Athlete of the Week: Mindy Jellin '03

On Saturday, thousands of fans braved rain and cold to watch a powerful offensive performance by the Harvard football team. The Crimson’s best quarterback, though, may have been on display on the other side of the Charles River.

Senior captain Mindy Jellin—the setter or “quarterback” of the women’s volleyball team—turned in two more stellar performances as the engineer of Harvard’s multi-option attack in wins over Yale and Brown this weekend.

“I think that Mindy Jellin has been running a great offense,” said Harvard Coach Jen Weiss after the match. “We have a lot of hitters getting a lot of balls.”

Weiss is always lavish in her praise of Jellin, the lone senior on a squad brimming with young talent.

And why not? Jellin sets the younger players up to shine.

The Stockton, Calif. native spread 82 assists out in seven games this weekend, dishing at least 10 to five different Crimson hitters.

The variety in the offense helped keep opposing defenses on their toes, unsure whether to prepare for a monster spike from sophomore sensation Kaego Ogbechie or a perfectly-placed kill from emerging star Allison Bendush.

“Mindy does a really great job of [mixing up the offense],” said sophomore setter Kim Gould.

At her current clip of 11.12 assists per game, the two-time honorable mention All-Ivy selection should easily graduate as Harvard’s all-time assist leader.

The best measure of Jellin’s success as the anchor of the Crimson offense, however, is found in a different number—Harvard’s win total.

In 2001, the Crimson struggled to a 3-11 record and a sixth place tie in the final conference standings. But after winning seven of its last eight matches, Harvard (8-7, 4-0) stands alone atop the Ivy League.

With Jellin quarterbacking, it has a good shot to stay there.