Setting Up Shop

Not many parents would hand the keys to a Ferrari to a kid who had just gotten his driver’s license, but that’s in essence what Long Beach State men’s volleyball Coach Ray Ratelle did last season with Chris Seiffert.

And Seiffert, only the second true freshman to start at setter in Ratelle’s 17 years at the school, didn’t disappoint. He set a school single-game record for assists, and had 10 or more digs in seven matches. The 49ers finished 19-10.

This season, the 49ers (7-0) are ranked No. 4 in the nation, with victories over La Verne, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponent USC and a three-match sweep of Penn State, a top-10 team. Seiffert, a sophomore from Capistrano Valley High, is the seasoned veteran.

“Right now, we have a lot of new guys and we’ve got to get them used to some things,” Seiffert said.

To say the least. Along with Seiffert, the 49ers are starting freshmen Jim Polster (Dana Hills), David McKienzie (Huntington Beach) and Matt Prosser (Ventura Buena).

But don’t get the impression this is the amateur hour. The 49ers didn’t drop a game in their first two matches. Seiffert, who is averaging 18.2 assists per game, , has been spreading the ball around. Against USC, five teammates had at least nine kills each. The team has a .362 hitting percentage.

“It’s a tough job to massage all the egos out there and keep them going,” Ratelle said. “If he’s setting the ball to one person and not to another, they might get a little offended. And he has to find ways to keep everybody happy. And keep them motivated. And it’s hard. It’s hard enough to set the ball, let alone start worrying about all the other stuff. But the really great setters are able to do it.”

The 6-foot-4 Seiffert, who was a Times Orange County first-team selection and the South Coast League’s MVP as a senior at Capistrano Valley, welcomes the challenge.

“[The setter] is running the show,” he said. “You’re calling the shots. Every once in a while a coach will tell you, ‘This is going on, so why don’t you run this.’ But they pretty much leave everything up to me. It’s a big responsibility, but I like that.”

Seiffert credits Capistrano Valley Coach Darren Utterback with adding an important dimension to his game.

“He’s a beach-type player and he helped my mind,” Seiffert said. “He made me start to think about things. I think that’s what the beach does. I think a lot of guys come in and they’re specialized in that position. And they don’t know, say, a middle blocker doesn’t know that much about other positions, where at the beach, you have to learn everything. It’s the thinking part of the game.”

The 49ers face a big test this week when they host Brigham Young, ranked No. 1 in Volleyball Magazine, and UCLA, ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll.

Seiffert followed in the footsteps of his brother, Eric, who played basketball and volleyball at Capistrano Valley. He opted to play volleyball (middle blocker) at USC, and graduated in December.

“The highlight of my career was beating my brother last year, 3-0, 3-0,” Seiffert said. It was the first time the two had played organized volleyball against each other.

Seiffert, 20, took over as the 49ers’ setter after Steve Walker graduated.

The other true freshman to start at setter for Long Beach was Jason Stimpfig, who played on the 49ers’ national championship team in 1991 and the U.S. national team.

Seiffert would love to get a shot at a national title.

“Definitely, that’s always a goal,” he said.