Volleyball column: Back home again

Charlie Brande

The men’s collegiate volleyball season begins Friday as several

locals return to Orange County with their respective schools to compete

in UC Irvine’s Wyndham Hotel West Coast Collegiate Challenge at UCI’s

Crawford Hall.

The second annual tournament features UCLA and Pepperdine, both NCAA

Final Four participants last season, with Cal State Northridge and UCI

completing the four-team draw.

Former Newport Harbor High setter Ty Tramblie will set for Northridge.

Tramblie was the 1999 CIF Southern Section Division I Player of the Year

when he led Newport to the CIF Division I championship. While he is not

as tall as most college players, he brings tremendous competitive

instincts and desire to the court and is exciting to watch.

Former Corona del Mar High standout Greg Coon, who started for Steve

Conti’s CIF Division III champions in 1998, was a member of the national

champion UCLA men’s team last year. He returns for his second season and

should see action this weekend.

Playing for Pepperdine will be former Balboa Bay Volleyball Club

standout Brad Keenan, who started for Balboa’s 1998 national championship

club team. He was an All-American last season as a freshman.

For UCI, Spencer Bemus, Kyle Martin and B.J. Fell, all played for last

year’s Balboa Bay Volleyball Club national championship team. Eric

Helenihi played with Keenan on the 1998 Balboa Bay championship squad.

The tournament opens today, with Northridge meeting UCI at 5 p.m. and

UCLA battling Pepperdine at 7. For volleyball enthusiasts, both matches

should be “don’t miss” events.

On Saturday, Northridge meets UCLA at 11 a.m.; UCI takes on Pepperdine

at 1:30 p.m.; Pepperdine plays Northridge at 5:30 p.m.; and UCI squares

off against UCLA at 7:30.

This year’s men’s college rules are unique for a volleyball purist.

Based on the rules used a the Olympics in Australia, the men’s rules will

include rally-scoring games to thirty points. In rally scoring, a point

is scored on every serve, based on who wins the rally (line ping-pong).

If a fifth game is required, it would be to 15, with rally scoring, as

well.

This scoring format prevents matches from lasting too long and

basically assures matches will last no longer than two hours.

Another interesting men’s rule allows a serve that hits the net and

travels into the receiving team’s side to be in play.

The “libero” rule that was used last year is still in effect. The

libero is a back-row player who does not serve, set in front of the

10-foot line, or spike the ball. This basically makes the position a

digging and passing specialist. He may also enter the game between

rallies, for any player. Interesting!

There is a need for this ball-control-type player in the men’s game,

which is not known for great ball control. Another former Corona del Mar

standout, Greg Burden, plays the libero position for USC and is very

good.

At Princeton, CdM product Dennis Alshuler returns for his sophomore

season after being one of the top hitters in the nation last year. The

Tigers will play at UCI Jan. 30.

Greg Stampley, a member of CdM’s Division I champion last year, is an

outside hitter for USC. The Trojans will play at UCI Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

Last year’s CIF Player of the Year, CdM’s Kevin Hansen, is at Stanford

where he will redshirt this season.

Newport Harbor’s Billy Clayton, who led the Sailors to last year’s CIF

Division I title match and contributed to the Tars’ 1999 Division I

crown, has been starting for Stanford as a middle blocker. The Cardinal

will battle UCI March 10.

This men’s volleyball season should be very interesting. I hope our

local fans will come to UCI to watch when our local stars return.