1993 PREP PREVIEW: BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL : Boys’ Volleyball at a Glance

Top players: Ryan Allen (Edison), Aaron Aguilera (El Modena), Ben Beard (Edison), Derek Beard (Whittier Christian), David Berney (Laguna Beach), Steve Cavella (Marina), Duy Do (Valencia), Aaron Garcia (Capistrano Valley), Israel Garcia (Fountain Valley), Matt Gerard (Foothill), Brad Goldston (Esperanza), Doug Gotthard (Irvine), Seth Hall (Garden Grove), Brooks Hoppe (Corona del Mar), Chris Jones (Huntington Beach), Jeff Jones (Garden Grove), Rich Lambourne (Foothill), Mitch McCoy (Newport Harbor), Eric McKelvie (Capistrano Valley), Paul Nihipali (Esperanza), Chris Pitzak (Esperanza), Joe Reynoza (Valencia), Philip Schildts (Calvary Chapel), Eric Seiffert (Capistrano Valley), Casey Shine (El Modena), Preston Smead (Corona del Mar), Greg Sternchak (Santa Margarita), Dan Styles (Laguna Beach), Kyle Thompson (Corona del Mar), Damien Utterback (Dana Hills), Eric Vallely (Newport Harbor), Shadd Walker (Huntington Beach), Mike Wirthlin (Marina).

League favorites: Century: El Modena, Empire: Esperanza, Garden Grove: Garden Grove, Olympic: Whittier Christian, Pacific Coast: Laguna Beach, Sea View: Irvine, South Coast: Capistrano Valley, Sunset: Huntington Beach.

1992 final poll: 1. Newport Harbor, 2. Irvine, 3. Laguna Beach, 4. Huntington Beach, 5. Capistrano Valley, 6. Edison, 7. Woodbridge, 8. Esperanza, 9. Santa Margarita, 10. Whittier Christian.

1993 preseason poll: 1. Capistrano Valley, 2. Esperanza, 3. Huntington Beach, 4. Laguna Beach, 5. Irvine, 6. Newport Harbor, 7. Corona del Mar, 8. Santa Margarita, 9. Dana Hills, 10. Fountain Valley. Others to watch: Calvary Chapel, Edison, El Modena, Foothill, Garden Grove, Marina, Valencia, Whittier Christian.

Key dates: Orange County Championships, March 12-13, at Marina High; Southern Section playoffs begin May 14; Southern Section finals, all divisions, May 29 at Cerritos College.

Notes: Circle March 16 on your calendar. It’s the day top-ranked Capistrano Valley meets second-ranked Esperanza in a nonleague match. It’s interesting to note that Esperanza’s Pitzak and Nihipali are teammates on the Balboa Bay Club squad with Capistrano Valley’s Garcia, Seiffert and Evan Alexander. A friendly rivalry, perhaps? . . . Whittier Christian graduated 10 of 14 players from last season’s Southern Section 2-A championship team, but the Heralds’ four returning players are starters. Their best player is Derek Beard, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter who was the 2-A MVP last season. . . The Sea View League will be the most competitive, with Irvine, last year’s South Coast League co-champion with Capistrano Valley, and Santa Margarita joining the league. . . . Newport Harbor, which lost top player Mark McAnlis to a season-ending knee injury, is still the league favorite, but look for challenges from Corona del Mar and the two newcomers. . . . This is a fine year for setters, with Berney, Jones, McKelvie and Pitzak capable of leading their teams to section titles.. . . Corona del Mar’s Brooks Hoppe was one of 30 players who attended the U.S. junior elite camp in Colorado Springs last summer. But the Sea Kings will be without junior Jeremy Mape, who’s attending an East Coast boarding school.. . . Garden Grove returns four starters from last year’s league championship team.. . . Defending section champions--4-A: Santa Barbara, 3-A: Simi Valley Royal, 2-A: Whittier Christian.