Paul Munoz wasn't there to see Dale Irvin.
Hired to coach men's volleyball at Golden West College two days before traveling to Ohio for the USA Junior Nationals, Munoz found himself scrambling for talent. Unsure what assortment of returners he'd inherit, the longtime coach eyed local standouts.
But not Irvin.
"He was on nobody's radar," Munoz said.
Shortly after returning to Huntington Beach, Munoz received a call from an unknown number.
Then an outgoing senior from El Dorado High, Irvin sought an opportunity to play collegiately, and sold himself humbly. Munoz remembers how excited he sounded over the phone.
Despite having little game film of this wiry setter he'd never heard of, Munoz gave Irvin a campus tour.
Without much hubbub, the kid committed to Golden West.
Now, nearly a year later, Irvin leads all community college setters in assists, as the Rustlers pursue a record seventh state volleyball championship.
"Dale's unique in that he doesn't even know how good he is," Munoz said. "He's super athletic and extremely talented. He jumps well, he hits the ball hard, he's great as far as getting better, learning.
"You'll never catch him not working hard. He's a great team player."
***
The Irvin brothers never quite had the prototypical sibling rivalry.
Three years younger than Cole, Dale Irvin played the role of little brother perfectly. He said he often goaded big brother into fraternal razzing, but never received any in return. He's still shocked by Cole's mercy.
With a 1950s USC hooper for a grandfather, the Irvin boys grew up around sports, and since their ages kept them off the same teams, their Yorba Linda home became their workshop.
Cole played four years of baseball at Servite High, and racked up postseason laurels aplenty. He committed to the University of Oregon out of the high school, and in 2013, was named a freshman All-American by several national publications.
Not to be outdone, Dale Irvin played basketball and baseball at high levels through eighth grade, and only began playing volleyball after a neighbor one day encouraged him to attend a camp hosted by El Dorado.
Taller than most as a preteen, Irvin needed little help picking up the sport's fundamentals.
Baseball, he said, had strengthened his arm, basketball his legs. A little coaching, and little brother was off.
"Volleyball was something I could see myself getting better at," said Irvin, who eventually joined the Golden West Volleyball Club in Anaheim. "I didn't have that for the other sports. I wanted more, and volleyball gave me more."
Irvin set for El Dorado his freshman year, then received a promotion as a sophomore.
El Dorado with Irvin qualified three times for the playoffs out of the Century and Crestview leagues, and won three postseason matches. Irvin spent intervening off-seasons honing his craft in club, jumping from Golden West his freshman year to Orange Coast Volleyball Club to Pulse Athletics in 2015.
A setter at every stop, Irvin played in countless tournaments, and said club's two-out-of-three-sets match format gave him plenty of reps against peers bound for NCAA Division I, II and III programs.
"I knew he had a lot of potential," said Daniel Hart, Yorba Linda High's boys volleyball coach and the club director at Pulse. "He was very athletic, but needed someone to coach him up a little bit. His very first practice you could see a bond, a connection he had with the other boys.
"My assistant coach and I decided to make him a captain, and him being the captain of a high-level team like that, he really put the weight of the team on his shoulders."
Hart likened setters to quarterbacks, and said the best ones remain calm in pressure situations.
Irvin, Hart said, controlled every aspect of the game as someone who always touched the ball, and Pulse's 18-Hurley team "fed off of his passion."
"Dale had just the right amount of support and just the right amount of grit to work well with the other boys," Hart said. "I thought in college, with the right coaching, this kid will be absolutely unbelievable.
"I definitely think he fell through the cracks."
***
Truth be told, Munoz was just happy to land a setter.
One of six newcomers in the fall, Irvin in practice earned his keep as Golden West's starting setter. He grooved instantly with Long Beach State transfers Chase Palumbo and Andrew Tenbrink, and after finishing below .500 last season, the Rustlers began the spring on a tear.
Golden West last won a state championship in 2013, but this year's team quickly surpassed the wins pace set by their predecessor. Irvin notched a career-high 55 assists in February, only to reset his mark at 59 in March.
"Dale's gaining confidence, and he's humble," Munoz said.
Mentored this season by former Long Beach State setter Connor Olbright, Irvin still is absorbing the intricacies of setting.
His intrinsic feel for which player to set at what time, Munoz said, is his greatest strength, and for 6-foot-3, he's as athletic as they come. In addition to being a calming presence, Irvin truly is an extension of the coaching staff between the lines.
Setters, Munoz noted, play with more pressure than anyone, and still Irvin plays fearlessly.
"It's a feeling thing," he said. "I know I have connections there, and those start building. ... Everyone brings something different to the table."
Not since Grossmont College's Shane Beatty in 2011 has a freshman led the state in assists. If Irvin continues at this pace, he'll not only reset that record, he'll also become the second Golden West setter in four years to finish ahead of his contemporaries.
That said, Munoz believes Irvin still has potential to realize.
And if anyone has the attitude to surpass expectations, he said, it's the kid who just last year had none.
"I've been working hard since August," Irvin said, "and I still have more to do. The team chemistry we have this year is motivating me to get better. I have a huge responsibility, but other responsibilities I can't control. Guys are getting me assists, making me look good.
"Consistency is my No. 1 thing," Irvin continued. "I want to set well and be an asset to the team."
Contact the writer: 714-796-7702 or bwhitehead@ocregister.com
