Delaney Russell

Photo by: Ryan Brennecke/ University of Montana

Class:
Sophomore
Position:
Outside Hitter
Height:
5-8
Hometown:
Denver, Colo.
High School:
Valor Christian

2025 (Sophomore): First Team All-Big Sky… Eastern Washington Tournament All-Tournament team… Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week (9/29)… started all 28 matches, playing every single set during the season… ranked 4^th in the Big Sky in kills at 3.56 per set… led the team in kills at 377… hit .174 on the season… 403.5 points were the most on the team and 4^th most in the Big Sky… recorded 36 assists and 13 service aces… 294 total digs, averaging 2.77 per set to rank 2^nd on the team in both categories… 23 total blocks… 755 service receptions, most on the team… recorded double-digit kills in 22 total matches… reached double figures in kills in every single Big Sky match, hitting 10-or-more in the final 17 matches of the season… had 20+ kills in five different matches… set season high in kills with 23 at Portland State (10/18)… had 15 double-doubles with 10+ kills and digs… recorded a double-double in the final three matches of the season… had 20+ kills in back-to-back matches vs. Northern Arizona (10/4) and Montana State (10/11)… recorded 21 kills on .320 hitting at Idaho State (11/21)… had 22 kills on a season high .404 hitting percentage in a win over Oakland (9/5)… averaged 4.33 kills/set in back-to-back Grizzly sweeps against Sacramento State and Idaho to win the league’s weekly player of the week honor on Sept. 29… hit over .250 in six matches… season high 16 digs at Portland State (10/18), hitting her highs in both kills and digs in the same match… also recorded 16 digs vs. Eastern Illinois (9/13)… had 15 digs in three different matches, vs. Oakland (9/6), vs. Idaho State (10/23), and vs. Idaho (11/13)… season high 2 service aces in three different matches, including against Weber State at the Big Sky Tournament… season high 3 blocks at Idaho State (11/21).

2024 (Freshman): Heart of the Grizzly Award... Academic All-Big Sky… appeared in 26 matches, starting seven of them… 5^th on Montana with 72 kills, averaging 0.97 per set… 4^th on Montana with 21 service aces, primarily playing as serving specialist off the bench for the majority of the season… had 49 digs, averaging 0.66 per set… recorded 10 blocks… averaged 2.32 kills per set over the final eight matches of the season… Montana went 4-3 in her seven starts, helping turn around the season at the end of league play… in her first career start, Russell recorded nine kills in 11 swings in the first set against Idaho State (10/31)… ended the night against ISU with 18 kills on .316 hitting… had 10 kills in a five-set win over Sacramento State (11/14)… recorded at least five kills in the final eight matches of the season… had one kill in her first 15 appearances… had 71 kills in the final 11 matches… season-high nine digs against Weber State (11/2)… had season-high three assists on three occasions, first against Kansas City (9/20), then vs. Idaho State (10/31), and again at Idaho (11/9)… had season-high three blocks at Montana State (11/22).

Career Highs
Kills: 23, at Portland State (Oct. 18, 2025)
Attacks: 63, vs. Northern Arizona (Oct. 4, 2025)
Assists: 4, twice
Aces: 3, three times
Digs: 16, twice
Blocks: 3, twice

High School: A 2024 graduate of Valor Christian HS in Highlands Ranch, Colo… Colorado 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year... 5A Colorado High School Player of the Year... First Team All-State in 2023... Jeffco League MVP... League Offensive MVP... named a Sportswoman of Colorado in 2023 and 2024… AVCA Honorable Mention All-American... high school team won 58 straight games to end career… completed back-to-back undefeated, state championship seasons in 2022-23… All-League honorable mention as a freshman… Second Team All-League as a sophomore… named to Valor Christian’s “Work to Instill Great Work Habits” team… three-time member of the AVCA High School Phenom List… team is four-time league champions… played club volleyball for Colorado Juniors… played under high school coach Jayne McHugh… also played softball as a freshman.

Personal: Parents are Sonja and Matt Russell… has a younger brother, Reis… parents both played sports at Colorado, mom in volleyball and dad in football… father also spent three seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions… plans on majoring in public health.

Coach Lawrence on Russell: "Her body of work proves that she plays bigger than her frame and gets the most out of her body. She is relentless and I just think that's the exact attitude we want. She embodies the mentality that this program has to have to move from where we are at in the conference now to where we are consistently contending at the top. She won't settle for anything less."