Weissbourd Will Lead Crimson in '08

Standing head and shoulders above his teammates on the Harvard men’s volleyball team, sophomore Brady Weissbourd’s 6’9” frame is an intimidating presence on the court.

But it’s not just his height that draws attention to the towering middle hitter.

Racking up the hits to achieve a team-high season total of 213 kills, Weissbourd plays like “a monster,” as captain Dave Fitz put it after Weissbourd’s strong performance in the Crimson’s March 21 victory over New Haven.

“He was about the most consistent attacker and probably the most dominant player on our squad this year,” Fitz said. “I always knew that if I got him the ball, he would somehow manage to get the kill.”

Averaging 3.23 kills per game for a .429 hitting percentage overall, Weissbourd is clearly an offensive powerhouse for Harvard. Also leading the team with 79 blocks, Weissbourd carries a dominant playing style that gives him a decisive hand in the Crimson’s victories.

“Where Brady went, we went,” Harvard coach Chris Ridolfi said. “When he had good matches, we generally won, and if he had a slow day, we struggled. We’re hoping that he can progress and continue moving forward and carry us again next year.”

Because Weissbourd’s reliable and powerful attack had such a strong influence over the outcome of each match, Ridolfi expects him to be specifically targeted by opposing teams next year.

“He’s our best attacker,” Ridolfi said. “He’ll be the one people are looking for. We’re going to hope to expand his role, and hopefully he can continue on his upward path.”

Just as his position on the court will become increasingly important in the upcoming season, Weissbourd hopes to expand his leadership role as well. Already, Weissbourd has taken on more responsibility over the team, putting it on himself to arrange meetings with the Harvard weight coach to set up an off-season weight-training program for the Crimson.

“It’s his time to lead,” Fitz said. “It’s now his team, and he’s a hard worker on and off the court. I can see him making everybody step up to his work ethic.”

With three key players graduating, Weissbourd is ready to lead Harvard to the next level, just as the seniors have pushed him to new heights.

Senior and fellow middle hitter Andy Nelson had a particularly significant impact on Weissbourd.

“I was really lucky this year because Andy was really, really good and sort of a mentor,” Weissbourd said. “I was able to get a lot better by watching him because he’s much more technically sound than I am.”

The competition that emerged between Weissbourd and Nelson encouraged them both to play with more intensity, and this friendly rivalry ultimately triggered a noticeable improvement in the performances at the center of the court.

“We’d always talk smack to each other about who’s starting in the front or the back… and we bet five dollars on who got the most digs,” Weissbourd joked. “Even though there were only two of us and we were both going to start really whether we showed up to practice or not, [that competition] made it a really intense year between the two of us.”

In the same way that Nelson pushed Weissbourd to reach his best, Weissbourd now hopes to provide Harvard with a spark to achieve greater success.

But despite his personal talent and increasingly vital position with the Crimson, Weissbourd recognizes the importance of teamwork in reaching these goals.

“[Volleyball] is a team sport in a much different way,” Weissbourd said. “You can’t be an individual in volleyball. You’re just much less flashy.”

With the support of his teammates, Weissbourd seems to have a bright season ahead.

—Staff writer Courtney D. Skinner can be reached at cskinner@fas.harvard.edu