Daily Pilot High School Athlete of the Week

Though it took Morgan Boukather years to gain admission into a personal comfort zone on the volleyball court, she refuses to take refuge there.

Instead, the 6-foot-1 Corona del Mar High junior plans to continue to eradicate shortcomings in her skill set, working to create a passport to what many believe will be future stardom.

She has, some might suggest, already gained star status for the Sea Kings, who the hard-hitting opposite helped reach the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA and CIF State Southern California Regional Division II title match in 2009.

“Morgan has been amazing for us all year,” said CdM Co-Coach Darryl Gan, who marveled at the improvement Boukather achieved between her sophomore and junior seasons. “And I think she’s going to continue to have that type of explosive growth.”

Boukather, who grew up playing tennis, shifted her athletic focus to volleyball in the sixth grade, when she began playing in school and on a club team. But though her height and work ethic helped give her moderate success, she said she lacked the physical gifts to rise above her peers.

“I’ve always been uncoordinated,” Boukather said.

But that started to change last spring and summer, when Boukather began wowing college coaches with her aggressiveness and prowess at the net.

“People started to figure out how good she is going to be,” said Gan, who has talked with more than a half-dozen college coaches interested in courting Boukather with scholarship offers. “They talk about her quick-twitch [muscle fibers], how smart she is and what a great team player she is. She has what they are looking for in terms of the ability to take a leading role, but also be willing to put the team’s goals first.”

For as impressive as Boukather is pounding kills over, around and through blockers, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week’s greatest contribution to the team may be her attitude.

“She’s very grounded,” Gan said of Boukather, whose every kill prompts a joyous, infectious smile that radiates positive energy to her teammates. “Even though she is on her way to being a superstar, you would never know it. I think she is going to be humble all the way through her career, no matter how far her ability takes her. That’s what makes Morgan special.”

What also sets her apart, Gan said, is her unwillingness to rest on any laurels.

“She is always expanding her game,” Gan said. “At the start of the season, she had some trouble setting the ball, but by the middle of the year, she was setting consistently. Then, she decided she wanted to jump serve every ball and she tackled that aspect of her game. She’s always striving to be a little better. Morgan likes to play a little bit outside of her comfort zone. That keeps the sport challenging for her. She’s not the type of player who because she is hitting really well, that’s all she wants to do in practice. She wants to work on her weaknesses.”

That work often means putting in extra time outside of practice, Gan said.

The results helped foster heightened confidence that Boukather said began translating into aggressive play during this last club season.

“I started to be more confident and trust myself,” she said. “I think confidence created better play. And when I realized I was becoming more successful, I was really happy.”

Boukather had six kills in a three-set loss to Redlands East Valley in the regional final Tuesday, after collecting nine kills, three aces and two block assists in a sweep at Elsinore on Nov. 28.

She had eight kills in a first-round regional playoff win at Ramona, despite popping two ribs out of place warming up before the match that made it painful to breathe.

And with medical evidence indicating she is still growing, Gan and others foresee a huge upside.

“She’s going to get stronger and quicker the next couple years,” Gan said. “I think the sky is the limit for her. I’m looking forward to having her as a senior. She is the type of player who can play any position, outside hitter, right side or in the middle. We’re going to try to put her in position to receive the lion’s share of the sets next year.”