LONG BEACH STATE / JASON REID : 49ers Start Long Climb in Men’s Volleyball

Ray Ratelle guided Long Beach State to the men’s volleyball mountaintop not so long ago. Reaching that peak again, though, has been an excruciatingly tough hike.

Ratelle, 49er coach since 1982, led Long Beach to the 1991 NCAA championship. However, Long Beach hasn’t experienced anything close to that winning feeling since.

Last season, Ratelle couldn’t find the right combinations. The 49ers’ lineup changed frequently and the team finished 13-15 and 7-12, fifth in the Pacific Division of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Finally, another season has arrived for Ratelle and his charges. The team eagerly seeks to revert to happier days, and the coach doesn’t doubt the group is improved.

Now it’s showtime.

“This team has some very high expectations,” Ratelle said. “We have a lot of work to do, a lot of developing to do, but we’ll be a good team.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t.”

The 49ers open the season against Princeton at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Gold Mine. Their first game in The Pyramid is tentatively set for Feb. 3 against USC.

Long Beach is ranked fifth in Volleyball Magazine’s preseason poll, and Ratelle has no complaints.

“We’re definitely a top-10 team,” he said.

The team is talented and deep, Ratelle said. Although frequent lineup changes contributed to the losing record last season, the 49ers now have many experienced players--players used to pressure. Six newcomers, including four talented freshman, also will provide a major boost.

Ratelle’s biggest problem, if you can describe it as such, is that the 49ers might be too talented, requiring Ratelle to juggle playing time.

All coaches should have such trouble.

“We’ve got so many good kids with no place to play,” he said. “We’re down to about eight people right now who we’re sure about, but there’s still a lot of competition going on.”

The talent level is so high that senior hitter Martin Wagner, probably the 49ers’ best player last season, can afford to redshirt because of academic reasons. Wagner led Long Beach in kills in 1994 with 567 and was selected third-team all-conference.

Junior Steve Walker (Huntington Beach High and Golden West College) and sophomore Forrest Cheney are battling for the starting setting position. Ratelle said Cheney is the better blocker, but he’s out with a dislocated finger on his right hand and Walker has been impressive in preseason matches.

Freshman middle blocker Gaby Amar and junior Neil Mendel have also played well, prompting Ratelle to consider moving talented junior Tom Hoff to a hitter position. That could create a logjam because junior Travis Barr (Dana Hills High), sophomore Geoffrey Cryst and junior Oren Zaslansky are also too good to keep off the floor.

“We don’t have a lot of players who are complete, so situations also are going to dictate playing time,” Ratelle said. “One person has a strength in one area and another person has a strength in another area, so we’re going to look at that.”

Ratelle believes he’ll be pleased when the search is complete.

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Showdown at The Pyramid: The women’s basketball team plays its most meaningful game in four seasons Friday when it plays host to UC Irvine, the Big West Conference leader, at 7:30 p.m.

The Anteaters are 9-5, 6-1 in the Big West. Long Beach is 8-7, 5-2.

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Top 49ers: Center Melissa Gower is among the conference’s top-10 statistical leaders in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage.

Gower is third in scoring at 21.6 points, first in rebounding with a 12.3 average and fifth in field-goal percentage at 49.6%.

Point guard Akia Hardy is third in the Big West in assists at 5.9, and guard Sarah Davis (Tustin High) is third in steals with 3.1.

Point guard Rasul Salahuddin is among the leaders for the men. He tops the conference steal list with 3.3 and is tied for fourth in assists with 4.3.

Notes

The men’s basketball team (7-5, 3-2 in the Big West) plays Thursday at UC Irvine and Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. Both games will be broadcast on KORG (1190). . . . The women’s tennis team (1-2) defeated Point Loma Nazarene, 5-4, Jan. 19 in its first match of the season. It lost its next two matches, 9-0, to San Diego State on Jan. 20 and UC San Diego on Jan. 21. . . . A baseball alumni game is scheduled 1:05 p.m. Saturday at Blair Field in Long Beach. Chicago Cub pitcher Steve Trachsel and Detroit Tiger shortstop Chris Gomez are among the alumni expected to play. Trachsel was fourth in the National League rookie of the year voting and Gomez was fifth in the American League voting.