DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:

Tucker Peleuses might be a foodie, but he attracted USC Coach Bill Ferguson with the sort of cheese you’ll never find in the dairy case at Dean and Deluca.

No, Ferguson knew he wanted Peleuses when he made a recruiting call and heard Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” (also known as one of the cheesiest ’80s songs ever) while he was waiting for Peleuses to pick up the phone.

Ferguson had called before and heard the rap song “We Fly High” by Jim Jones, and he teased the senior Newport Harbor High outside hitter endlessly. But then, to Ferguson’s surprise, Peleuses changed the caller tune to Phil Collins.

“When I called that day, it knocked me off my butt,” said a laughing Ferguson, who admitted to seeing Genesis live in 1987. “This guy’s already in tune with what we’re doing here.”

When Ferguson arrived at USC, the now-second-year coach wanted to recapture a tradition of dominance that’s evaded the Trojans men’s volleyball program lately. So he diligently put together a highlight tape of the school’s NCAA championship performances from 1977, 1980, 1988, and 1990.

He set the whole thing to a hard rock version of “In the Air Tonight” by Nonpoint. Peleuses knew nothing about the highlight tape. It was a complete coincidence.

“I forgot I have that on there,” Peleuses said. “I need to change that.”

Peleuses is a co-captain on the Newport Harbor team that’s 12-3, which speaks to his leadership. He’s a laid-back, level-headed sort of leader, said Harbor Coach Dan Glenn. Ferguson saw the same thing.

“He’s really comfortable talking to adults,” Ferguson said. “When I talked to Tucker, it almost felt like I was talking to one of my buddies.”

Peleuses’ maturity isn’t just evident in his conversations; it shows in his palate too.

His signature dish is paella, but Peleuses is at home when he’s making difficult-to-pronounce food.

He’s enrolled in a culinary arts class at Newport Harbor and was accepted by USC’s Marshall School of Business. He’d like to open his own restaurant, and he’s doing an internship this summer at Sun Dried Tomato.

For Easter, he constructed chocolate baskets and filled them with goodies for his family and his girlfriend, Newport Harbor junior Alice Cope. Instead of blanching at the thought of eating anchovies, Peleuses used them to make a “real” Caesar salad you won’t likely find at Starbucks.

His eyes light up when he starts talking about desserts. He makes brownies for his teammates sometimes, and double-chocolate cake from scratch. Cobblers and double-dipped chocolate strawberries are favorites as well.

Peleuses’ dream, Cope said, would be to combine his two favorite things, beach volleyball and cooking, and open a restaurant on the beach.

Peleuses is the one who pays attention to the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Tour, and he’s the one who calls fellow teammate and co-captain Kyle Caldwell, to play at the Bay Shores courts.

At 6-foot-4, Peleuses is considered a tad small for the college game, but he makes up for it with the power in his hitting and the height in his jumping, Ferguson said.

Ferguson compared him to Ken Lynch, an All-American who played for Cal State Northridge in 1993. The 1993 team, the first to make the NCAA final, lost to Al Scates’ UCLA squad in three. Lynch was considered a bit undersized as well, but his skills took him overseas as a professional.

“Tucker’s such a physical player,” Ferguson said. “He jumps very, very well, and he hits such a heavy ball that he’s going to be just fun to watch. He really reminds me of [Lynch].”

Peleuses’ strong arm helped put the brakes on Laguna Beach Wednesday night when the team took off with a two-game lead, and briefly caught the Sailors in the third game.

Peleuses had 20 kills against the Breakers. He was integral in the Sailors’ Saturday upset against Mira Costa, the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division I. Peleuses had 20 kills and two blocks against the Mustangs.

Newport Harbor is No. 4 according to the rankings from March 17.

Peleuses, who played middle for his first two years of high school, will likely play outside or opposite for the Trojans.

“I think having played middle, it will help him,” Ferguson said. “Playing middle, you have to read the whole court and read an opponent’s entire offense. As a pin [outside] blocker, you’re only having to look at half or two-thirds of what’s going on. It is advantageous to have played middle, for sure.”

In the process of building the program, Ferguson has recruited deeply from the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club. In the fall, Peleuses’ will be sharing a dorm room with Laguna Beach setter Clay Knapp, who is playing for the Trojans. Peleuses’ father, Zeus, and Knapp’s father were roommates at USC.

Peleuses’ Balboa Bay teammate Tony Ciarelli of Huntington Beach High has committed to the Trojans as well.

Matt Pavlovich (Santa Margarita), Luke Morris (Laguna Beach), and Matt Anderson (Laguna Beach), all of whom are on the USC roster, all played for Balboa Bay, where USC assistant John Hawks also coached.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.