Marinkovic Named First Team All-American

Jasmina Marinkovic.

USC junior middle blocker Jasmina Marinkovic became the 19th Trojan ever to earn All-American honors as she was named to the AVCA Division I first team squad on Wednesday (Dec. 17).

Marinkovic, USC's first first-team selection since middle blocker Meika Wagner in 1994, led USC in hitting percentage at .394 (442-93-885), the second-highest mark in school history. She also was second on the team with 442 kills, 152 blocks and 25 aces.

Marinkovic helped lead the Women of Troy to a 23-6 finish overall and 13-5 in the Pacific-10 Conference, good for a second-place tie. After beating Morgan State and San Diego in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, USC advanced to the Pacific Region Semifinals, where it lost to Nebraska in a 5-game heartbreaker.

Marinkovic, from Uzice, Serbia, was a 3-time Pac-10 Player of the Week in 1997 and also earned AVCA National Player of the Week honors once.

"I was very surprised," Marinkovic said. "I didn't expect it at all. I knew I was a candidate, but I did not expect to get it. I was very happy. I know it's a big deal here. But I couldn't do it without my teammates.

"People say I have improved but I don't see it as much. I've probably grown up some, this being my third year here. I've got a lot of good experience since I've been here. But I still think I have a lot to work on, like my blocking, hitting and defense."

Marinkovic joined teammate Jennifer Kessy, a junior outside hitter, on the AVCA All-District 8 team, giving USC District 8 honorees for the eighth consecutive season.

On the year, Marinkovic put together 4 errorless hitting performances and hit at least .500 12 times. She also put together 2 of the top 3 hitting performances, percentage-wise, in school history, with efforts of .765 and .737, good for second and third-place, respectively.