all-conference performer under us, was named to the All-SEC Second Team. For the first time since 2003, Arkansas had two players on either the league's First- or Second-Team. Norton added to her collection of honors with a selection to COBRA Magazine's Midsouth All-Region Team.

In my third season at the helm of the Arkansas volleyball program, we guided the youthful 2010 Razorbacks to a fourth-place finish in the Western Division and a seventh-place overall conference finish. All six conference teams ahead of Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

With a roster that featured no seniors in 2010, we saw two of our underclassmen standouts recognized by the SEC coaches at the end of the season. Norton earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team, the second such honor of her career, and Santos became the ninth player in Razorback history to earn SEC All-Freshman honors. She joined Anderson and Norton as the three all-freshman selections for me at that time; Fortado became the fourth in 2012.

During the season, Norton led the SEC offensively with 3.83 kills per set. With the accomplishment, she became the first player in Arkansas volleyball history to lead the conference in kills per set over the course of an entire season. At her setter position, Santos earned two Freshman of the Week awards and one Defensive Player of the Week selection. Freshman Brooke Fournier was also selected to the USA Junior A2 National Team that competed in Europe during the summer of 2011.

In 2009, on the talents of the youngest roster since the program's inaugural season, the Razorback volleyball team took tremendous strides during my second year as head coach. Picked to finish 10th in the Southeastern Conference in the preseason coaches' poll, the Razorbacks exceeded all expectations to post the sixth-best record in the league.

As impressive as the team's development, the emergence of Norton as Arkansas' go-to player on the outside was instrumental to the team's success. Norton was a member of our first recruiting class at Arkansas, which was ranked in the nation's top 45 by PrepVolleyball.com. During her first season in Cardinal and White, Norton became the sixth All-American in Razorback program history when she was selected as an Honorable Mention performer by the AVCA. 

That initial group of recruits also included Anderson, the very first commitment for me as Arkansas' head coach. Anderson and Norton were both named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, the seventh and eighth All-Freshman selections in program history. During the season, Anderson earned all-tournament honors at the TCU Invitational and Arkansas Invitational, the latter resulting in the 6-2 middle blocker being named the SEC Freshman of the Week.

My first season with the Razorback Nation included my first foray into the SEC Coaches' Beach Volleyball Championship. We also helped then-freshman Stipanovich earn a spot on the USA Junior A2 National Team that traveled to Europe during the summer of 2009.

In addition to my success at the collegiate level, I have also gained international experience with the Puerto Rico and USA National Team programs. In 2000 and 2001, I was an assistant with the USA Youth National Team, with the 2000 team earning a silver medal at the NORCECA Zonal Championship. I later went on to serve as an assistant coach with the USA National A2 team in the summer of 2003.

I also gained experience with Team USA, serving as the head coach for the USA Development Team in 2012 at the 2nd Annual BIP Challenge in China. During the tour our team competed against the professional teams from Liaoning, Shanghai and Tianjin.

In the summer of 2010, I was part of the staff of the Puerto Rico Youth National Team that won the bronze medal at the NORCECA Girls' Youth Continental Championship. The top-three finish ensured a trip to the 2011 FIVB Youth World Championship in Turkey. In February of 2010, I was part of the coaching staff that took the Puerto Rico Junior National Team to Lima, Peru, to compete in the Summer Cup. The team played Chile, the Dominican Republic and Peru. 

For the seasons of 2012-2015, I served as a member of the AVCA Postseason Awards Committee for the South Region. I added further duties with the AVCA prior to the 2015 season when I took on the responsibility of becoming a voter in the Division I coaches' Top 25 poll.

We were also involved in the Northwest Arkansas community since arriving in Fayetteville. Along with my wife, we established the Robert and Jamie Pulliza Opportunity Scholarship in 2009. The scholarship was established for a non-athlete attending the University of Arkansas based on academic achievement, leadership and community engagement. Hayden Herrera was the first recipient of the scholarship and graduated from the University in 2012. In a further show of my dedication to the University and community, I was a member of the Athletic Director's Council on Diversity. In 2012, El Latino, an Arkansas Times publication, named me to the Who's Who list of the Latino Community in the state of Arkansas.

We came to Fayetteville after stops in some of the nation's best programs, including, most recently, the University of Kentucky where I served as the associate head coach.

There I was part of re-energizing the Kentucky program upon our arrival in 2005. As recruiting coordinator my efforts helped land the No. 8 class in the country in 2007. We followed it with the 17th-ranked recruiting class in 2008. Our class in 2006 was ranked 26th by PrepVolleyball.com.

One of the standouts from our initial recruiting class at Kentucky, setter Sarah Rumely, went on to be voted the 2008 SEC Player of the Year and two-time All-American. During her first season, Rumely was twice named the SEC Freshman of the Week en route to being named the SEC Freshman of the Year. Rumely joined the Razorbacks in 2015 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

During my three years at Kentucky we made three NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in school history. In addition, I helped guide the Wildcats to a 20-win season for the first time since 1993. Kentucky had three consecutive 17-plus win seasons including back-to-back 19-win years. During my stay I coached nine All-SEC members and 10 All-SEC Academic honorees.

My college coaching career began in 1996 as an assistant coach at James Madison University. The Dukes began the season with an RPI outside the top 200 but ended the year with a No. 61 RPI ranking. I moved on to Northern Illinois for the 1998-99 season helping the Huskies to the Mid-American Conference regular season title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1998.

My next endeavor was in Madison, Wisconsin, where I served as the recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator for the Badgers from 1999-2001. I was credited with recruiting Volleyball Magazine's sixth-best class in the country in 2001. In addition, I found my self on the sidelines as the Badgers won the Big Ten title and were in the NCAA Final Four Championship match in 2000.

The next stop for me was the University of Texas where I helped revitalize the Longhorn program. While serving as recruiting coordinator for the Longhorns, we signed Student Sports Magazine's second-ranked recruiting class in the nation in 2003 and landed PrepVolleyball.com's 13th-ranked class in 2004.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, I am a 1996 graduate of Ball State University with a degree in general studies. I received my master's degree in athletics administration and coaching in 1998 from James Madison University. I am married to Jamie Pulliza, who is a speech pathologist.

International Experience

2015-2016 - Assistant Coach Puerto Rico Women's Olympic Team

2012 - Head Coach USA Development Team at the 2nd Annual BIP China Challenge

2010 - Assistant Coach Puerto Rico Youth and Junior National Team

2003 - Assistant Coach USA A2 Team

2000-2001 - Assistant Coach USA Youth National Team

NCAA Division I College Experience

2008-2015 - Head Coach University of Arkansas

2008 - Associate Head Coach University of Kentucky

2005-2008 - Assistant Coach University of Kentucky

2001-2004 - Assistant Coach University of Texas

1999-2001 - Assistant Coach University of Wisconsin

1998-1999 - Assistant Coach Northern Illinois University

1996-1998 - Assistant Coach James Madison University