They’re Set in Their Ways : Nash and Sivonen Give Northridge Volleyball Team Different Styles

NORTHRIDGE —  Dan Nash and Mikko Sivonen are like night and day.

Nash is a fiery player whose neck veins bulge when he yells and waves clenched fists in the air. Sivonen is soft-spoken and shy. He rarely talks.

At 6-feet, 200 pounds, Nash is muscular and stocky. Sivonen is a lanky 6-3, 179.

But while their demeanors and physiques differ, Nash and Sivonen have something in common: Both badly want to be the starting setter on the Cal State Northridge volleyball team.

Nash said the duel is “very competitive” and “actually pretty cutthroat.”

Sivonen, perhaps because he is the new kid in town, is more diplomatic: “Yes, we both want to play, but Dan and I are friends . . . I think.”

Both players have strong credentials.

Nash, 21, was a two-year starter at Pierce, a junior college powerhouse. He is an aggressive player with great ball control.

Sivonen, 20, was a four-year member of Finland’s junior national team and last year he competed in more than 60 international matches. He was the backup setter for the Finnish team that placed fourth in a field of 20 at the World Championships last summer in Malaysia.

“It’s going to be a long battle all year with the setters,” said Northridge Coach John Price, whose Matadors (2-2) play host to UC San Diego tonight at 7.

Sivonen’s international experience and height are advantages over Nash, who is considered short for a Division I setter.

“Mikko is a better blocker than Dan, but Dan’s set location is better right now and that’s more important to us,” Price said.

Nash has started in the Matadors’ first three matches, which is an upset in itself. Because of his height, Nash all but wrote off competing after junior college.

But Pierce Coach Ken Stanley insisted that he continue playing and suggested he try out at Northridge.

The Matadors weren’t very interested. Even though last year’s starting setter, Travis Ferguson, quit school and got married, his backup, Justin Hambleton, was set to return.

Hambleton and Sivonen were expected to battle for the starting position and whichever way it turned out, the team would have a solid backup.

But in November, Hambleton quit after losing interest in volleyball and the Matadors were left without a setter because Sivonen’s visa was delayed by the federal government shutdown.

In came Nash, a Chatsworth High graduate who came to Northridge without a scholarship, knowing the chances of playing were slim.

Starting wasn’t even on his mind.

“Then when all that happened I realized, ‘I’m here all by myself! I’m starting!’ ” Nash said. “I couldn’t believe it. I never thought I’d play volleyball at this level. I knew I wasn’t good enough or tall enough so I figured no one wanted me.”

Nash has improved since Sivonen arrived two weeks ago. He says the competition is motivating him to work harder.

At the UC Santa Barbara Invitational, which featured some of the nation’s top teams, coaches took note of the Matadors’ “little setter.”

“That guy did a great job,” Stanford Coach Ruben Nieves said. “He really places the ball well. He’s going to be good.”

But Sivonen, who grew up in Kuopio, a city of about 80,000, didn’t travel thousands miles for nothing.

“I’m new here so I have to show what I can do,” Sivonen said. “For me that’s a great challenge and I like it.”

Sivonen decided to play college volleyball in the U.S. at the suggestion of his junior national team coach. Last year Sivonen sent several colleges in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation a letter and resume. A handful of coaches responded by requesting a video of him in action.

Brigham Young and Northridge showed the most interest and Sivonen picked the Matadors because living in California was more appealing than Utah.

“I love the weather here,” Sivonen said. “In Finland right now it’s 20 below zero. My friends are very envious right now.”

A business major, Sivonen plans to train with his old club team in Finland in the summer. He will also train hard in the weight room, he says, because U.S. players are more muscular than the Finns and he feels like he’s at a disadvantage.

But as Nash knows well, Sivonen’s setting has not been affected by his slender limbs.

“When he first got here, the coaches were having him set and I stood outside the gym and peeked in through the door,” Nash said. “When I saw what he was doing I said, ‘Yep! He’s pretty good and he’s only a freshman.’ In a couple of years he’s going to be real good.”

Sivonen doesn’t plan to wait that long to start. Then you have Nash, who predicts he will only get better as his rival improves.

“At first I thought, ‘Oh no. This guy is coming from Finland and he’s going to be the guy so what was the point of working so hard?’ ” Nash said. “Now I’m glad he’s here because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be playing this good.”

Which is another thing these setters have in common, pushing each other to a higher level.