DiSimone Gets an Assist From Olympian : Prep volleyball: Junior outside hitter’s putaways help Granada Hills sweep Taft as Marlowe, gold medalist and family friend, watches from stands.

One week after Granada Hills High volleyball player Mike DiSimone got some advice from Chris Marlowe over lunch, he had the opportunity to show the former Olympic gold medalist what he had learned.

Marlowe, whose mother is a friend of DiSimone’s grandparents, relaxed in the Granada Hills bleachers Wednesday and watched DiSimone and the Highlanders defeat Taft, 15-5, 15-5, 15-9, in a Northwest Valley Conference match.

“I think he’s a tremendous player for someone who’s 16 years old,” said Marlowe, a commentator for Prime Ticket and a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic volleyball squad that won the gold medal. “He’s got the potential to be a fine all-around college player if he continues to develop. He’s got big feet so I think he’ll keep growing.”

DiSimone’s grandparents arranged for the 6-foot-3 junior outside hitter to have lunch with Marlowe, and the most visible U.S. volleyball television personality imparted his wisdom.

“We talked a lot about the importance of passing, developing a jump serve and trying to work out and get my weight up for my senior year,” DiSimone said. “He told me about trying to find the right college lineup for me, one that I could work my way into . . . you know, how many juniors and seniors and freshmen they had.”

Even though DiSimone did not play an exceptional match against Taft, mixing in several errors with a few powerful spikes, he led the Highlanders (9-0, 6-0 in conference play) with 10 kills.

Taft Coach Doug Magorien’s best blockers, 6-5 Orlando Quinones and 6-1 Nima Fariman, did not play because of injuries, and DiSimone was left to hit against smaller players.

“I doubt he really felt challenged as an offensive player,” Magorien said. “We didn’t put any pressure on him and I think he’s the type of player who plays better under pressure. Their hitters didn’t get as pumped up as normal.”

Said Granada Hills Coach Tom Harp: “We were hot and cold. We made too many hitting errors.”

Highlander outside hitter Mike Agustin and setter Eugene Haban had 40 assists. John Hong led Taft (4-5, 4-2) with 10 kills.