Morrison Records 38 Kills for Oxnard

OXNARD — It was like a broken record.

Sarah Morrison kill, Sarah Morrison kill, Sarah Morrison kill.

When she was done, the Oxnard High middle blocker had broken a school record with 38 kills in a girls’ volleyball match.

And when it had ended, Oxnard had broken down Ventura, 14-16, 15-10, 15-5, 10-15, 15-9, in a nonleague match Tuesday night at Oxnard.

Morrison, who has committed to Cal State Fullerton, had nine kills in each of the first three games, six in the fourth and five in the fifth.

She also had four blocks for Oxnard (13-3), ranked No. 3 in the region by The Times.

“Was that not insane?” Oxnard Coach Lori Rice said. “In the fifth game, I saw her reach for a towel [in between points] and she seemed so tired. Then she came around and cranked the ball down the right side for a point.

“She finds a way.”

Morrison, who recently moved from outside hitter to middle blocker, routinely beat a double block and, on three occasions pounded the ball over or through a triple block.

Morrison, however, was more concerned with the closeness of the match.

“I thought we could play a little better,” she said. “It kind of seemed scrappy.”

After throwing away a 10-6 lead and losing the fourth game, the Yellowjackets found themselves in a 9-9 tie in the fifth.

Oxnard’s other hitter, Sara Naumann, stepped up with two late kills. She finished with 16.

“It’s hard to stop those two, Morrison in particular,” Ventura Coach Debbie Litten said. “She’s really something else.”

Ventura (6-3) had its chances and could have won had it not lost a 10-2 lead in the second game by giving up 13 consecutive points.

The Cougars came out sluggish in the third game and trailed, 8-0, primarily because of four kills by Morrison.

The match marked the third time Ventura has lost in five games this season. The Cougars lost to Santa Barbara and San Marcos in similar fashion in Channel League play.

“The teams we beat, we’re beating good,” Litten said. “The teams we’re going five with, we’re losing to.”

Elena DeAlba had 12 kills and Chelsea Rasmussen added 10 for Ventura, which gets another chance against Oxnard in a regular-season finale Nov. 2 at Ventura.