Morrison brings out her team's heart, soul

SAN ANTONIO — Now it's official: Christal Morrison is a star.

At least that's what teammate Darla Myhre proclaimed Saturday after Washington's improbable 30-26, 30-25, 30-26 sweep of Nebraska at the Alamodome in the NCAA volleyball national title match.

"She rocked tonight," said Myhre. "She was so awesome. We were firing on all cylinders and definitely playing with so much heart and soul."

Myhre's exuberant description seemed to be the consensus, as Morrison, a sophomore outside hitter, was named the NCAA tournament most valuable player.

"Chris was big-time," Washington coach Jim McLaughlin said. "[Nebraska was] on her and on her and kept picking on her the whole time, and she stayed tough and did a great job."

Morrison led the Huskies with 15 kills and also tallied nine digs and a block as Washington (32-1) handed the Cornhuskers (33-2) their first three-game loss since Sept. 2, 2002.

"We certainly had chances, but we couldn't take advantage," Nebraska coach John Cook said. "If you make errors, they're gonna make you pay. We didn't have any kind of rhythm until Game 3. Washington played low-error; they only missed one serve."

Morrison was just in grade school the only other time the two teams faced off, but she knew what to expect going into Saturday's match.

"We knew what they were going to do," she said. "We knew they were a big team, we knew they were tough on the block, but you don't win games by just the block — it's everything else."

The Huskies controlled the first two games, maintaining a lead for the majority of both — but Nebraska took the floor with a vengeance in Game 3. The Huskers were ahead by at least three points — sometimes as many as five — but it was Morrison who was able to swing momentum back in Washington's direction.

Nebraska was ahead by two behind a stifling performance from right-side hitter Sarah Pavan (16 kills, five digs) until Morrison put up back-to-back kills to tie the score at 18-18.

Though the lead swung back and forth between the two teams for a while, it was clear the Huskies had regained the determination they needed to finish.

"That was really important for us," Morrison said. "At that point they had the momentum, but [after the kills] we came back and we knew."

Slowly Washington began surging ahead and the team found itself one point away from claiming its first national volleyball championship. Nebraska's Melissa Elmer leapt for the kill — and Morrison was there with the block.

"She didn't hit it, she tipped it, but I was there," Morrison said. "They may have outblocked us, but I'm really glad I got the last one in."

As for garnering MVP honors, according to Morrison, nothing beats winning a national championship.

"It just doesn't compare," she said. "But it's definitely the cherry on top."