PARIS — Eight years is a long time. Especially in the life of a pro volleyball player.
That wasn’t lost Saturday on Aaron Russell as he rode the USA team bus to its Olympics-opening match against Argentina.
“My wife actually sent me a message before the match that was pretty long, pumping me up. I got a little bit emotional,” Russell said, getting a bit emotional again. “But I had to pull it together.”
Which he did. In a big way.
The 6-foot-9 outside hitter, who played for the USA when it won bronze in Rio but was injured for Tokyo in 2021, had 13 kills and three aces as the Americans opened Paris Olympics play with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 steamrolling of Argentina.
Russell, the product of Ellicott City, Maryland, who starred at Penn State, had just one error in 20 attacks to hit .600.
“It’s great to have him back,” USA setter Micah Christenson said with a big smile. “He is an unsung superstar on this team. He deserves way more attention than what he gets. He’s incredible for us.”
USA coach John Speraw agreed.
“He’s a great player. Nice to have him on our team,” Speraw said. “It’s nice that he’s healthy and playing really well. I have to feel really good for him after an eight-year break and I know how much he wanted to be a part of this last time and couldn’t.”
Russell, 31, would have been good to go in Tokyo had it not been for COVID. But that was in 2020. In April of 2021, he had surgery on his right hip. The Olympics were out.
“I’m really happy to be back,” he understated.
Five months ago, his wife, Kendall Pierce, another former Penn State star, gave birth to their daughter Riley. Russell admitted that was part of why he got emotional on the bus Saturday.
“I’m back here again, but it was just fun to compete in that atmosphere,” Russell said, “and see the guys playing so hard. This is a moment we’ve been waiting for all summer, and even the whole quad for three years. It’s amazing.”
And good for the coach.
“It’s special being an Olympian,” Speraw said. “It’s special to do it once. We have a bunch of guys who have gotten to do it on multiple occasions, but I think for him, who has this talent and ability to be a multi-Olympian, I’m proud of him for continuing to get healthy and grow with this team and come here and be better than he was back in Rio.”
The Americans were well aware of what happened in Tokyo, when they swept France in the Olympics opener. France went on to win the gold medal; the USA failed to advance to the quarterfinals. So no one was too giddy about beating Argentina, but it was quite an impressive performance in the Arena Paris Sud 1.
“We also beat France last time in a very similar way and that didn’t work out so well,” Speraw said with a laugh. “I don’t need to go into the locker room and sell the team that this is a one-match-at-a-time kind of tournament.”
The USA hit .500 with 38 kills and seven errors in 62 attacks.
TJ DeFalco added nine kills with one error in 12 swings to hit .667, a block, and one of his four aces was a vicious court-seeking missile that ended the second set.
Taylor Averill, playing in his first Olympics, had six kills in as many attacks and two blocks, veteran Matt Anderson had six kills and a block, and Max Hold had four kills and two blocks.
“Probably couldn’t have scripted it like that because you have so much respect for Argentina and the level of play that’s in this pool and how good all the teams are in the world,” Speraw said. “So for us to get off to a start like this is really good for us and I think it helps our confidence.”
Speraw said his team’s pre-Games trip, with a couple of friendlies, to Poland paid off and it really showed on all facets of defense.
“I feel really good that there are a couple matches under our belts where we were really solid in that aspect of the game,” Speraw said. “When we pass like that combined with the defense is why we won in three.”
Argentina got seven kills apiece from Facundo Conte and Bruno Lima and six each from Augustin Loser and Luciano Palonsky.
Next up for the USA is Germany on Tuesday. Argentina plays Japan on Wednesday.
Speaking of which, earlier in Pool C, Germany upset Japan on Saturday with a hard-fought 25-17, 23-25, 20-25, 30-28, 15-12 comeback.
Italy then beat Brazil in Pool B 25-23, 27-25, 18-25, 25-21 before Poland swept Egypt 25-21, 25-19, 25-13.
The women take the court with Italy vs. the Dominican Republic at 9 a.m. Paris time and Poland vs. Japan at 1 p.m.. Then it’s the France men vs. Serbia at 5 — which should have the venue rocking — and the Slovenia men vs. Canada at 9.
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