Kyman’s Big Break Is Team’s Gain

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Coley Kyman had waited four years for the phone call he received Thursday night. His dream of making a living playing beach volleyball hadn’t quite expired, but the meter was running low.

Dan Greenbaum, the captain of Team Paul Mitchell, needed a fourth player for this weekend’s Bud Light Volleyball League tournament, and his team also needed a little inspiration, having failed to win a tournament this season after capturing the league title the previous year.

The chemistry worked well in Saturday’s pool-play matches at the Huntington Beach Pier. Team Paul Mitchell surged into today’s semifinal behind the play of Kyman, who also provided the stimulus.

“He just sits there and pushes buttons on everybody, especially on the opponents,” Greenbaum said. “People get so frustrated and riled, and he gets in their head. It’s such a great advantage.”

It was the best start of the season for Team Paul Mitchell, which has advanced to just one final in 11 tournaments. A dislocated shoulder suffered by former captain Jeff Williams at the start of the year was the beginning of a downturn for the team, which won three events last season.

“There’s been a lot of different faces for Team Paul Mitchell this season,” said outside hitter Mike Diehl, who was a second-team All-Southern Section player at Edison High in 1988.

The team suffered its latest loss when outside hitter Matt Rigg returned to Hawaii after his daughter was injured in an accident.

That’s why Kyman got the call.

“You don’t now how long I’ve been trying to play in this,” Kyman said. “I’ve been trying to break in every way I could. I’ve been trying to break in on the four man for about four years, at least.”

What’s held Kyman back is his lack of height for the position he plays. A middle blocker at Cal State Northridge, Kyman has had to move to the outside at the four-man level. With his lack of passing experience, Kyman has been the recipient of nearly every serve.

“I’ve been training with this team, training with that team, mainly trying to get in the middle, Kyman said. “You’ve got all these big guys, like Tom Hoff and Jeff Nygaard, who are great players at 6-8 or 6-9, and me being 6-5 really doesn’t help much.”

Diehl said that Kyman has held his own on the passing end.

“Everybody’s serving him every ball, waiting for a bad pass,” Diehl said. “But he’s doing a great job for us.”

In the women’s preliminary matches, Team Paul Mitchell won both its matches on Saturday and is in good position to move into this morning’s semifinals.

Team Paul Mitchell, which plays its final pool-play match against Team Norelco today at 8 a.m., is hoping to leapfrog ahead of struggling league-leader Team Nike, led by middle blocker/fashion model Gabrielle Reece.

Team Discus Athletic is currently the hottest team in the league after winning three of the last four tournaments. A tournament victory by that team could also move it up in the standings.