College: Barsemian played one season at Los Angeles Pierce City College, tallying 276 kills, 69 digs, 17 blocks and 18 aces. He then transferred to Concordia University in Irvine, where he redshirted his first season. As a sophomore he had a double-double in his first ever DI match, and went on to lead the team in points (438), kills (362) and aces (33), and was third on the team in blocks (80) and digs (134). Barsemian had 218 kills, 78 digs, 34 blocks and 10 aces as a junior. In his senior season he led the league in kills (277), and added 104 digs, 43 blocks and 18 aces. Barsemian became the first player in program history to be named first team all-conference, and was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. He left as the school's all-time leader in both kills and aces, and had the program's three highest points per set average for a season in his three years there.