"I started playing water polo for the ladies primarily," senior Reid Joseph said. "Volleyball was just something to do on the side to avoid off-season training — swim season. I like being active in a lazy way sometimes."
Despite his cavalier outlook on athletics, Joseph has had a substantial impact as both a utility player for the men's water polo team and as an outside hitter for the men's volleyball team. Having helped the water polo squad reach the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championship in November, Joseph has since turned his attention to the volleyball season, which kicked off over Intersession.
After missing the entirety of last season due to a torn tendon in his elbow, Joseph is eager to return to the court in hopes of helping the Tigers return to the playoffs.
"[The elbow] is still messed up," Joseph said. "But some manual therapist helped me harness the good and block the bad."
Joseph, an outside hitter, is one of two seniors on the squad and will look to provide some veteran leadership to the team.
"Even though he didn't play last year, he was a great mentor to me when I first got here," junior captain Peter Eichler said. "It was definitely a bummer, especially for the current sophomores, when he went down with the injury last year."
Joseph, a southern California native, graduated from The Bishop's School in La Jolla in 2003 and decided to matriculate at Princeton.
"I went through an awkward phase where my favorite color was orange," Joseph said.
Joseph's description of his active childhood is no less unusual.
"Growing up, I dabbled in most athletic activities," Joseph said. "But I really took a liking for ping-pong. A buddy and I used to go down to the local athletic club once a week to play against some intense competition."
Joseph's comedic inclination comes as no surprise given his extracurriculars. Indeed, the two-sport standout is perhaps best known for a game that Princeton students cannot officially play at the varsity, club or even intramural level: Monster Golf.
As documented in The Daily Princetonian on Jan. 19, Monster Golf is a Princeton sporting craze that employs toy clubs and an oversized golf ball on a course laid out across the campus. Monster Golf is the brainchild of Joseph and Evan Pasion, a senior middle hitter for the volleyball team.
Due to the start of volleyball season, however, Joseph has put the pastime on the back burner.
"I have been on a little hiatus from Monster Golf," Joseph said. "I am hoping to really step up my game when the weather improves and my thesis finishes writing itself."
For the time being, Joseph is focusing on one of the two sports that he plays on the varsity level. Asked what he would do if forced to pick between water polo and volleyball, Joseph grew reflective.
"I enjoy the brutality of water polo, as in really wrestling with punks in the pool," Joseph said. "But on the other hand, I love the fast-paced, high-flying action of volleyball — and I do fly high. It varies from day to day."
With Joseph's attention presently focused on volleyball, he cites staying healthy and gaining some playing time as his primary goals for the season.
He also hopes to enjoy a final season of camaraderie, with upper and underclassmen alike.
"My goal for the team is to enjoy my time with the guys, especially Hot Snack [freshman Carl Hamming] and the Raisin [Pasion]," Joseph said. "As one of the two seniors [along] with Pasion, I would like to be a good team leader and motivator."
For Joseph, there also remains a life outside the classroom and off the court.
An economics major working on a Spanish certificate, Joseph spends much of his free time playing Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 64 and catching up with NBC's "Heroes" as well as various nature programs.
Even with his varied interests, Joseph plans to continue his career in the water after graduation, at least to a certain extent.
"I would like to keep swimming," Joseph said. "But having stayed out of the chlorine for a while, I am beginning to enjoy a healthier head of hair."
Though enthusiastic about returning to the court for this year's volleyball season, Joseph has already made plans for the end of his Division I days.
"Come springtime," Joseph said, "I am hoping to purchase a bag big enough for the [Monster Golf] clubs and oversized balls and hit the course."
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