Marco Altieri admits he picked the brains of anyone he could when he took over as Susan Wagner girls’ volleyball coach in 2002.

“I knew very little. I was supposed to be the JV coach, but then the varsity job got posted the next day,” recalled Altieri, who mentored his 400th game at the helm of the Falcons on Oct. 4, notching a 22-25, 25-18, 25-15 PSAL victory over visiting rival McKee/Staten Island Tech. “I leaned on football coaches, other volleyball coaches, everyone.”

And if the 6-foot-7 Altieri leans on you, you know you’ve been leaned on.

“I wish I knew then what I know now,” said Altieri, whose squad improved to 4-0 with the win over the 3-1 Sea Gulls. “The team wasn’t good at the beginning [in 2002], but we developed a culture and a school spirit. The games became something the whole school started turning out for. And we began getting the most out of the players.

“I love coaching this sport,” added Altieri, who doubles as Wagner’s highly successful softball skipper. “I just try to make the school proud.”

The way his teams carry themselves in both the gym and on the diamond certainly accomplishes that — as does the winning. Altieri has led the Falcons to 13 Island division titles (going undefeated in 12 of those seasons); and three city championship appearances, capturing the crown in 2012.

For Wagner softball — where he’s coached 408 games — his clubs have played for the city championship four times, winning it all in 2017.

“Altieri’s a great coach,” said former MSIT mentor Dave Mahon, who guided both the Gulls’ girls and boys in volleyball for 27 seasons before retiring a few years ago. “I remember early on, he brought in some people to help. But he deserves a lot of credit. He got things done by working hard and putting in the time.”

Mahon, who captured seven city titles with the MSIT boys, also had high praise for his successor, Austen Rerick.

“Austen’s done a great job. He’s kept everything as it was and has made improvements,” Mahon said of his former outside hitter, who played for Mahon from 2010-14 before continuing his volleyball career at Hunter College.

“I learned so much from watching Dave — like there’s no area you can’t have an effect on,” said Rerick. “He instilled in us that the way you practice will show in the way you play. And every practice was regimented … even the way you take down the net and put it away. I was lucky that I got to shadow him for a full season before taking over.”

Rerick’s Sea Gulls looked a lot like one of Mahon’s teams as MSIT captured the first set, 25-22. The second set featured a slew of mini-runs, including a 5-2 spurt that put the Gulls up, 16-15. But terrific serving by diminutive dynamo Martina Xhepa powered the Falcons to a 25-18 win.

“Martina is humble and coachable,” said Altieri of his 5-foot-1 freshman, whom he first saw at the Big Apple Games. “She plays above her age and has been a great addition to the team.”

More strong serving and powerful net play by 6-foot senior Kathrine Barshaba (still on the mend from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January) fueled a 10-4 Wagner lead in the final set. MSIT drew to within two points on several occasions, but clutch serving by Elyssa Chen closed it out for the Falcons, 25-15.

“When I have the adrenaline going, I seem to hit it harder,” said Chen, who had struggled with her serve earlier in the match.

“When it counted, Elyssa showed some guts,” Altieri said.

Chen and Xhepa tied for the SW lead with nine service points, while Chen added a staggering 24 assists. Xhepa (16) and Barshaba (11) paced the Falcons in digs; Barshaba led in kills with 16.