They Put a Spike in Volleyball Invincibility

On the eve of the men’s collegiate volleyball season, an empire stands humbled.

And like members of the old guard on the day after a revolution, volleyball teams in the West are looking around and wondering what their roles will be in the new regime.

California was so dominant that no team from outside the state had ever won a national championship. Only rarely were outsiders in the race.

And as the region accumulated trophy after trophy, the question became, could any non-California school ever take the title?

Penn State finally answered that emphatically last season when it came back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit and beat UCLA for the NCAA title.

And although it is unlikely that the Nittany Lions will repeat--their best player, Ramon Hernandez, has finished his eligibility and their opportunistic coach, Tom Peterson, resigned in August and returned to Utah to become an assistant at Brigham Young--theirs has been a larger cause.

Like a banner carrier for the sport’s second class, Penn State has served notice that the little people will not be taken for granted any more.

Reaction among the haves was mixed.

UCLA’s Al Scates, volleyball’s winningest coach with a record of 837-132--that’s 86.4%--and 14 NCAA titles, frowned on the East’s insurrection.

“We hope to restore things to their rightful order,” he said.

But, of course, there is a reason Scates is clawing to get the title back. He’s the one who lost it.

Other Western coaches were more generous.

“I think it definitely strengthens the East,” said USC Coach Jim McLaughlin. “Now they are legitimate. They won a national title. It kind of spreads the talent out.”

And as junior volleyball grows across the country, the pool of talent grows too.

“The athletic ability coming out of high school now and coming into our sport is changing dramatically,” said Pepperdine Coach Marv Dunphy. “The talent in the gym is so much better than a year ago. It’s so much bigger, so much more athletic.”

And although the biggest and most athletic teams this season are again in the West, it has been proven that those teams are beatable.

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Consider facing the winningest coach in volleyball.

That’s a fairly frightening proposition for UCLA opponents.

Now consider facing the winningest coach in volleyball with a chip on his shoulder.

That’s downright terrifying.

And Scates’ five returning starters also are expected to be out for revenge after last year’s pratfall.

Leading UCLA will be Jeff Nygaard, who has moved back to his natural spot at middle blocker, a position he also plays as a starter on the U.S. national team.

The Bruins, who were 27-1 before losing in the NCAA final, won’t have to wait long to get the rematch they want. In its season opener, UCLA will play Penn State in the Hawaii tournament Wednesday.

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Three years have passed since the USC men’s volleyball team has advanced to an NCAA final four. It is the school’s longest absence from the event.

McLaughlin believes that this could be the year the Trojans break the drought. Consider McLaughlin’s remarks about his returning starters:

--On swing hitter Russell Brock: “He’s playing with no reservations.”

--On middle blocker Eric Seiffert: “He has the complete package.”

--And on setter Steve Loeswick: “His court presence alone is much stronger.”

But none of that matters if Jason Mulholland fails to live up to his billing as one of the nation’s most dominant swing hitters.

“When he goes, we go,” McLaughlin said.

That is both a blessing and a curse. It is good when Mulholland’s 6-foot-7, 240-pound frame is tearing holes in opposing blocks. But it is bad when Mulholland gives in to his tendency to dwell on mistakes and to allow his frustration to affect his play.

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Asked how important Chip McCaw is to Pepperdine’s hopes this season, Dunphy struggled for several moments, then came up empty.

“I can’t put into words how much he means to our team,” Dunphy said.

McCaw is considered the best setter in college volleyball but he will have very little support. He is the only returning starter.

“If it were basketball, you could give the ball to Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) and then he can just wheel and deal. But in volleyball, you need your teammates more than in any other sport,” Dunphy said.

Dunphy is hoping that McCaw will rise to the challenge.

“When everything is perfect, just about any athlete could do well,” Dunphy said.

Notes

Long Beach State is hoping to pull itself out of last season’s tailspin. The 49ers finished 13-15, 7-12 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and didn’t qualify for the federation tournament. Tom Hoff, a 6-8 junior middle blocker who transferred from Ohio State and sat out last season, is expected to come to the 49ers’ rescue this year. Hoff led the Buckeyes to the 1993 NCAA Final Four. . . . History will take place at the USC pool on Friday when the Trojan women’s water polo team begins its first official season in a game against UC Irvine at noon. Jovan Vavic, an assistant coach for the USC men’s team, is coach of the new women’s team. He recruited players with ads in the student newspaper and by approaching good swimmers during recreational swim times at the campus pool to see if they would be interested in trying out for the team. “What these girls need is just some good workouts and good coaching,” Vavic said. “You would be amazed how quickly they improve.”