Aaron Russell
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Aaron Joseph Russell (born June 4, 1993) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and the U.S. national team.[1] He was a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, Paris 2024 and the 2018 World Championship.
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Russell grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland, U.S. His parents are Stewart and Marian Russell. Russell was born the second of five boys. The other brothers are Peter (1992), Samuel (1995), Tim (1999), and Paul (2002). Peter also plays volleyball professionally. Russell was a top soccer player for Centennial High School in Maryland. The school did not have a boys' volleyball team so he helped the girls' team train while playing club volleyball at MVP (Maryland Volleyball Program).[2] In 2015, he graduated from Pennsylvania State University. On July 30, 2017, he married former Penn State women's volleyball player Kendall Pierce, his college sweetheart.[3] They have one daughter.
Career
[edit | edit source]In 2015, he completed his volleyball career at Penn State, where he was named an AVCA First Team All–American in 2014 and 2015.[4] All four years he helped Penn State reach the NCAA men's championship semifinals. Russell was a member of the Boys’ Youth Team in 2010 and 2011[5] and a member of the Men's Junior National Team in 2013. He made his debut with the senior national team in 2014.
In 2015, he joined his first professional team, Sir Safety Perugia of Italy.[6]
In 2016, Russell took part in his first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the U.S Olympic team and won a bronze medal when the U.S. beat Russia in five sets. Russell was named one of the Best Outside Spikers of the tournament.
In June 2018, after 3 years spent playing for Perugia, Russell signed for another Italian team, Diatec Trentino. At the 2018 Club World Championship held in Poland, he was named the Most Valuable Player for his contribution to Diatec Trentino's 5th gold medal, the most by any club team in the history of the tournament.
In 2024, Russell took part in his second Olympic Games in Paris as a member of the U.S Olympic team and won a bronze medal when the U.S beat Italy in three sets.[7]
Honors
[edit | edit source]Club
[edit | edit source]- CEV Champions League
- FIVB Club World Championship
- CEV Cup
- File:Simple gold cup.svg 2018–19 – with Diatec Trentino
- Domestic
- 2017–18 File:Simple gold cup.svg Italian SuperCup, with Sir Safety Perugia
- 2017–18 File:Simple gold cup.svg Italian Cup, with Sir Safety Perugia
- 2017–18 File:Gold medal with cup.svg Italian Championship, with Sir Safety Perugia
- 2024–25 File:Simple gold cup.svg Polish SuperCup, with Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
Individual awards
[edit | edit source]- 2016: Olympic Games – Best outside spiker
- 2017: NORCECA Championship – Best outside spiker
- 2017: Italian SuperCup – Most valuable player
- 2018: FIVB Club World Championship – Most valuable player
- 2023: V.League Division 1 – Best server
- 2024: Polish SuperCup – Most valuable player
College
[edit | edit source]- AVCA First Team All–American – 2014, 2015
- NCAA Championship All–Tournament Team – 2015
- Uvaldo Acosta Memorial EIVA Player of the Year – 2013, 2014, 2015
- EIVA First Team All–Conference – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
- EIVA Championship Most Outstanding Player – 2013, 2015
- EIVA Championship All–Tournament Team – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Aaron Russell at the European Volleyball Confederation
- Aaron Russell at Olympics.comLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Aaron Russell at OlympediaLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Player profile at TeamUSA.org
- Player profile at LegaVolley.it (in Italian)
- Player profile at Volleybox.net
- Aaron Russell on InstagramLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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- 1993 births
- Living people
- People from Arbutus, Maryland
- Sportspeople from Baltimore County, Maryland
- Sportspeople from Ellicott City, Maryland
- American men's volleyball players
- Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Volleyball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic medalists in volleyball
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in volleyball
- American expatriate volleyball players in Italy
- American expatriate volleyball players in Japan
- American expatriate volleyball players in Poland
- Penn State Nittany Lions men's volleyball players
- Trentino Volley players
- Warta Zawiercie (volleyball) players
- Outside hitters
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- Centennial High School (Howard County, Maryland) alumni