Photo by: Martin A. Folb
Men's Volleyball Q&A: Ben Weinberg
4/3/2019 11:23:00 AM | Men's Volleyball, Competing With Purpose Blog
Ben Weinberg, a freshman outside hitter for the Pepperdine men's volleyball team, has seen some court time in some big matches already for the Waves. We talked about his younger years, getting started in volleyball and more:
Q: What were the deciding factors in you choosing to be a Wave?
A: It's a prestigious school, one of the top volleyball programs in the nation and a Christian campus.
Q: Being from Northern California, there are not as many high school programs and overall opportunities to play boys volleyball. How did you get started?
A: My sister started playing when she was 12 and I went to every tournament of hers. I started peppering at her tournament and her head coach asked me to try out for his team. I tried it out and fell in love with the sport.
Q: Did you play any other sports growing up that may have helped you in becoming the player you are today?
A: I was very involved in basketball and baseball all my life up until high school. I always loved sports and have been a pretty athletic person, which has helped with my coordination.
Q: You have had some opportunities to get in and play as a freshman this year. How have you prepared for that?
A: I am very grateful for the games I've been able to play in this year because I did not expect to see the court until my senior year. While I'm on the sidelines, I'm always expecting to go in and when I do, I know I need to give it everything I have.
Q: Tell us about your experience vs USC (Weinberg had nine kills and hit .471 on March 2). What were your feelings in the moment as you seemed to be in the zone and unstoppable?
A: I literally told myself that I had nothing to lose so once I got my first kill, my confidence level rose and I truly felt like I could do anything. I felt incredibly nervous, but I was able to manage those nerves and turn it into intense focus while I was passing and serving.
Q: The Waves are coming to the end of the season. There is a lot of competition and the MPSF tourney will be tough. What is your and the team's thought process going into the final stretch getting ready for the MPSF and hopefully the NCAA Championships?
A: We are taking one game at a time and approaching each game as it is the most important game of the season. I personally am training as hard as I can because I know I will need to compete at the highest level should either of our outside hitters get hurt.
Q: How has the travel been, with recent trips to Hawai'i, Stanford and BYU? Pepperdine is a tough academic university. How have you been able to balance the academics, athletics and travel?
A: Traveling to Hawai'i and BYU were very fun experiences, but coming back to school afterward was definitely tough. I had to make some sacrifices when we were traveling, like staying in and working on homework rather than going out to walk around. I have been able to manage it by making sure that I knew what assignments were coming up and that I did my best to finish them before they were due.
Q: Do you play any sand volleyball or are you strictly an indoor player?
A: I love playing sand volleyball and I believe it has helped me become a better overall player; however, I still prefer indoor.
Q: What are your aspirations after your career as a Wave is complete?
A: I do not aspire to go pro after Pepperdine. I will be very grateful for my experiences here, but I will likely move on to look for a job related to finance or real estate out of college.
Q: What were the deciding factors in you choosing to be a Wave?
A: It's a prestigious school, one of the top volleyball programs in the nation and a Christian campus.
Q: Being from Northern California, there are not as many high school programs and overall opportunities to play boys volleyball. How did you get started?
A: My sister started playing when she was 12 and I went to every tournament of hers. I started peppering at her tournament and her head coach asked me to try out for his team. I tried it out and fell in love with the sport.
Q: Did you play any other sports growing up that may have helped you in becoming the player you are today?
A: I was very involved in basketball and baseball all my life up until high school. I always loved sports and have been a pretty athletic person, which has helped with my coordination.
Q: You have had some opportunities to get in and play as a freshman this year. How have you prepared for that?
A: I am very grateful for the games I've been able to play in this year because I did not expect to see the court until my senior year. While I'm on the sidelines, I'm always expecting to go in and when I do, I know I need to give it everything I have.
Q: Tell us about your experience vs USC (Weinberg had nine kills and hit .471 on March 2). What were your feelings in the moment as you seemed to be in the zone and unstoppable?
A: I literally told myself that I had nothing to lose so once I got my first kill, my confidence level rose and I truly felt like I could do anything. I felt incredibly nervous, but I was able to manage those nerves and turn it into intense focus while I was passing and serving.
Q: The Waves are coming to the end of the season. There is a lot of competition and the MPSF tourney will be tough. What is your and the team's thought process going into the final stretch getting ready for the MPSF and hopefully the NCAA Championships?
A: We are taking one game at a time and approaching each game as it is the most important game of the season. I personally am training as hard as I can because I know I will need to compete at the highest level should either of our outside hitters get hurt.
Q: How has the travel been, with recent trips to Hawai'i, Stanford and BYU? Pepperdine is a tough academic university. How have you been able to balance the academics, athletics and travel?
A: Traveling to Hawai'i and BYU were very fun experiences, but coming back to school afterward was definitely tough. I had to make some sacrifices when we were traveling, like staying in and working on homework rather than going out to walk around. I have been able to manage it by making sure that I knew what assignments were coming up and that I did my best to finish them before they were due.
Q: Do you play any sand volleyball or are you strictly an indoor player?
A: I love playing sand volleyball and I believe it has helped me become a better overall player; however, I still prefer indoor.
Q: What are your aspirations after your career as a Wave is complete?
A: I do not aspire to go pro after Pepperdine. I will be very grateful for my experiences here, but I will likely move on to look for a job related to finance or real estate out of college.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
