Larson Is an Impressive Late Bloomer

If there is to be a changing of the guard in the volleyball-rich Pacific Coast League--and don’t count out Laguna Beach High just yet--it most likely will go through University and outside hitter Matt Larson.

Larson is the first to admit he’s not a household name in Orange County volleyball. A soccer player at heart, he only took up volleyball when he entered high school. And his first club experience came last fall, when he joined a team to learn things he said he thought would help him become a better player.

“I’ve never been very good on defensive technique and passing,” he said.

But Trojan Coach Jo Ann Byars sees Larson, a powerful attacker who can dominate at the net, as the catalyst for success among a group of five starters, most of whom are better known for their successes in other sports.

The 6-4 Larson, for example, was an outside defender on the league champion soccer team. He nonetheless set single-season school records for kills (329) and stuff blocks (116) in volleyball last season.

Middle blocker John Drachman was a first-team all-league water polo player.

“We’re just a bunch of guys who wouldn’t have known each other except for volleyball,” Larson said. “We never would have gotten together in the same place without this game. We’re seniors who have worked hard for four years. We all learned to play the game together. Not many of us had played before.”

Byars believes the Trojans have a lot of potential, despite their different interests. “We can be league champions,” she said.

Larson agrees. The task is to improve on last season’s 12-10 overall record and third-place league finish. To do that, the Trojans will have to go through perennial league power Laguna Beach, led by setter Miles McGann. McGann, who could see action at outside hitter, gained a lot of international experience in the off-season, playing on a U.S. national age-group team that went to the Dominican Republic and for his club team, which played in a Canadian tournament. The teams’ first meeting is April 21 at Laguna Beach.

“We have a chance to do great things this year,” Larson said. “Uni has never had a lot of respect in sports, especially here in Irvine where everyone thinks of Woodbridge and Irvine highs. But I like our chances.”

Larson chose to go out for the frosh/soph volleyball team at University as a tribute to his father, Steve, who died of cancer at the beginning of Matt’s freshman year in 1995.

But other than watching his parents play in a recreational league, Larson, who grew up playing soccer, didn’t know much about the sport and was moved to different positions trying to find a niche.

He grew a couple of inches as a sophomore and began to mature as a player on the junior varsity team, where he had settled on being a middle blocker. Toward the end of the season, he was promoted to varsity, where he played a utility role.

Last season, still growing, he returned to the middle. But by the end of the season, Byars moved him outside.

“We needed help out there and my setter urged Coach to try me outside,” Larson said.

It proved to be the right move because Larson flourished.

“He’s one of those outside hitters that hits through the block,” setter Nimi Farhadi said. “He’s powerful. He can jump and he can run all the sets.”

Larson had developed as a leader too.

“He gets everyone going,” Farhadi said. “When he gets a hit, we all celebrate. It really switches us on. This year, we have a chance of winning a league title with all our returners back.”

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PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Newport Harbor, Will get stronger as season progresses.

2. Corona del Mar, Slow starter should finish strong.

3. Marina, Wootton, other key players return.

4. Esperanza, Four battle-tested starters return.

5. Capistrano Valley, Strength in numbers, experience.

6. Fountain Valley, Middle blocker Keenan is imposing.

7. Santa Margarita, Loaded, may be ranked too low.

8. Irvine, Five starters return, no depth at setter.

9. Laguna Beach, With McGann, don’t count out Artists.

10. Servite, Should compete for section title.