Norton named to All-America list

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the sixth time in program history, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has honored a University of Arkansas volleyball player as Jasmine Norton was named an Honorable Mention All-America performer Wednesday. She joins former Razorback standouts Jessica Field, Kim Storey, Sara Kincaid, Roberta Tarnauskaite and Denitza Koleva on the list of Arkansas’ All-Americans. "We are so proud of Jasmine Norton and what she did on and off the court this season," head coach Robert Pulliza said. "Being an All-American is a great honor and it’s great that our season has been capped off with such a great award for her. Anytime you have an All-American, it shows respect, obviously, for that individual, but it also shows respect for the program. (Arkansas) is a place with great tradition and we’re excited about being back in the mix with the elite programs in the country."Norton adds to her list of postseason honors which include South Region and Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, in addition to All-SEC Second Team and All-South Region Honorable Mention accolades. During the course of the regular season, she also earned six SEC Freshman of the Week honors, the most by any player since the inception of the award in 2005.The Rowlett, Texas, native averaged a league-best 4.44 kills per set during SEC play and finished third in the conference with 0.30 service aces per set. Norton smacked a career-high 29 kills in a Nov. 8 match against then-No. 19 LSU. The offensive outburst marked one of 11 matches for Norton with 20 or more kills during the season. She closed her freshman campaign with 16 consecutive matches with a double-digit kill total.In a showcase of her all-around performance during the season, Norton registered a double-double effort in 14 matches, including her final eight outings. In Arkansas’ Nov. 15 five-set victory at Alabama, Norton posted 24 kills and a career-high 21 digs to become one of just two players in the SEC with a 20-20 performance.Norton is the fourth Honorable Mention selection in program history, joining Kincaid (2003), Tarnauskaite (2003) and Koleva (2006). Field was the program’s first-ever All-American when she earned Second-Team honors in 1997, while Storey repeated the feat in 1998 when she was also named to the Second Team. Norton is the first freshman in program history to garner All-America honors.The 2009 selections were made by the AVCA Division I All-America Committee: chair – Debbie Kirch, Green Bay; Andy Banachowski, UCLA; Keylor Chan, Northwestern; Joe Getzin, Ole Miss; Christy Johnson-Lynch, Iowa State; Mike Jordan, New Mexico State; Anne Kordes, Saint Louis; and Lee Maes, Virginia. The AVCA Awards Chair is Dayton head coach Kelly Sheffield.

Download: All-America Teams.pdf