The interview: Cody Kessel

Such a clean-cut, Princeton young man (photo credit: goprincetontigers.com)

Cody Kessel is the go-to guy for the still-to-debut-in-2013 Princeton Tigers. He is the reigning EIVA Newcomer of the Year, off a team that finished fourth in the league and thus had the opportunity to play in the EIVA tournament. With all key pieces returning, not least Kessel himself, the squad are surely hungry for bigger and better things this season.

Cody was also one of The Net Set’s very first social media fans (hint, hint). I think it’s fair to say he’s a friend of the site, and shortly after him came some of his teammates. So that’s all right by me! Despite the fact that this past week was actually finals week for Princeton, Cody found the time to trade a few emails with me. In our interview, we touch on his past, present, and future in the game, as well as a little on Cody’s volleyball family and the state of the sport in America.

The Net Set: Okay, first things first, and be honest — did you find The Net Set by googling your own name?

Cody Kessel: Actually I think I found you through Off The Block, in a way. I think you posted a comment about your site and so I naturally followed it as I tend to devour anything volley-related. I have a big passion for the game. I’m a player and a fan and it spills over into all my social media. I love to see the game spread and grow.

TNS: I just remember seeing your name as a social media fan, and hey, I know who that guy is, I wrote about him. And a few of your teammates have done likewise, so you guys are A-okay by me so far. Did you tell them about the blog?

CK: Yes! I told them about the blog and your funny commentary on Bar (ed. note – I made specific mention of Cody’s teammate Bar Shabtai for not-exactly volleyball-related reasons in my EIVA preview piece. I was actually worried after publishing that I had tokenized him a little, so it’s nice to know it went over well with the man himself — and Bar is also a social media fan of The Net Set) and gave them the link so they could see and follow for themselves.

TNS: Yours is the last team to begin their season. Since you’ve told me this is your finals week, can I take it the two facts are related?

CK: Yes, the exam schedule is exactly the reason we start so late. We run on really late semesters, so just finished our first semester and go into second semester when we return.

TNS: What’s your major?

CK: I am still undecided, and have to declare at the end of this spring semester. I will most likely be studying History or Sociology; I have been taking a lot of different courses my first year and a half to both fill our broad distribution requirements and explore what I really enjoy. I’ve taken courses in history, sociology, economics, molecular biology, linguistics, psychology, Spanish, and art history so far through one and a half semesters

TNS: I notice on your Princeton bio you’ve got a pretty fair volleyball pedigree. (ed. note: Cody’s dad is John Kessel, one of USA Volleyball’s top head honchos. You can read more about him on this page which, though current as of 2012, REALLY looks like it was written in about 1998 on Angelfire) Did your father encourage you to explore the sport, or was it something you came to on your own?

CK: My dad was really good about not pushing my sister or me into the sport. I was around it all the time and was a gym rat from the time I was really little. I would follow my Dad around the country and the world as he did clinics and went to tournaments so it was always a part of my life and I always liked it, but I would say I decided to pursue it at the next level and became consummately passionate about the sport when I was about 17.

TNS: Does your sister play?

CK: Yes she does, at a DIII school in Maine called Bowdoin. She and her Polar Bear teammates made it to the DIII sweet sixteen this season and she won a couple state championships in high school. She plays libero and we always make a point of playing in co-ed doubles tournaments over the summer – grass or sand.

(ed. note: At this point, Cody linked me to a very nice ESPN article on his family…which I am now sharing with you!)

TNS:  How did you wind up going from Colorado Springs to Princeton? The academic draw? Can’t go wrong with a degree from Princeton, that’s for sure. But I can’t help but notice that your original hometown is quite a bit closer to the area where men’s volleyball thrives the most.

CK: Yeah, kind of a funny story. When I graduated high school I was about 6’2” and we knew I was going to grow as my dad/grandpa grew way late into college and beyond. So when I was a junior/senior my dream was to go to UCLA and play volleyball. I got in and would’ve been a Bruin but the out-of-state tuition was too much to swing. I applied and got into UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley as well, and was considering playing DIII or club there but same story money-wise there. Basically I was an undersized outside from Colorado who wasn’t ready skill or body-wise for the college game.

My dad was with staying with BYU coaching legend Carl McGown at a coaching clinic that year and my Dad was explaining the situation as we were looking at all my other options (going to a junior college out in California and establishing residency, and so on). Carl was well familiar with NCAA regulations because of the missions his players would often take after freshman year and then come back, bigger, more mature, and still eligible. So basically until he offered that up as an option we hadn’t really considered the gap-year at all.

And I still wanted to chase volleyball, and I got a heavy dose that year. Most weeks I would spend weekdays 9-3 at the USA Volleyball office as an intern for my dad, about 3-5 helping coach the C squad at my sister’s high school, and coaching a 14s club team 5-7 or so after high school season ended. Then night time and the weekend was my time to play/train. And grow. I’m pushing 6’6” now and was just more mature and ready for the college game and college workload after being a little burnt-out after a rigorous high school program along with all the sports/activities I engaged in. So overall a fabulous choice that was perfect for me.

So then that kind of re-started my recruiting timetable. I sent e-mails out to all the private universities that had D1 volleyball explaining my situation and my choice (hopefully would have more luck with scholarships from them) and after being looked at playing my 18s year of club and making the A-2 training squad, my options were narrowed down to BYU, Princeton, and USC. I visited BYU and loved it, and visited Princeton and loved it. I never got the chance to go on my USC visit and am sure I would have liked it, too.

But I was offered one of three “likely letters” that admissions grants my coach Sam Shweisky annually to endorse athletes that have transcripts/admission packages within an acceptable Princeton range. Admissions reviews your package to see if you have the “right stuff” and then either allows the likely to be granted or not. And when I got guaranteed the likely I committed. It is not a full guarantee of admission, but the student would have to go way off the path they had been on previously to be denied admission after getting a likely. It allows Ivies the ability to compete with other schools in terms of recruiting. And although none of the Ivies give athletic scholarships Princeton’s financial aid is entirely need-based and arguably the best in the country because anyone that gets in can come in part thanks to the $17+ billion dollar endowment. The rest is paid in grants and we graduate with the least student-debt in the country. So that and the academics and incredible resources available.

So that was a big tangent.

TNS: All very interesting stuff Cody, don’t worry! One of the topics in which I’m keenly interested is the disconnect between men’s and women’s volleyball. Nearly every high school in America sponsors girls’ volleyball, and only two colleges in BCS conferences don’t (Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt). You don’t need me to tell you how scarce the men’s equivalent is. Do you have any thoughts as to why this is? Do you think there exists a future where men’s volleyball isn’t just a “once every four years” sport to the American public the way sports like swimming and gymnastics are? To put it simply, how do we #GrowTheGame?

CK: Another reason there is so much scarcity in men’s volleyball and other small men’s sports is Title IX, unfortunately. While Title IX is not going to change any time soon, the opportunities tied to women’s sports, combined with all the money poured into football, ends up indirectly hurting smaller men’s sports where there might be (and in many cases there is) higher demand, but things have to stay “equal”. And I love American football, but the resources/scholarship numbers that go into that hurt scholarship opportunities (only four and a half for men’s volleyball teams) and likewise the demand in high school and below.

So for example, the women just got beach volleyball added and many programs have begun to pop up, but the men will probably never get the equivalent. I don’t want it to seem like Title IX is the big scapegoat of the issues of the sport; I doubt it will change in my lifetime, but it does cause some structural limitations in top-down growth. And that’s not to discount all the other things that men’s volleyball can improve on from the bottom-up, there are improvements that can be made across the board. Getting more fan support, enthusiasm and participation at all levels, from grassroots on up, is key. Growth can still occur without scholarship increasing, but the scholarship/Title IX issue is kind of the elephant in the room.

TNS: What was last season like for you and your team? Was it a surprise to do as well as you did (winning Newcomer of the Year, the team reaching the EIVA tournament)? How does that experience shape this season?

CK: Last season I would say that I surprised even myself, yes. It was great to be able to play in the EIVA tournament. I had a big load to carry and I was a main option for us last year but this year, with the return of some key guys and some newcomers, we’re a stronger, deeper, and more balanced squad which makes us even scarier as an opponent. Check out our season preview video.

TNS: Rub elbows much with the Princeton women’s volleyball team?

CK: Yes! We are really close with the women’s team, we work all their games and they work ours, and there is just a real sense of community and family with Princeton volleyball, and tied in with the alumni, too. Some of my very best friends are on the women’s team.

TNS:  What are your goals and expectations for this season? Everybody’s kind of chalked in Penn State to come out of the EIVA and make the Final Four (and not really unreasonably), but they, like everyone so far this season really, have looked a tad vulnerable at times. Of course we haven’t had a look yet at your team, and I’m definitely excited to get one. What will Princeton show us this year?

CK: We definitely have high goals and expectations for ourselves. Right now we are focused on our first match and everything we can control in whatever moment we are in. We’re a group of passionate guys and you’ll see a fiery, fierce brand of volleyball from us day in and day out and we think that will put us in a good spot and playing our best volleyball at the end of the year.

TNS: Do you think the MPSF is at all overrated? Practically their whole conference is in the national poll.

CK: History and reputation are overall clearly on the side of the MPSF, and deservedly so. But in recent times (with Ohio State winning the national championship a couple years ago and Penn State being a perennial force) I think there is more parity across the country than ever and more and more I feel like the rankings are just for publicity, promotion, and bordering on propaganda for the west-coast teams.

TNS: Lastly, what, if anything, are your long-term goals with volleyball? Will you try to make a career out of the sport, in some capacity?

CK: I’d like to play professionally and overall just focus on becoming the best player I can be. I hope to contribute to the USA gym as much as possible and play on the 2020 Olympic Team. I’d like to play as long as I can and then see what my options are from there. I can definitely see myself getting into coaching again later too.

TNS: Thanks for making the time for The Net Set, Cody, and good luck this season!

CK: Thanks. Anytime!!