Joseph Vasquez / The Collegian

After helping the Fresno State men̢۪s club volleyball team win a national title in 2004, Mike Delotto had hopes of ending his college career the way it started.

Delotto, a business major from Fresno, completed his volleyball career in Dallas this week with another national title run.

The Bulldogs finished third in the nation, losing to Illinois in the semifinals.

In the eighth grade, soccer was Delotto̢۪s sport of choice, but scheduling changes allowed him to play volleyball with his twin brother.

The support of his family helped when having to travel nearly every weekend to games out of the Valley.

“They came to all my games in high school, and when I was in high school and played club, they would take me down to southern California, because that’s where our tournaments were.â€Â

Little did Delotto know that this opportunity would not only allow him to play a different sport, but allow him to find the sport he would eventually become a national champion in.

“It’s been [going] really well, we’re playing to our potentialâ€Â Delotto said, regarding their No. 4 national ranking.

Even though Delotto has competed at this level before, this time he̢۪s the guy who the other players look to for leadership on the court.

In 2004, Delotto was a freshman with no college experience and was looking to other leaders in the national title win.

“The first time [we came to nationals], he was a freshman. I don’t know if he even shaved,â€Â coach Brian Tsukimura said. “He’s matured since 2004, his setting doesn’t need as much help from us, he knows where to go, knows mentally which guys are hot, which makes it a lot easier on the coaching staff.â€Â

With the familiarity of participating in nationals, Delotto is used to the caliber of competition.

“I just love the game,â€ÂDelotto said. “I just love to compete, it really doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. It could be a junior high girl’s team, it doesn’t matter.â€Â

Along with the familiarity of competition in nationals, there are also many rituals that the team particpates in.

Many teams show up to tournaments with custom made T-shirts with references to volleyball.

The Fresno State team has made it a ritual to show up with blank T-shirts and customize theirs with a sharpie and creative slogans.

And since 2004, those custom shirts have come a long way.

The tradition has become an important part of traveling and competing, something Delotto says will be missed now that his Bulldog volleyball career has come to an end.

“I’ll miss playing and hanging out with the guys,â€Â Delotto said. “But I’m not going to miss going out of town every weekend or practicing until midnight.â€Â