Ellicott City native Aaron Russell always enjoyed watching volleyball and vividly remembers watching the Summer Olympics as a kid. Ever since, he’s dreamed of competing on the global stage.
The Centennial High School graduate fulfilled his dream in 2016 when he helped the United States men’s volleyball team win a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
“That was a lifelong dream of mine, to be able to compete in the Olympics,” Russell said. “We didn’t get gold, but I’m still very proud of how my teammates and I competed during those Olympic Games.”
Now back on Team USA, he’s set to relive his dream in Paris, where he’ll compete as part of a core group that has been together for nearly a decade.
“I’m probably most excited to be able to compete with this group of guys for probably the last time,” said Russell, one of seven from the 2016 team back for another shot at gold. “We’re much older and I know that it’s the last matches for a couple of guys on the team. Some guys have been hinting at it as well that they would be done after this. So, I just want to be able to send them off with a gold medal and to help them enjoy the last moments with this team and this group of guys.”
Russell’s journey to the sport’s pinnacle has brought him worldwide and has been anything but conventional. The second oldest of five, Russell and his older brother, Peter, grew up watching their dad, Stewart, play in either beach or local club volleyball tournaments.
The boys would pick up on Stewart’s calmness and subtle mannerisms. Stewart would always tape his fingers, so the boys mimicked their dad and taped their fingers with Band-Aids while playing balloon volleyball. He taught them the sport’s fundamentals and developed their skills.
Growing up, boys volleyball wasn’t a popular sport in the Howard County area. Not offered in middle school or sanctioned by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, Russell began playing for the Maryland Volleyball Program club team. With MVP, Russell was coached by Aldis Berzins, a member of the 1984 United States gold medal team.
However, those training sessions were only twice a week, so Russell put the onus on himself to improve, often working with his dad in the backyard. He quickly realized that his passion and desire would be the driving forces in pursuing his dream.
The 6-foot-9 Russell played soccer and basketball at Centennial but gained more repetitions by practicing with the school’s girls volleyball team. He and Peter would attend practices to help the Eagles prepare for playoff opponents by acting as the opposition’s best players.
Those practice sessions proved mutually beneficial. The Russell brothers gained more reps outside their two weekly training sessions, competing against a talented Centennial group that won a 2008 state title and reached the 2010 state final.
After graduating from Centennial, Russell joined his brother on the Penn State men’s volleyball team, where he amassed 1,521 career kills, including 529 during his senior season in 2014-15. He was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American.
Russell, a veteran of the United States youth and junior national teams, took advantage of a unique opportunity before his junior year at Penn State.
He was invited by USA men’s volleyball to essentially redshirt, practicing and training with them in the summer of 2014. While he did not travel or play in any competitions, that experience proved invaluable. Watching the team members in action, Russell quickly realized he would need to gain strength for success at the international level.
Two years later, Russell made his Olympic debut.
Having worn the Team USA jersey in several competitions before, Russell felt the added weight of the jersey in that opening Olympic match.
“I remember just self-talking before the match, saying, ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Just go out there and play your heart out, leave it all out and be proud of yourself when you look back on it in the future.’
Russell started playing professionally in Italy in 2015, which initially proved challenging in several ways. It was the first time he lived overseas and needed to bridge a communication gap with many teammates who didn’t speak English.
Beyond those cultural challenges, playing internationally also came with a heightened spotlight and an elevated sense of pressure. While it took some adjusting, those experiences taught Russell how to compartmentalize and set aside those outside pressures.
Leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Russell played every match for his club in Italy. He felt some aches and pains after the season but continued to surge forward and travel for competitions. In the spring of 2021, Russell elected to have hip surgery, which normally calls for a six-month rehabilitation process.
Although he worked tirelessly to return in four months, Russell wasn’t fully cleared until less than a month before the Olympics, which were delayed to July 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I never really thought about my career being finite,” Russell said. “I think that moment of having a surgery like that on such an important body part was a little bit eye-opening to me and made me realize that I’m not going to be doing this forever. It just made every match and every moment with the guys more important and more special.
“It was tough to sit out those Games and watch those guys from home. Now, I’m happy to be back with the team and at the Olympics. I’m ready to just let it all out there and enjoy what could be my last Olympics.”
Once healthy, Russell continued playing internationally and did so at a high level. Toward the end of last summer in Japan, Team USA qualified for the 2024 Olympics. Russell described that moment as “special,” as he embraced many of the same teammates from 2016.
There is a high comfort level within the team with nine members of the 12-player roster having Olympic experience. Entering this year’s Games, Team USA, which comes in ranked sixth in the world, has frequently discussed the magnitude of the Olympics and playing with a heightened focus.
Starting on Saturday against Argentina, Russell will once again live out that childhood dream, showcasing the values of self-belief and hard work.
“I think about my journey a lot,” Russell said. “How a lot of it was on myself and wanting to improve. Men’s volleyball is not that big. A lot of guys will see how tall I am and ask me if I play basketball. When I respond with volleyball, they’re surprised and they sometimes say, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know that’s a men’s sport.’ So, I think that just goes to show that if you really have the drive and desire to be your best, you can make it happen.”
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