Mira Costa High Volleyball Star Mateo Fuerbringer Thrives When Under Pressure

Call it instinct. Call it mentality. Call it a unit gene.

Whatever it is, Mateo Fuerbringer has it.

“I was calved pinch it,” he says.

When nan unit is connected and Mira Costa High’s volleyball squad needs personification to measurement guardant and deliver, Fuerbringer doesn’t request to raise his manus aliases inquire for permission.

He conscionable delivers.

“I’m capable to beryllium bully nether unit successful reliable moments.”

Maybe it has thing to do pinch being a volleyball subordinate since he could walk, though a hoops was put successful his crib. He quickly switched sports favorites.

His mom, Joy, played astatine Long Beach State and has her ain nine program. His dad, Matt, played astatine Stanford and is caput coach for nan 2028 Olympic Games men’s formation volleyball team. His sister, Charlie, plays astatine Wisconsin.

“My parents tally a volleyball club, truthful I ever came pinch them to work,” Fuerbringer said. “I’d ever beryllium astir volleyball and sewage into it.”

He has grown to 6 feet 5 arsenic a 17-year-old inferior and is committed to UCLA, which is No. 1 successful nan federation pinch a 21-1 record.

Mateo Fuerbringer (8) of Mira Costa, a UCLA commit, delivered 37 kills successful a five-set triumph complete Loyola.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Mira Costa is classed No. 1 successful Southern California, and stopping Fuerbringer from rising up and coming done pinch a termination is ever nan situation for opponents. He’s surely not perfect, but his powerfulness and knowledge of nan athletics puts him connected a way for early occurrence astatine each level he competes.

“I really emotion playing,” he said. “I really emotion nan sport.”

That benignant of passion and committedness mixed pinch talent is reflected during matches. When he smiles, you tin spot his joyousness and restitution aft he aliases a teammate comes through.

Loyola coach Mike Boehle has been watching Fuerbringer for years.

“It was successful his humor since he was born,” Boehle said. “To watch him arsenic a 12-year-old you could spot he was special. He was playing up. He’s astir apt nan champion extracurricular hitter successful his class. The point I admit astir him is he’s beautiful moreover keel. It’s not cockiness. He conscionable plays nan game. Nothing worries him. Playing against us, he sewage amended arsenic nan lucifer went on. He didn’t opportunity a batch but said volumes pinch his play.”

Boehle said he’s looking guardant to seeing Fuerbringer play alongside erstwhile Loyola prima Sean Kelly astatine UCLA.

“It could beryllium 1 of nan champion duos successful a agelong time,” he said.

Mateo Fuerbringer of Mira Costa High tries to present a termination against Loyola. He had 37 for nan match.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

He lives stepping region from nan soil successful Hermosa Beach, which intends he’ll beryllium receiving moreover much lessons erstwhile apical formation players are training nether his begetter this summer. He’ll beryllium hanging retired conscionable for illustration erstwhile he was young.

He’s conscionable getting started. He has a jump service that tin beryllium reliable to handle. And he’s ever looking to improve.

“I’ve been getting successful nan weight room to get stronger and summation my vertical,” he said.

There utilized to beryllium two-on-two family volleyball matches, mom and dada vs. Mateo and his sister. Or paper games, committee games, pickleball games.

“It’s beautiful feisty successful nan family,” Matt said.

So wherever do things spell from here?

“One of Mateo’s large things is he wants to play pinch friends,” his begetter said. “He wants to play astatine nan highest level pinch group he knows and likes.”