Hanan’s Move Is a Hit With U.S. Volleyball : World League: Former Edison middle blocker could make the Olympic team--as a hitter.

Dan Hanan’s World League volleyball debut started quietly enough Sunday.

With the U.S. national team getting pounded by Italy in the first game, Hanan came off the bench and replaced Bob Samuelson, who was struggling at middle blocker.

Except for some applause from his parents, Cliff and Nancy, and a few friends from Edison High School, few people acknowledged that Hanan was in the game.

That didn’t last long.

Hanan blocked a kill attempt by Italy’s Michele Pasinato at the end of the first game. Then he added four kills and two blocks as the United States won the second game, 15-11.

And by match’s end, Hanan had become a crowd favorite. He finished with 14 kills, five blocks and was named player of the match in the United States’ five-game victory over the defending world champions.

“I was a little nervous,” Hanan said, “Here we were, playing the No. 1 team in the world, and we had just been hammered by them (in three games) on Friday.

“But everyone on the (U.S.) team knew they weren’t that good. Still, winning that match was a huge step for us.”

Particularly for Hanan, a newcomer to international volleyball. His transition from college to the international game hasn’t been easy.

And to make it tougher, U.S. Coach Fred Sturm has asked the 6-foot-5 middle blocker to learn a new position--outside hitter.

A middle blocker at Edison High and Stanford, Hanan has had difficulty adjusting to a swing hitter’s duties, which require more passing skills than a middle blocker.

“I’m really not sure why Coach has moved me to the outside,” Hanan said. “I think he figures I’m too short for middle blocker at the international level.”

So Hanan has become a player in transition on a team in transition.

The U.S. team already has three middle blockers with Samuelson, Bryan Ivie and Costa Mesa’s Mark Arnold.

And Hanan has little chance to make the team as a middle blocker if Olympians Craig Buck, Doug Partie and Steve Timmons, all middle blockers, return as expected before the 1992 Games.

“I would say it’s 50-50 right now,” Hanan said. “Everyone’s being quiet about who’s coming back to the team and when. Some of us on the current team have been slated more for the 1996 Games.

“The more I think about it, the more I’ll stay around. I figure it’s worth it to stick around for four more years instead of just trying to squeak by in ’92.”

But Sturm, who coached Hanan at Stanford, thinks Hanan could make the 1992 team as an outside hitter.

“Back in January, we told Dan that his long-term future would be as a swing hitter,” Sturm said. “He has made great improvement in that time, working on his serve reception and the skills of that position.

“But two months after we moved him, we realized he’s also one of our best blockers.”

Sturm let Hanan play in the middle against Italy, and his blocking made a difference in the match. In the first game, the Americans’ back row served as little more than target practice for the Italian hitters. As a result, the Italians scored 15 consecutive points.

But Hanan’s block of Pasinato late in the first game set the tone for the rest of the match. No Italian hitter would go unchallenged.

“I wanted to go one-on-one with (Pasinato),” Hanan said. “I knew blocking their big boy at the end of the first game would be good for us.”

Hanan’s hitting and blocking skills took him from the youth leagues at the Balboa Bay Club to Edison High. Playing for Coach Dan Glenn, now the Newport Harbor coach, Hanan led Edison to the 1985 Southern Section 4-A semifinals as a junior. As a senior, he took the Chargers to the finals, where they lost to Dana Hills.

A Volleyball Monthly prep All-American, Hanan had his choice of college scholarship offers. He chose Stanford over UCLA for academics as much as athletics.

He was a three-time All-American at Stanford, and broke current U.S. teammate Scott Fortune’s school record for career kills with 1,439. He and Fortune, a former standout at Laguna Beach High School, took Stanford to the 1989 NCAA Finals.

Hanan also graduated in four years from Stanford with a computer science degree. But juggling academics and athletics during those four years took its toll on him.

“I groveled through it,” he said. “Somehow.”

There were some sleepless nights. After three-hour practices, Hanan relaxed by formatting computer programs for the next day’s assignments.

“I lived on a lot of caffeine back then,” he said.

Hanan can look back on his college days and laugh. He hopes to open a computer software company when he’s done playing, and all the hours spent in the computer lab seem worth it.

Well, almost.

“One time I had a (computer) program due on a Friday and we had a match that night,” he said. “I got about seven hours that whole week.

“I walked into the gym on Friday, and Coach Sturm said, ‘You look terrible.’ So I started telling him how much sleep I got each night--one hour on Monday, two on Tuesday, about four on Wednesday and none on Thursday. He just shook his head.”

Fortunately for Hanan, the Cardinal won that night.

WORLD LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL

Opponents--United States vs. Korea.

Site--UC Irvine Bren Center.

Time--Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Records--U.S. is 3-1. Korea is 0-4.

United States--The U.S. team is coming off its biggest victory so far, upsetting defending world champion Italy in five games last Sunday at the Bren Center. Laguna Beach’s Scott Fortune and Allen Allen led the United States with 19 kills apiece. Allen rejoined the team last week after sitting out several matches with a knee injury, and his all-round skills (eight digs, 32 serve receptions) made the difference against Italy. Dan Hanan, a former standout at Edison High School and Stanford, made his World League debut against the Italians, coming off the bench with 14 kills and five blocks.

Korea--The Koreans are off to a bad start, losing twice to both Japan and the Soviet Union. The Koreans lost to the United States at last year’s world championships in Brazil. The United States also beat Korea in four games at the 1989 World Cup. The Koreans are led by outside hitter Nak-Gil Ma, who leads the World League with 3.47 digs per game and is second in the league in kills per game (7.67).

U.S. schedule--After tonight’s match, the U.S. team begins an eight-match trip at the Soviet Union (June 14, 16), Italy (June 21, 23), Japan (July 6, 7) and Korea (July 12, 14). The United States returns home for matches against the Soviet Union July 19 at the San Diego Sports Arena and July 21 at the Bren Center.

Standings--Pool A: Cuba 4-0, France 3-3, Brazil 2-2, Netherlands 2-2, Canada 1-5. Pool B: Soviet Union 5-1, United States 3-1, Italy 2-2, Japan 2-4, Korea 0-4.

Tickets--Tickets are $6, $10 and $12 for all matches. They are available by calling the Bren Event Center, 714-856-5000.