The Architect of a Champion : Volleyball: Ratelle built the CS Long Beach NCAA winners on a foundation laid four years ago.

He knew the team was special, but the drive to a championship still caused many restless nights for Ray Ratelle, the Cal State Long Beach men’s volleyball coach.

“I haven’t slept for a month or so,” he said this week before leaving Honolulu, where the 49ers defeated USC in four games for their first NCAA title Saturday night. “I’m starting to unwind a bit, but I still can’t sleep.”

It was 5:30 a.m. in Hawaii and Ratelle was on the phone, reflecting on the title and his 201-116 record in 10 seasons at Long Beach.

He said this season’s 31-4 team was rooted four years ago with the arrival of Brett Winslow, the senior middle blocker who had 22 kills Saturday night, and two players who ended their 49er careers last season, Robert Kutsch and All-American Mark Kerins.

“They came along and had unbelievable desire,” Ratelle said, “and it carried over to the new kids who came in.”

That desire was best exhibited two weeks ago when Long Beach came from a two-game deficit to defeat UCLA in the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. tournament at UC Irvine, a victory that put the 49ers into the final four.

“That reflected how much character we had,” Ratelle said. “I talked about it all week over here. I told them that they were something special.”

The 49ers had talked all season about winning the NCAA title, an attitude that even the distractions of Hawaii could not alter. “They weren’t out on the beach,” Ratelle said. “They didn’t do anything but practice. “

On a defense-oriented team, Winslow was the leader. He is third in NCAA career blocks with 529 and also has the highest career hitting percentage (.442). “For a big guy, he’s probably the best defensive player I’ve ever seen,” Ratelle said.

The biggest hitter was Brent Hilliard, a 6-foot-5, 175-pound sophomore from Dana Point who played club volleyball at Humboldt State in Arcata.

Hilliard led the nation in kills with 821 and had 27 in the final, which was no surprise to Ratelle.

“In the really tough matches he is unbelievably good,” the coach said. “Even on nights when he’s not at his best, when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, he gets the job done. He did this as a freshman last year, and I couldn’t believe someone so skinny could come in and be that tough. He hasn’t slowed down since.”

Three other 49ers--middle blocker Allen Knipe, setter Jason Stimpfig and outside hitter Matt Lyles--made the all-tournament team last weekend.

For Ratelle, 51, the victory over USC was especially sweet. It avenged a loss to the Trojans in last year’s final and softened memories of other painful defeats.

Three years ago, the 49ers were warming up for a crucial home match against Cal State Northridge when the lights went out in the university gym. The teams drove to Ocean View High in Huntington Beach, but not all of the 49er fans followed. Long Beach lost, 16-14, in the fifth game, a defeat that kept it out of the NCAA tournament.

“It was a disaster,” Ratelle said.

But he has had only one losing season while having to endure the problems of coaching a sport that was not always appreciated at a school often plagued with financial troubles.

“It’s always a struggle when there’s not enough money to go around,” said Ratelle, who has only two scholarships, compared with the five that many teams have. “We’ve been fortunate in getting the support of parents whose sons might have had better offers from other schools.”

But now, Long Beach, whose women’s team won the NCAA title two years ago, can be called Volleyball U.

“It’s very nice that we can have that success, especially when you look back,” Ratelle said. “Most of the time, the athletic directors didn’t know anything about volleyball. Corey (Johnson, the current director) knew nothing about it. But now he’s more interested and more supportive.”

Ratelle’s players say he is concerned with their welfare.

“He starts every practice with, ‘Are you taking care of business?’ ” Hilliard said. “That means, ‘Are you going to class?’ ”

The laid-back Hilliard added: “He tends to worry about every little thing. He gets this look in his eye when he’s stressed. He lets you know when he’s not pleased, but sometimes he won’t say a word. I’m surprised he doesn’t have an ulcer.”

But back in Long Beach on Tuesday night, Ratelle finally slept.