Eric Perrine

Barry Faulkner

Though his volleyball odyssey has led him to a land draped in

darkness for all but a few hours each winter day, Eric Perrine has

continually refused to led the sun set on a playing career that has,

by most accounts, exceeded expectations.

Perrine was a solid, if unspectacular, starter for the 1999

Newport Harbor High boys team that captured a CIF Southern Section

Division I title in the spring of 1999.

Unburdened by a wealth of recruiting interest, he responded to

that offered by UC San Diego, where he began his collegiate career as

a backup setter on the NCAA Division III champions his freshman year.

The next season, UCSD moved up to Division II, competing in the

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, comprised of a who’s who of

Division I powers such as UCLA, Pepperdine, Stanford, Hawaii and BYU.

He was a three-year co-captain and two-time Most Valuable Player

for the Tritons, starting at outside hitter, middle blocker and

setter his final three years.

Then, at the prompting of UCSD Coach Ron Larsen and the assistance

of former teammate Trevor Hove, Perrine chased an opportunity to play

professionally in Denmark.

Just underway in the second half of a season that began in August

and could extend through the postseason in early April, Perrine has,

not surprisingly, flourished as a versatile performer for Aarhus,

among 10 teams in a Danish professional league.

“I started at outside hitter for the first half of the season,”

said Perrine, who, with some prompting, admitted he was the team’s

leading hitter, as well as a valued passer.

“I was probably counted on more for passing than hitting,” said

the 6-foot-3 standout, who acknowledged the talent in Denmark is less

polished than collegiate competition in the United States.

“Their style of play is not as refined,” he said. “Their skill

level, especially when it comes to ball control, is lower. The way

they play doesn’t look as good, but it can be as effective.”

Perrine helped Aarhus tie for second in the first half of the

season, which wrapped up in time for him to return home for

Christmas.

Perrine left Dec. 28 to return for the second half and plans to

help his team earn one of the league’s six playoff berths. “I’m

fairly confident we can at least make the semifinals,” he said.

Hove, now in his second season in the Danish league, helped pave

the way for Perrine to join him. Perrine said Hove also helped

prepare him for the experience, both on and off the court.

“What Jordan told me about playing here has pretty much been right

on,” Perrine said. “There isn’t any language problem, because just

about everyone here speaks English.”

Perrine, who has a part-time job set up by the team and also takes

two classes at a local college, said the biggest adjustment has been

the weather.

“We’re on the same latitude as Alaska, so it gets pretty cold,” he

said. “And there are only about five or six hours of sunlight.”

The team plays one match and practices four days a week, though

workouts are not as structured as Perrine is used to.

“The coaching level isn’t as good over here,” he said. “Coaches

give us drills to do in practice, but it’s pretty much up to the

players how the practices are run.”

Perrine still enjoys competing and believes the cultural

experience has also been a plus.

He said he may elect to play in Denmark next year, but that

decision will be dictated by how the rest of this season goes.

“So far it’s been great,” he said. “If I continue to do well,

there’s no reason I wouldn’t either stay in Denmark to play or try to

play somewhere else in Europe next year.”