Records can be deceiving. Such is the case with SU middle hitter Sarah Morton.
According to SU Athletic Communications Office, Morton became SU’s all-time leader in total blocks for a career at Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, [7] passing Jessica Paarlberg ‘ 91. Morton now has 590 total blocks and also holds three school marks (solo blocks, blocks per set and total blocks).
Halftime Snack wants to make one thing clear: Morton is the best blocker we’ve seen in person. Her accomplishments should not be diminished. If the reader has doubts, go to Manley Field House on Friday at 7 pm or Sunday at 2 p.m. to see for yourself.
That being said, Morton’s recent ascension to the top of the SU blocking records list should include an asterisk.
According to the Official NCAA Women’s Volleyball Records Book: “Information on blocking has not been included in the following records due to the fact thee appears to be a significant variance in the methods by which blocking statistics were kept during the 1980s.”
This bound record book, published by the NCAA on an annual basis, accounts for the entire collection of statistical records and results, even making a separate section for recent scoring changes. (In the last eight years, the NCAA has changed the game and set, scoring formats on three occasions: in 2001, the NCAA changed the scoring format from 15 points with a side-out (teams needed to serve, or start with the ball, in order to record a point) to a 30-point rally scoring system (teams can score on every possession). The game has been altered slightly within the last two years, with individual “sets” being played to 25 points.
SU Athletics makes no mention of the different match formats in its 2009 digital volleyball media guide [8].
More games offer more statistical opportunities, just as different standards under cut the term "record."
