Coach Corbelli’s Highlights
1 Olympian
1 AVCA Player of the Year
2 NCAA Championships
2 Conference Players of the Year
1 All-South Region selection at Vanderbilt
1 All-SEC selection at Vanderbilt
6 AVCA All-Americans

Russell Corbelli, an ascendent assistant coach with experience in the SEC and as part of championship programs, will help Vanderbilt head coach Anders Nelson build the university’s reintroduced volleyball program as the team’s defensive coordinator.

“I coach because there is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone grow and achieve things beyond what they’ve dreamed both on and off the court,” Corbelli said.

Achievements at Vanderbilt — Defensive Coordinator (2023–Present)
In the reinstated Vanderbilt volleyball program’s first season, Corbelli’s defensive efforts helped the Commodores advance to the quarterfinals at the Allstate SEC Volleyball Tournament. During the conference tournament, the Dores averaged 2.9 blocks and 15.2 digs per set. In Vandy’s sweep over Mississippi State, the Commodores held the Bulldogs to a .010 hitting efficiency, Vanderbilt’s lowest opponent hitting percentage of the season. Vanderbilt ended the season tied for fourth in the SEC in service aces, averaging 1.40 per set. Freshman Kayla Dunlap recorded nine blocks in the Dores’ win over Mizzou, the most by a Commodore in a match this season. In her collegiate debut, Hailee Mack posted 28 digs at the AVCA First Serve Showcase.

Prior to Vanderbilt
Achievements at Missouri – Assistant Coach (2020-23)
Corbelli most recently served as the assistant coach at Missouri, where he helped the Tigers navigate a 2020 season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and reach the rescheduled NCAA Tournament the following year.

At Stanford – Volunteer Assistant Coach (2018-20)
Before his stint in Columbia, Corbelli was the volunteer assistant coach with Stanford teams that won back-to-back national championships and compiled a 64-5 record across all matches in 2018-19. In addition to serving as the lead scout in opponent attacking, serving and passing, he worked with first-team All-Americans Jenna Gray and Morgan Hentz and two-time AVCA National Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer, among others.

At Texas A&M – Volunteer Assistant Coach (2017), men’s club volleyball coach (2016-17)
Corbelli comes to Vanderbilt with a decade of coaching experience, time that also includes serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas A&M and leading the Aggie Elite Volleyball Club (2016–18) and Texas A&M men’s volleyball club (2016–17).

While in College Station, Corbelli’s coaching efforts contributed to the Aggies achieving a 21-9 overall record (15-3 SEC) and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Personal
While earning his degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis in finance and real estate at Texas A&M, Corbelli also played on the men’s club volleyball team.

A member of one of collegiate volleyball’s most well-known families, Corbelli’s mother is former longtime Texas A&M coach Laurie Corbelli, while his father is former Texas A&M associate head coach John Corbelli. His parents also won silver medals while representing the United States in volleyball in the 1984 Olympics, Laurie as an athlete and John as a coach. His sister, Rachel, is currently an assistant coach at Stanford.

Corbelli lives in Nashville with his wife, Sally, sons, Micah and Parker, and dog, Ellie.

Coaching History
Vanderbilt – Defensive Coordinator (2023–present)
Missouri – Assistant Coach (2020-23)
Stanford – Volunteer Assistant Coach (2018-20)
Texas A&M – Volunteer Assistant Coach (2017)
Aggie Elite Volleyball Club – Head Coach (2016-18)