Seiffert’s Fine Year Lacks One Trophy : Player of the year: Capistrano Valley senior would spike all the fame for a Southern Section title.

Eric Seiffert wouldn’t mind making the trade. In fact, he’s more than willing to.

He would box up all that recognition--the South Coast League volleyball MVP, the all-tournament team awards and the Volleyball Monthly Fab 50 selection--and swap them for one thing: A Southern Section championship.

Seiffert, Capistrano Valley’s 6-foot-6 middle blocker, nearly had it all. But his 38 kills, many with teammate Aaron Garcia out with leg cramps, wasn’t enough in a five-game loss to Huntington Beach in the section Division I finals.

“I was so convinced we would win,” said Seiffert, who averaged 16 kills and 4.5 blocks a match. “I don’t know what happened after that. They tied it up and then went ahead, 14-13.

“Then I saw Shadd Walker’s tip on match point all the way. I just dropped afterward, I couldn’t believe it. Our goal was to win it all, and it slipped through our hands.”

But one thing that didn’t slip away from Seiffert was an outstanding senior season. He led the Cougars to a 20-1 record, the South Coast League title, two tournament victories and the top ranking in the final Orange County coaches’ poll for the first time in school history.

He also is the first Cougar volleyball player to be named The Times Orange County player of the year.

Seiffert, who’s also a standout basketball player, was recruited for volleyball by colleges such as Pepperdine, Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine before signing this spring with USC.

Before heading to USC, Seiffert will play with the Balboa Bay Club at the Junior Olympics in July at Kansas City, Mo.

The Junior Olympics will give Seiffert a chance to recover from the section finals loss.

“I would rather have had a poor match and won than have a great match and lose,” he said.