Aaron Russell

Aaron Joseph Russell was born on June 4, 1993, in Arbutus, Maryland, and grew up in Ellicott City. He is the second oldest of five brothers. Russell attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 2015. During his collegiate career, he trained with the girls’ volleyball team at his high school as it did not have a boys’ team, and also played club volleyball at MVP (Maryland Volleyball Program). He was recognized as an AVCA First Team All-American in both 2014 and 2015, and helped Penn State reach the NCAA men’s championship semifinals in all four years of his attendance. His early career also included being a member of the Boys’ Youth Team in 2010 and 2011, and the Men’s Junior National Team in 2013.

Russell made his debut with the senior U.S. national team in 2014. In 2015, he began his professional club career with Sir Safety Perugia in Italy. He participated in his first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, where he earned a bronze medal with the U.S. Olympic team. His performance led to him being named one of the Best Outside Spikers of the tournament. In June 2018, after three years with Perugia, Russell signed with Diatec Trentino. That same year, he won a bronze medal at the FIVB World Championship.

His career continued with significant achievements, including being named the Most Valuable Player at the 2018 Club World Championship for his contribution to Diatec Trentino’s victory. He later played for Gas Sales Piacenza (2020-2022) and JT Thunders (2022-2024), before joining Warta Zawiercie in 2024. Russell earned his second Olympic bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympian and a two-time Olympic medalist, consistently representing the United States at the highest levels of competitive volleyball.