1993 PREP PREVIEW: BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL : TEAMS TO WATCH : Laguna Beach

Coach: Michael Soylular (third year)

1992: 17-3, 10-0 in Pacific Coast League. Won the league and reached the second round of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, where they lost to Capistrano Valley.

Key returners: David Berney, Sr., 6-0, setter; Beau Bianchi, Jr., 6-3, outside hitter; Madhava Davis, Sr., 6-2, opposite setter; Nate Ellis, Sr., 6-3, outside hitter; Bob Jameson, Sr., 6-3, middle blocker; Dan Styles, So., 6-2, outside hitter.

Key newcomers: Kurt Nelson, So., 6-3, setter; Nate Pivaroff, So., 6-2, outside hitter; Trevor Whalley, Fr., 6-2, outside hitter.

Outlook: Soylular has one of the section’s best setters in Berney and a rising star in Styles, who started part-time as a freshman. But a brutal nonleague schedule will test the Artists early. Among their ranked opponents are Corona del Mar, Dana Hills, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Newport Harbor. “We may have a slow start but we should be a good team to watch,” Soylular said. “We should be a scrappy, ball-control team.”