LONG BEACH STATE NOTEBOOK / JASON REID : Volleyball Ranking Puzzles Gimmillaro

Brian Gimmillaro demanded proof; word of mouth just wouldn’t do. Gimmillaro, longtime Long Beach State women’s volleyball coach, needed to see for himself if the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. voted his team fourth in its national preseason poll.

It just didn’t seem possible, Gimmillaro said. The 49ers are too young, too inexperienced and too far behind where their coach hoped they would be, and surely other coaches know some of this, Gimmillaro said.

Even with a copy of the rankings in hand and the votes there in black and white, Gimmillaro remained incredulous.

“Well, there must be a lot of coaches out there who drink a lot,” Gimmillaro said, jokingly. “If those are the expectations, I’m not going to be coach of the year.

“Seriously, fourth in preseason . . . that’s ridiculous. I really think that’s a mistake.”

Long Beach, which opened the season Friday against Utah State, is 3-0, 2-0 in the Big West Conference. It remains fourth in the coaches’ poll this week.

This despite losing three of the conference’s and nation’s top players to graduation from a group that finished 27-6 and advanced to the NCAA Northwest Regional.

And the 49ers are favored to win their fifth consecutive conference title, unprecedented in Big West women’s volleyball. So, though Gimmillaro wishes another team occupied the 49ers’ slot, he reluctantly accepts the ranking and the reasoning behind it.

“The reputation and history of the program got us this ranking, not where we are at this point,” he said. “It puts a lot of pressure on [the players], because when I see that I push them harder.

“These are kids, but I never tell anybody to come to Long Beach State unless you want to be the best.”

He’s not about to alter his thinking now. If anything, Gimmillaro wants to push the pace even more than before.

However, don’t be fooled. Rankings don’t motivate Gimmillaro, a former national coach of the year. Teaching does, and he knew long before the first poll was released that this would be one of his busiest instructional seasons.

Gone are first-team All-American outside hitter Nichelle Burton, second team All-American middle blocker Traci Dahl and defensive specialist Prentice Perkins. Outside hitter Brita Schwerm is the only senior and one of only three returning starters.

Six of the 49ers’ 13 players are freshmen and four are sophomores. Consequently, Gimmillaro spends much of practice explaining how to play volleyball his way.

At least Schwerm isn’t among Gimmillaro’s concerns. She was selected first-team All-Big West as a junior, finishing third on the team with 413 kills and second with 286 digs.

“Brita has truly improved,” Gimmillaro said. “I think she could very well be the best all-around player in the country.”

Middle blocker Nique Crump earned a spot on the Big West’s all-freshmen team last season. She set 49er freshman records with 30 blocks, 111 block assists and 118 games played.

Sophomore outside hitter Kristin Harris also excelled last season, starting 30 matches and setting school freshman records with 33 service aces and 224 digs. She figured to play an increased role this season as much for her talent as leadership qualities, but Harris aggravated an injury to her left knee during the first week of practice and is out indefinitely.

“Kristin plays much older than her age,” Gimmillaro said. “She adds a real stability out there. Now that she’s out, it’s really an inexperienced group on the floor.”

Harris’ injury forced Gimmillaro to accelerate the development process even more, switching highly touted freshman Misty May from outside hitter to setter. One publication selected May the national high school player of the year after her senior season at Newport Harbor High, and Gimmillaro eventually planned to move the versatile player to setter.

Sophomore Lori Price was expected to earn the position last season but was beaten out by walk-on Heather Hofmans. Hofmans transferred to Cal State Northridge after the season.

Though the early outlook is more unsettled than it has been recently, Gimmillaro isn’t prepared to concede anything. The goal as always at Long Beach is a national championship. Stranger things, the coach said, have happened.

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Ready to lead: Schwerm has played alongside some of the game’s best players. She has competed in three NCAA tournaments, two final fours and helped the 49ers win the 1993 national title.

Now, she relishes her chance to be a mentor.

“I feel a lot of pressure to perform, but I’d rather have the pressure than not have it,” said Schwerm, who averages four kills. “I kind of like this position because I’ve been in the shadow of a lot of great players before me.

“I think I deserve to have this role now. I think it’s all part of the process.”

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Getting comfortable: May’s transition process from high school to college is ongoing, but the worst part is behind her.

“I was kind of nervous during my first couple of practices,” she said. “There was this one drill I just couldn’t do.”

Few things befuddled May during her career at Newport Harbor, which she led to the 1994 State Division I volleyball championship. May, who averages 8.8 assists, won two playoff MVP awards and The Times Orange County selected May its player of the year after her junior and senior seasons.

“It’s been everything I expected,” May said of Long Beach. “The team’s great and the coaches are great.”

49er Notes

Banners representing the four women’s volleyball national championships will be raised along with three retired jersey numbers before an alumni match at the Pyramid on Sept. 15. The championship banners are from 1972, ‘73, ’89 and ’93. The jersey numbers are 14, 2 and 7, belonging to former national players of the year Tara Cross, Danielle Scott and Antoinnette White. . . . The water polo team opens its season 6:30 a.m. Saturday vs. the Air Force Academy in the SoCal tournament at USC.