Short memory needed

Before the cheers, come the blood, sweat and tears.

But UC Irvine men’s volleyball coach John Speraw said one aftereffect of the 2007 national championship was a complacency and confidence that such results would continue as a matter of course.

Speraw said he senses some of those stumbling blocks, which contributed to a 16-15 record last season, 11-12 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, remain for a 2009 starting lineup that had virtually no affect on the NCAA title.

“We dealt with it last year and there’s still some recurrence of the aspect of ‘Hey, we won a national championship and we’re just going to walk out there and compete for another one,’ ” Speraw said. “But you forget about all the effort that those guys put in just to get to that level, period. There is this nostalgia and it isn’t that way. It isn’t that easy. I think we’re going to have to work harder than these guys realize right now.”

Talent is not as much a concern as leadership.

“On paper, I think we’re better in every position, except for the loss of [three-year starting middle blocker Aaron Harrell],” Speraw said. “The thing we lack right now is who is going to lead this team? In previous years, we’ve come into the season with a definitive leadership structure and this year we don’t have it. I think leadership is the key. We have a bunch of guys who are not naturally vocal. If we don’t have someone step up and assume the [leadership] role, it’s going to be an interesting test of my coaching ability.”

Speraw, who spent his off-season helping the United States men’s national team win a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics as an assistant coach, believes the potential is there for the Anteaters, picked to finish fifth in the MPSF and No. 6 in the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. preseason polls, respectively, to regain elite status.

“I think we’re ranked No. 4 [nationally] in Volleyball Magazine,” said Speraw, whose team dropped its exhibition match to visiting Alberta (Canada), 30-22, 23-30, 30-28, 20-27, Wednesday. “But we have the capability of becoming No. 4 in American, or above. It’s going to be a choice that these guys make on how hard they’re willing to work to achieve that goal.”

Speraw acknowledged very few difficult decisions when it came to setting a lineup for Wednesday’s season opener at NAIA representative Cal Baptist.

Senior setter Ryan Ammerman, senior libero Brent Asuka and sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne are returning starters. Sophomore outside hitters Cory Yoder and Jordan DuFault started some last season as well.

Carson Clark, a 6-foot-5 opposite who had a team-leading 18 kills against Alberta, joins the starting lineup, as does Austin D’Amore, a 6-5 freshman middle blocker.

Speraw said senior Taylor Wilson, a starter on the national championship team who was plagued by injuries last season, should contribute at outside hitter, as should junior Cole Reinholm.

Senior opposite Jon Steller, who led the team last season with 372 kills, is backing up Clark and is the primary serving specialist.

Sophomore Anthony Spittle, whose 933 assists were nearly 300 more than Ammerman’s total last season, is also in the wings.

Senior Nick Spittle is a backup libero and serving specialist, but Speraw said he is the leading candidate to, well, lead.

“Nick Spittle is the guy who jumps out at me right away,” Speraw said when asked about potential leaders. “And Brent Osuka provides some leadership on the team, as well.”

Speraw said Ammerman has improved greatly from his junior season, when he was basically beaten out by Anthony Spittle. And, a 6-8, Ammerman brings skills beyond setting.

Speraw said the 6-4 DuFault, who had 15 kills and a .444 hitting percentage in the exhibition, comes off a productive fall. He had 167 kills last season, when he hit .263.

Yoder had 304 kills as a 6-3 freshman, when he posted a hitting percentage of .303.

Speraw said 6-4 sophomore Kevin Carroll may redshirt, due to a shoulder injury. Though, if he can get healthy and there is a need for productivity in the lineup, he may be thrown into the fray later in the season.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].