Norton named to preseason All-SEC Team

FAYETTEVILLE – Jasmine Norton, a member of the University of Arkansas volleyball team, has been selected to the 2010 preseason All-Southeastern Conference Team, it was announced Tuesday by the league office. The preseason team consists of a minimum of nine players, which are voted on by the league coaches; the 2010 preseason team consists of 10 players.

Norton is entering her second season with the Razorbacks after a freshman campaign in which she earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors. Her list of honors included South Region and SEC Freshman of the Year, in addition to earning All-SEC Second Team and All-South Region Honorable Mention accolades. During the course of the 2009 regular season, she collected six SEC Freshman of the Week awards, all during conference play.

During her freshman season in Cardinal and White, Norton averaged a league-best 4.44 kills per set during SEC matches and finished third in the conference with 0.30 service aces per set. She tallied a career-high 29 kills against No. 19 LSU at Barnhilll Arena and posted 24 kills and a career-best 21 digs on the road against Alabama, becoming one of just two players in the SEC with a 20-20 performance.

Norton totaled 11 matches with 20 or more kills, nine of which came against SEC opponents. She closed her freshman season with 16 consecutive matches with a double-digit kill total. In a display of her all-around game, Norton registered a double-double effort in 14 matches, including her final eight outings of the year.

In a class-by-class breakdown, Norton is the only sophomore on the preseason All-SEC team. The rest of the team consists of four seniors and five juniors. By division, the East had seven players recognized, while the West had three.

The 2010 SEC Volleyball Preseason Poll will be announced Aug. 18. In last year’s preseason poll, Arkansas was picked to finish 10th in the conference but exceeded expectations to end the season with the sixth-best record in the league. The Razorbacks open their season Aug. 27 against UMKC on day one of the Arkansas Invitational. First serve of the season opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Barnhill Arena.

Season tickets for the upcoming season are available through the Arkansas Ticket Office, by calling 800-982-HOGS or online at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Download: 2010 preseason All-SEC Team.pdf