To Lose His Temper, Wagner Makes a Run for It : Volleyball: Calmer demeanor nets scholarship with prestigious Long Beach State program.

Long Beach State volleyball player Martin Wagner greets you with a warm smile and an easygoing demeanor. Don’t let it fool you.

A few minutes later he’s explaining his transition from playing high school volleyball to community college to the Division I level. And it seems Wagner wasn’t always such a nice guy.

In fact, he admits, he used to get downright nasty during his two years on University High’s varsity.

“Yeah, I had a temper,” said Wagner, a 6-foot-4 junior who plays opposite the setter. “I would get down on myself when I hit a ball out. Sure, I would be telling myself to do it better the next time, but, unfortunately, I was slamming the ball while I was doing it.”

So Wagner wasn’t Mr. Congeniality in high school, so what? It’s amazing how a little maturity--and running a few laps in practice--can change a kid’s attitude.

And if you’re curious about the results, just check out what Wagner has been doing lately at Long Beach State.

Since transferring from Irvine Valley College, Wagner has emerged as Long Beach State’s top hitter in his first season with the 49ers. He’s averaging 20 kills per match, including 5.8 per game, for the 13th-ranked 49ers (12-13).

His season-high 41 kills against San Diego State on April 1 ranks as the fourth-best single-match performance in the nation this season.

Seems Wagner has been taking his frustrations out on the ball when it’s actually in play.

“My biggest change has been my attitude,” he said. “My temper disappeared when I was at Irvine Valley.”

Wagner was one of the first players to wear an Irvine Valley uniform. Coach Tom Pestolesi built the program from scratch two years ago with talented high school players such as Wagner, who, somehow, were overlooked by Division I schools.

Wagner was an All-Sea View League selection at University in 1991, his senior year. He was a good, all-around player, but Pestolesi was the only one who noticed.

Pestolesi had a knack for landing local high school talent, bringing in Wagner, Zolti Csanyi (University), Billy Nguyen (Newport Harbor), and Capistrano Valley’s Brian Godshaw and Eric Olson as his first recruiting class.

After a successful first year, that recruiting class was the key to Irvine Valley winning the State title last spring. So much for the sophomore jinx.

“There was no pressure playing there that first year,” Wagner said, “because nobody expected anything from a first-year team. We had a little more pressure the second year, but we came through and won State.”

In the process, Pestolesi found a cure for Wagner’s ill attitude on the court. Go ahead and slam the ball and pout in practice, the coach told him, but you and your teammates will have to run every time you do.

“Everything came together at Irvine Valley,” Wagner said. “Pestolesi showed me that there was no room for a temper, that I looked like a goofball, yelling and hollering out there.”

Wagner was named to the All-Orange Empire Conference’s second team as a sophomore, and had offers from Pacific and Long Beach State after Irvine Valley’s season.

“Long Beach was the best offer because it paid my whole tuition and was driving distance from home,” Wagner said. “I’ve known (49er assistant coach) Mike D’Alessandro since high school, and I knew Long Beach would be a great place to play.”

But would he get to play? This, after all, was Long Beach State, where former Dana Hills standout Brent Hilliard had blossomed into an Olympian. Only three seasons ago, the 49ers won the NCAA title.

Wagner arrived on campus last fall, started workouts and figured he would sit out as a redshirt.

With only two seniors in his lineup, 49er Coach Ray Ratelle decided to keep Wagner on the varsity. Wagner responded with 24 kills in his first regular-season match.

“I have to admit,” Wagner said, “I was a bit nervous coming to a Division I school. I had watched college games as a kid, and everyone seemed so much bigger and better. But I’m not having too much trouble here, which surprises me.”