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February 3, 2009

Harvard Poised To Make An Impact Under First-Year Head Coach Brian Baise

Season Outlook

Harvard Poised To Make An Impact Under First-Year Head Coach Brian Baise

The Harvard men's volleyball team will once again look to be a contender in the Hay Division of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in the upcoming 2009 season. After losing three key seniors, head coach Brian Baise brought in three freshmen to bolster a solid returning nucleus of players looking to improve upon last season's 9-10 overall record, including a fifth-place division finish with a 6-4 conference record.

"Coming into my first year, I didn't know what to expect," said the rookie head coach. "The team has been a tremendous surprise. Their work ethic is great, they've really come together on the court, and they will continue to do so as the season goes on. I expect them to play really good volleyball this year. We are not going to be an easy match for anyone."

Junior setter Gil Weintraub and senior outside hitter Brady Weissbourd will captain the 2009 Crimson. In 2008, Weintraub led the nation with 0.56 service aces per set while also leading the Crimson and finishing eighth in the EIVA and 16th in the nation with an average of 11.29 assists. Weintraub hit .250 for the season with 1.09 digs and 0.84 blocks per set.

Weissbourd led the team and was third in the league in both hitting percentage (.439) and blocks per set (1.35), good for seventh and eighth, respectively, in the nation. He was second on the team and 10th in the league with 3.78 kills per set. As a team, Harvard finished fourth in the 13-team EIVA in both assists (13.35) and kills (14.36) per set.

"Brady has played a big role all the time he's been here," said Baise. "We look forward to seeing his role grow even more this year as a senior captain. He's going to be a big hitting force in the front row as well as the back row. He'll be rotating all around for us.

"Gil runs our offense and does a great job of distributing the ball to our hitters. We play real well when the offense is in his hands."

Outside hitter Jeff Nathan is the other senior on the squad and will look to make his mark on the 2009 Crimson after posting 0.71 kills and 1.38 digs per set last season. Junior Erik Kuld, meanwhile, returns after hitting .233 with 1.29 digs and a team-best 4.05 kills per set in 2008 from his outside hitter position. His kills average was good for seventh in the league and 19th in the nation. He also helped contribute to a unit that finished second in the league with 9.62 digs per set but will be without the services of departed senior Brian Rapp, who led the EIVA with 3.31 digs per set.

Nathan and Kuld are joined on the outside by a pair of sophomores and a pair of freshmen. Lubomir Malo and Daniel Medina will look to make a bigger impact on the court following their rookie campaigns. Medina averaged 1.09 kills per set while Malo saw action in two matches. Rookies Matt Jones and Dan Schreff will provide two more weapons at the outside hitter position.

Joining the 6-9 Weissbourd at the middle blocker position will be junior Soren Rosier and sophomore Shaun Mansour. Rosier hit .221 with 1.04 kills and 0.67 blocks per set. Mansour appeared in four matches throughout the 2008 season. Six-foot, six-inch freshman Nikola Ivica will also push for playing time at the middle blocker and opposite hitter positions for the Crimson, which finished third in the EIVA with an opponents' hitting percentage of .204.

"Our freshmen could see a lot of playing time," said Baise. "The transition to the college game has gone very smoothly for them, and we look for big things from them."

Harvard kicks off its season with an away match at Springfield Jan. 27. The Crimson will follow that up with a stretch of eight home matches in nine games, starting with a 1 p.m. tilt against Stevens Institute Jan. 31 at the Malkin Athletic Center. The following weekend, Harvard will face New York University Feb. 6 followed by East Stroudsburg the next day.

After a match at Penn State Feb. 13, Harvard will spend the next three weeks at home, beginning Feb. 17 against Newbury and Feb. 25 against Rivier. After facing Rutgers-Newark March 6 and NJIT March 7, the Crimson finishes the homestand March 10 against Endicott. Harvard then concludes the regular season with five of its final seven games on the road, beginning March 13 and 14 at Princeton and East Stroudsburg.

After a home match against crosstown rival MIT March 17, Harvard will make the trip to Sacred Heart and NYU March 27 and 28. The Crimson's last home match of the season will take place April 11 against Sacred Heart, and will be followed by a trip to Rutgers-Newark April 17 to finish out the season.

"The team looks great," said Baise. "We've made a lot of progress since the fall. We are in great shape physically, and our seniors and upperclassmen are bringing the team together very nicely."



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Conference News 2005-06 \| 2006-07 \| 2007-08 \| 2008-09 \| 2009-10 \| 2010-11 \| 2011-12 February 3, 2009 Harvard Poised To Make An Impact Under First-Year Head Coach Brian Baise Season Outlook Harvard Poised To Make An Impact Under First-Year Head Coach Brian Baise The Harvard men's volleyball team will once again look to be a contender in the Hay Division of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in the upcoming 2009 season. After losing three key seniors, head coach Brian Baise brought in three freshmen to bolster a solid returning nucleus of players looking to improve upon last season's 9-10 overall record, including a fifth-place division finish with a 6-4 conference record. "Coming into my first year, I didn't know what to expect," said the rookie head coach. "The team has been a tremendous surprise. Their work ethic is great, they've really come together on the court, and they will continue to do so as the season goes on. I expect them to play really good volleyball this year. We are not going to be an easy match for anyone." Junior setter Gil Weintraub and senior outside hitter Brady Weissbourd will captain the 2009 Crimson. In 2008, Weintraub led the nation with 0.56 service aces per set while also leading the Crimson and finishing eighth in the EIVA and 16th in the nation with an average of 11.29 assists. Weintraub hit .250 for the season with 1.09 digs and 0.84 blocks per set. Weissbourd led the team and was third in the league in both hitting percentage (.439) and blocks per set (1.35), good for seventh and eighth, respectively, in the nation. He was second on the team and 10th in the league with 3.78 kills per set. As a team, Harvard finished fourth in the 13-team EIVA in both assists (13.35) and kills (14.36) per set. "Brady has played a big role all the time he's been here," said Baise. "We look forward to seeing his role grow even more this year as a senior captain. He's going to be a big hitting force in the front row as well as the back row. He'll be rotating all around for us. "Gil runs our offense and does a great job of distributing the ball to our hitters. We play real well when the offense is in his hands." Outside hitter Jeff Nathan is the other senior on the squad and will look to make his mark on the 2009 Crimson after posting 0.71 kills and 1.38 digs per set last season. Junior Erik Kuld, meanwhile, returns after hitting .233 with 1.29 digs and a team-best 4.05 kills per set in 2008 from his outside hitter position. His kills average was good for seventh in the league and 19th in the nation. He also helped contribute to a unit that finished second in the league with 9.62 digs per set but will be without the services of departed senior Brian Rapp, who led the EIVA with 3.31 digs per set. Nathan and Kuld are joined on the outside by a pair of sophomores and a pair of freshmen. Lubomir Malo and Daniel Medina will look to make a bigger impact on the court following their rookie campaigns. Medina averaged 1.09 kills per set while Malo saw action in two matches. Rookies Matt Jones and Dan Schreff will provide two more weapons at the outside hitter position. Joining the 6-9 Weissbourd at the middle blocker position will be junior Soren Rosier and sophomore Shaun Mansour. Rosier hit .221 with 1.04 kills and 0.67 blocks per set. Mansour appeared in four matches throughout the 2008 season. Six-foot, six-inch freshman Nikola Ivica will also push for playing time at the middle blocker and opposite hitter positions for the Crimson, which finished third in the EIVA with an opponents' hitting percentage of .204. "Our freshmen could see a lot of playing time," said Baise. "The transition to the college game has gone very smoothly for them, and we look for big things from them." Harvard kicks off its season with an away match at Springfield Jan. 27. The Crimson will follow that up with a stretch of eight home matches in nine games, starting with a 1 p.m. tilt against Stevens Institute Jan. 31 at the Malkin Athletic Center. The following weekend, Harvard will face New York University Feb. 6 followed by East Stroudsburg the next day. After a match at Penn State Feb. 13, Harvard will spend the next three weeks at home, beginning Feb. 17 against Newbury and Feb. 25 against Rivier. After facing Rutgers-Newark March 6 and NJIT March 7, the Crimson finishes the homestand March 10 against Endicott. Harvard then concludes the regular season with five of its final seven games on the road, beginning March 13 and 14 at Princeton and East Stroudsburg. After a home match against crosstown rival MIT March 17, Harvard will make the trip to Sacred Heart and NYU March 27 and 28. The Crimson's last home match of the season will take place April 11 against Sacred Heart, and will be followed by a trip to Rutgers-Newark April 17 to finish out the season. "The team looks great," said Baise. "We've made a lot of progress since the fall. We are in great shape physically, and our seniors and upperclassmen are bringing the team together very nicely."