Bain Makes Her Mark in Cambridge

The first time that the Harvard women’s volleyball team took the court for the 2013 season, its starting lineup included only one freshman: setter Corie Bain. But any fan that night would have been hard-pressed to identify her as a rookie.

Bain slated 10 kills, 31 assists, and nine digs in her debut, setting a high standard from the very beginning. The sophomore has not let up since then. She now holds both Harvard and Ivy League records with 16 triple-doubles and 34 double-doubles despite having played just two seasons.

But for Bain, this standout success has been nothing new.

Bain started playing volleyball at the age of nine, not an uncommon occurrence for someone from Manhattan Beach, Calif., a town that produces many high-level volleyball players. She proceeded to captain both the Surf City and Long Beach Rockstar Volleyball Club teams in her area, on top of captaining the Mira Costa High School team for two years.

As captain, she helped lead her high school to two straight conference championships and took home MVP honors in 2012.

“My club teams prepared me a lot more technically for volleyball,” Bain said. “But in terms of just playing the sport and loving it—high school provided that for me.”

It wasn’t before long that colleges began to notice Bain. She began playing in college showcase tournaments with her club team in her freshman year of high school, but waited until sophomore year to formally start the recruiting process.

Bain’s initial focus, however, was nowhere near Cambridge. Bain had her mind set on the University of California, Berkeley. But, to the disappointment of Bain, the Bears had their mind set on another setter recruit. With Cal no longer in her future, Bain had to shift her focus elsewhere.

Former club teammates at Princeton were the first to tip her off to the idea of Ivy League volleyball. Bain began to strongly consider the idea, even though it was unlike what many of her teammates were doing at the time. Rather than commit to a school in her sophomore year like a good number of her teammates had done, Bain waited patiently for the Ancient Eight—which recruits later than most Division I schools—to come calling. Specifically, she had three schools in mind: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

In her junior year, Bain first traveled across the country to Cambridge. After spending time with the team, she had found the atmosphere that she had been looking for.

“[The players’] interactions with each other looked like something I could definitely be a part of,” Bain said. “I felt really welcome.”

Bain has had no problem continuing her dominant ways at the collegiate level. She started each of the 47 games of her freshman and sophomore seasons, earning the Ivy League Rookie of the Week and Player of the Week awards five times apiece. In her rookie campaign, she broke the single-season school record with 50 service aces. This past year, she earned First Team All-Ivy honors.

But, ultimately, it is Bain’s dedication to the squad rather than to her own personal records that make her such a valuable player, according to teammates. Bain’s work ethic and talent have helped push the Crimson to its first Ivy League championship since 2004. In a tone-setting 3-2 win over Yale on Oct. 3, Bain put up her third triple-double of the season with 11 kills, 32 assists, and 12 digs, recording a season-high six service aces as well.

“She always prioritizes the team’s success over her own,” captain Kristen Casey said. “She deservedly receives a lot of individual accolades, but everyone that plays with her knows she would give all that up for the team to win. That is the kind of person you want next to you on and off the court.”