Volleyball Has New Leadership, Life

It’s incredible how much of an impact one person can have on a team. In this case, that one person wasn’t even a player.

At this time last year, the Harvard men’s volleyball team stood at 10-5 after having completed an acceptable yet unimpressive season. This year, however, the team has been on a roll, having won 13 in a row to clinch its division.

The difference? Rookie head coach Chris Ridolfi.

By all accounts, the talent has been there all along—the team just had to find a way to unlock it.

“These guys could always play volleyball,” Ridolfi said. “There was no magic pill or anything like that. I happened to hit them at a time when we have good senior leadership and strong underclassmen.”

Ridolfi is no stranger to Crimson athletics. Having served as the assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team for over four years, he is familiar all that accompanies coaching at Harvard.

“I think I had an advantage coming back here,” Ridolfi said. “Just because I knew the type of student-athlete that was here, and I knew how the athletic department worked.”

Ridolfi didn’t face most of the challenges of the typical first-year head coach. In addition to already having a firm grasp on the workings of Harvard, he didn’t have to worry about the pressures of moving to a new city. Having run the women’s volleyball program at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., the past two years—a position he still holds—Ridolfi didn’t have to travel too far to get to his new job.

“If you come into a situation that you’re familiar with and you know the workings, it just makes that portion of your job so much easier,” Ridolfi said. “It allows you to focus on other aspects of your job.”

From the start, Ridolfi’s goal was to make the men’s volleyball team a more credible part of Harvard’s athletic department. He got the team new uniforms and initiated a weight lifting regime, making the team more solid and disciplined.

This new attitude increased the team’s commitment level, and the wins started coming.

“Coach Ridolfi made it a more serious program,” said sophomore Dave Fitz. “He’s put [Harvard men’s volleyball] up there on the map.”

Fortunately for Ridolfi, the talent of the players was not an aspect he had to worry about. Instead, the key was getting the players to enjoy what they were doing and to play well as a team.

Ridolfi quickly saw that the players were very competitive, and he fostered an atmosphere that suited their mindset.

“I think what coach Ridolfi does that’s different is that he understands us as players,” said junior middle hitter John Freese. “Every guy on this team is competitive, and if we don’t do competitive drills at practice, we won’t perform our best.”

Ridolfi altered practices to fit with the team’s personality, channeling the players’ energy into a constructive use. He shifted his focus to competitive drills and enhanced the team’s group dynamic by making practices more team-oriented.

After the frustration and disappointment of past seasons, Ridolfi’s changes meant the players now looked forward to practicing and playing.

“Last year, we didn’t want to go to practice,” Fitz said. “It wasn’t fun. This year, we really enjoy playing—we want to be good.”

Ridolfi’s best asset is that he has been able to build strong relationships with his players while maintaining the authority he needs to manage the team. At times, he cracks jokes and acts like one of the players. But he knows when it’s time to get serious.

“Coach Ridolfi knows how to motivate us and get us fired up,” Freese said. “And if you like your coach, you’re more apt to listen to him.”

Perhaps most importantly, Ridolfi makes an effort to give everyone some playing time. He will often make situational substitutions at various points in the game. Freshman outsider hitter Brian Rapp, who does not start, is frequently inserted when the Crimson is serving with the game on the line.

“Last year, there were players who sat on the bench for the majority of the season,” said Freese. “[Ridolfi] keeps the whole team involved.”

The coach has also given the team more days off from practice, a seemingly counter-intuitive move that has paid dividends.

“The days off help because we get a day to refresh,” Fitz said. “Then we can push ourselves harder at practice.”

Ridolfi’s dedication, extensive knowledge, and experience have led the team to, arguably, its best season ever. Harvard hasn’t lost since it dropped its first three matches.

“The team has come a long way confidence-wise,” Ridolfi said. “Those three losses wouldn’t happen to us at this point in the season. ”

Ridolfi and his triumphant ways have transformed the men’s volleyball program.

“[Ridolfi] has brought the program from being almost nothing to being something big,” Ramos said. “He’s definitely the best coach I’ve ever had.”