Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach boys volleyball is meeting high expectations so far, winning three straight matches in commanding fashion to kick off competitive play.
Coach Stewart Ratzken struggled to highlight a single player on a Marines roster delivering on every level, all the time.
“They play indoor for Long Beach high school, straight to club, preseason with me in the late winter, early spring,” Ratzken said. “Then we start trickling down to the beach. A lot of them work with me or some other coaches where they're assistant coaches or helpers with the youth in Long Beach. Then they also do clinics. On top of that, they're playing in doubles tournaments every weekend.”
With 10 seniors, Long Beach has been able to pick right up from where it left off in a commanding 2025 campaign. For players like middle hitter Zack Brymer, who earned 28 kills in Long Beach’s first two wins, it is one thing to strike well and another thing to pass well. He is joined by senior middle hitter Sean O’Malley, “a wall” who leads the way in blocks.
Like so many other Marines, Brymer is not specialized to one position and can also move to outside hitter as needed. All-County libero Kasper Yanowitch can make the same switch and has become so integral that Ratzken referees to him as the “glue on the court,” while senior Sebastian Ling is listed as an all-around player, possessing the on-court IQ to play everywhere.
“The fact that a majority of them play competitive doubles beach volleyball, you get to play every position when it's two on two,” Ratzken said. “You're touching every ball every time. So I think that's really important. That just gives you ball control, court awareness and footwork to do what you got to do.”
Senior outside hitter Gavin Corrigan, who can be just as effective on digs, has also been striking with immense force, racking up kills alongside Brymer early on.
Even in a dominant stretch of three victories, Long Beach has had to make adjustments. One was relying more on senior Cameron Straub as a setter, which has yielded far stronger results in recent games.
Long Beach is focused on the promising present, but part of building a successful program involves building toward the future. Ratzken said he sees sophomore Ryan Reinhart and freshman Kieran Cohoon as the future for Long Beach, players who have shown early promise and are prepared to fill the void when their time comes.
“When someone leaves, someone steps up, the way the culture is going over here,” Ratzken said. “That's what makes a great program. I can't take full credit. It goes with the parents. It goes with the athletic director. This is a volleyball community.”
Ratzken’s family is also involved in Long Beach’s success, as his nephew, junior Matthias Ratzken, recently moved from France and has made contributions.
Together with assistant coach Allan Nafte, Ratzken has worked with Long Beach’s seniors throughout their volleyball careers, gradually building up to the success they’re experiencing now. It all stems from a passion for the sport and the creation of a community, one in which everyone is all in.
