Ferguson Sets Himself Up for Success : College volleyball: Former Royal standout leaves UC San Diego, 2-25 a year ago, for Northridge.

Yearning to rejoin a winner, Travis Ferguson needed only to look close to home.

Ferguson, the 1992 Southern Section Division II player of the year in volleyball, has left UC San Diego and enrolled at Cal State Northridge.

At Royal High, Ferguson was the setter on teams that won two Southern Section championships and posted a combined record of 63-1 from 1990-92.

Asked why his son left San Diego, where he was described as “the most highly touted recruit” in Triton history, Royal Coach Bob Ferguson replied, “Two and twenty-five.”

That was San Diego’s record last season, its first in the highly competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Actually, there was another reason. Rod Wilde, San Diego’s coach, left the school after last season to take a position with USA Volleyball.

“The potential that was there when I came in throughout the year disintegrated,” Travis Ferguson said.

At Northridge, Ferguson creates a logjam of potential replacements for setter Matt Unger, who completed his eligibility last season when the Matadors finished 23-10 and second in the nation behind UCLA.

Seniors Chris McGee and Matt Reznick will begin fall drills in October as the leading candidates. McGee was understudy to Unger last season when Reznick took a redshirt year. In 1990, when Unger was academically ineligible, Reznick helped Northridge to a 13-12 record and its first postseason Division I tournament berth.

Coach John Price also is considering putting Ben Rivera, a 6-foot-5 freshman from L.A. University High, at setter.

“We’re trying to go to bigger setters, but the bottom line for me is who gets the ball to the right spot,” Price said.

Ferguson, a sophomore who started every match for the Tritons last season, is 6-foot, 160 pounds. McGee is 6-4 and Reznick 6-2.

“His biggest drawback is his height, but he can set and he’s quick,” Price said of Ferguson.

San Diego granted Ferguson a release from his scholarship because of the coaching change, so he is immediately eligible at Northridge.

Price said if Ferguson fails to crack the starting lineup, he probably would redshirt so he can retain three years of eligibility.