Despite His Age, Laguna Beach’s Styles Has Shown That He Has What It Takes : Volleyball: He’s one of the few freshmen playing varsity, and starting part time for Orange County’s third-ranked boys’ team.

LAGUNA BEACH —  There’s nothing shy about Laguna Beach High’s Dan Styles, especially when he’s asked about his future in the Artists’ volleyball program.

“I want to be the next superstar,” said Styles, a 6-foot-2 swing hitter.

Whoa, wait a minute, Styles. You’re only a 14-year-old freshman, and you’re talking about joining some pretty heavy company at Laguna Beach.

After all, this is the school where Scott Fortune, the U.S. national team captain, first picked up the sport.

Former national team members Rudy and Dusty Dvorak played at Laguna Beach. So did Adam Johnson, a former national team player now on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ beach tour.

“Hey, I understand this just won’t happen overnight,” Styles said. “I’ve got to work at it. I have to lift weights and play religiously.

“But I know what it takes. You don’t see any of the superstars out there drinking beer and smoking pot. They’re home eating their oatmeal and going to bed by 8:30 p.m.”

But Styles has shown plenty of promise early in his career at Laguna Beach. Few, if any, freshmen play varsity volleyball, let alone start part time for Orange County’s third-ranked team.

“He still needs a lot of work,” Laguna Beach Coach Michael Soylular said. “He’s good though, really good. We’ve started him in some big matches and he has played well.

“But there’s so much he needs to work on. He needs to improve his footwork, and he has to keep a good attitude.”

One of Styles’ best performances came against Capistrano Valley in late March. He started at outside hitter in place of kill leader Chris Seale, who was benched for disciplinary reasons.

Capistrano Valley was quick to test Styles, regularly serving him in hopes of exposing a passing weakness. But the Cougars found out something Soylular already knew about Styles.

“He has great hands,” Soylular said. “And he’s a good passer. He plays on the beach a lot, so that helps.”

Styles finished with a team-high 12 kills and two aces, leading the Artists to a three-game sweep of the Cougars.

“I never felt any pressure in that match,” he said. “I was a freshman and it was my first varsity match. Nothing was expected of me.

“But I played out of my head in that match. I played out of my body. I wish I could get that back.”

Styles has been a regular member of the varsity since early in the season, starting a few matches after Seale’s return to the lineup. He will likely be on the bench for tonight’s match against fourth-ranked Huntington Beach, but he won’t be there for long.

“I never thought I would get a chance to start that (Capistrano Valley) match,” Styles said. “I was the captain of the junior varsity when I got moved up to varsity. Soylular told me it was between me and two other guys for Seale’s spot.

“I was going home and going to bed at 8:30 every night. I ate my breakfast and worked hard in practice. Then, we were working on a passing drill just before the match started, and Soylular came over and told me I was starting.”

Styles has delivered in other big matches, too. He was named the MVP of the Marina junior varsity tournament, the first freshman to be so honored.

He recalls in detail his individual matchups with Woodbridge’s Krister Olsson and Estancia’s Matt Fuerbringer, two of the better players in the county.

“I blocked Olsson a couple of times,” he said. “It was like ‘Get outta my house.’ I went against Fuerbringer and got him a couple of times, too.”

Styles has polished his game playing pickup ball at Laguna’s Main Courts the past two years. His stepbrother, Dave Beekman, got him started in the sport.

“I owe all my fame to him,” Styles said.

He owes his balanced diet to his mom, Cassandra Chamberlain. Her son’s growing appetite gets satisfied by health food, not junk food.

“I eat like a horse,” Styles said. “But my mom shops (at a health food store) and keeps me away from candy. Sometimes, I wish I could go home and have some Twinkies instead of a granola bar.”

Styles is a three-sport athlete at Laguna, also playing freshman football and basketball. He’s also a decent baseball player, playing a variety of positions on a senior league team coached by his stepfather, Bill Chamberlain.

“At Laguna, it’s volleyball,” Styles said. “I almost went with baseball, but I’m glad I stuck with volleyball.”