Norton, Stipanovich earn All-SEC honors

RELATED LINKS

2011 All-SEC Awards

FAYETTEVILLE - Jasmine Norton and Kelli Stipanovich, members of the University of Arkansas volleyball team, have earned 2011 All-Southeastern Conference accolades as announced by the league office Monday morning. Norton was voted to the All-SEC First Team while Stipanovich was named an All-SEC Second Team performer. The SEC honors mark the third career selection for Norton and the first career recognition for Stipanovich.

Arkansas is one of six teams in the SEC to earn multiple all-conference honors. This marks the first time since 2003 that the Razorbacks have had two players named to the First- or Second-Team in the same season.

Norton becomes the sixth player in Arkansas volleyball history to earn three All-SEC accolades. She joins the list of former Razorback standouts Krystal Osborne, Kim Storey, Yarleen Santiago, Libby Windell and Jennifer Haaser. Norton is the first Razorback to earn All-SEC First Team honors since the 2003 season; she was a second-team selection the previous two seasons, along with being the 2009 SEC Freshman of the Year.

"Jasmine has been an impact player for this program since day one," head coach Robert Pulliza said. "She's been earning awards from the get-go but the sign of a great player is not only how they start but how they progress during their career, and obviously, Jasmine is on her way to becoming one of the great ones in the country. We have big plans for her senior year and can't wait to get back in the gym to help her take the next step."

During the 2011 SEC season, Norton averaged 4.00 kills per set and 4.51 points per set. Both figures rank second among all conference players. She finished the season with 10 double-double performances, nine of which came during the SEC schedule. In 17 of 20 conference matches, Norton registered double-digit kill totals including four matches with at least 20 kills.

The Rowlett, Texas, native tallied a season-high 27 kills in five-set road matches at Georgia and Kentucky. Defensively, Norton averaged 2.33 digs per set, 0.50 blocks per set and 0.22 service aces per set in SEC play. She earned two SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades during the conference season, the first such honors of her career. 

With her selection, Stipanovich is the 28th player in program history to earn All-SEC honors and the fourth to do so under Pulliza. During the conference season, she was second on the team with 3.03 kills per set and 3.44 points per set. Both figures represent career bests against SEC opposition for Stipanovich. She tallied at least 10 kills in 14 of the Razorbacks' conference matches and had seven of her 12 double-doubles this season during SEC play. Stipanovich entered her senior season with four career double-doubles.

"I couldn't be more excited for Kelli to have been recognized with this award," Pulliza said. "She has put in four years of hard work into this program and she's a perfect example that if you commit to doing things the right way, good things will happen."

The St. Louis, Mo., native also turned in defensive bests this season with 2.67 digs per set and 0.46 blocks per set. Stipanovich earned her first career weekly SEC honor when she was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week following the Razorbacks' road trip to No. 13 Florida and South Carolina. During the 2011 conference season, Stipanovich established career highs of 17 digs at Georgia (Nov. 4), four service aces at South Carolina (Oct. 9) and three assists against No. 19 Florida (Nov. 15).

The Razorbacks closed out the 2011 season with an 18-13 overall record and a 10-10 mark in SEC play. Both win totals are highs for Arkansas under Pulliza. The team finished second in the SEC Western Division, its highest conference finish since tying for the division title in 2005. The 18 overall wins are the most for the program since the 2005 season while the 10 conference wins are the most for Arkansas since the SEC moved to the double round-robin format in 2006.

The first and second teams are nine-member teams voted on by the league coaches while the freshman team has seven members named to it. For more information regarding Razorback volleyball or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.