Costa volleyball alumni DJ White wins National Player of the Week

By Camille Juton
Staff Writer

Costa alumni and Harvard volleyball player DJ White was named the National Player of the Week on February 18 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association because of his contributions to the Harvard Crimson.

Harvard was led by White and his 13 kills and 5 digs during their win against Penn State on February 15, which is ranked 9th nationally. He then continued with 12 kills in his next match against St. Francis the day after.

“As a kid, my brother Casey and I, would go down to the beach every weekend to watch our parents play beach volleyball,” White said. “As soon as I was old enough to play I stepped onto the court and began to play competitively in middle school.”

After graduating from Costa in 2011, DJ went on to play volleyball for Harvard University. White started as an outside hitter for both of his first two seasons. During White’s freshman year, he was one of the key assets to one of the best seasons Harvard volleyball has seen.

“I’ve had to step into a pretty serious role on the court since the beginning of my freshman year,” White said. “It has allowed me to get a lot more experience than I would have gotten anywhere elsewhere.”

The National Volleyball Player of the Week award is given to a different player every week throughout Division 1 and 2 volleyball players around the country.

“DJ was being recognized out of every Division 1 and 2 volleyball player, which is a big deal,” Costa volleyball team captain Riley Mallon said. “There’s hundreds of really good players that could potentially be on the national team and DJ was chosen for the award.”

In the past, Harvard hasn’t been competitive in Division I, but DJ has had a big impact on the energy level because of enthusiasm that started during his Costa volleyball career.

“Costa’s laid back style of teaching and coaching has taught me that it’s not all about how much other people can teach you,” White said. ” You have to find self-motivation or you won’t go anywhere, so I try to pump my team up and give pep talks before games.”

DJ’s brother Casey White who is a senior at Costa will also be attending Harvard in the fall to play on the volleyball team.

“DJ and I have never gotten to play on the same indoor volleyball team,” Casey White said. “We’ve played several beach tournaments just for fun, but it’s going be an amazing experience to get to play along with him for Harvard.”