How Did Matt Anderson Become One of the Best Volleyball Players in the World?
Samantha Peszek is on a mission to discover the secret of some of the best athlete’s in the world — what makes them tick, their commitment to success, and how they build confidence in their sport and in life. Utilizing Samantha’s Olympic network (she really does have cool friends), guests will divulge what it’s really like to compete at the highest level — the struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. You will have an opportunity to learn from some of the best athletes in the world and be able to apply relevant tips to your everyday life!
Sam welcomes to the podcast two-time Olympian and professional volleyball player, Matt Anderson. Matt is currently a member of the Italian club Modena Volley and the United States men’s national volleyball team, with whom he was a participant of the Olympic Games, 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup.
In this episode, Sam and Matt discuss Matt’s volleyball origin story, from his days playing for Penn State at the collegiate level to winning bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Matt speaks to his decision to leave college a year early and pursue a professional career playing abroad. Sam and Matt reflect on their shared experience of the Olympic blues and the sheer weight and pressure the Olympics carries with it. Finally, Matt talks about the future of professional volleyball and advice he would give to young and aspiring athletes everywhere.
Key Takeaways
- Introducing today’s guest, Matt Anderson
- Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsor, Tumbl Trak and Right Rice
- Sam and Matt share their first memories of each other
- Matt’s journey as a young volleyball player
- Matt talks about considering a pursuit of basketball
- The college recruitment process and the decision to attend Penn State
- Highlights from Matt’s collegiate career
- The leadership role Matt took on while in college
- The moment Matt realized he was good enough to play volleyball professionally
- The decision to go pro and what Matt learned about himself through this decision
- Leaving home and culture shock
- Matt recalls highlights from playing professional volleyball
- Training for the Olympics
- Matt recalls the moment he was named to the 2012 Olympic Volleyball team
- Matt’s first Olympic experience at the 2012 Games in London
- How Matt viewed himself as an Olympian
- Matt elaborates on why he didn’t accomplish all of his goals at the 2012 Olympic Games and the lessons he learned from this experience
- Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsors Tumbl Trak and Right Rice
- The decision to request a contract termination in 2014
- Matt talks about the decision to return to professional volleyball
- How Matt’s second Olympic experience compared to his first
- Training for the 2020 Olympic Games and what Matt hopes to get out of it this time around
- The advantages of playing internationally
- Growing the sport of volleyball
- Nature vs. Nurture
- Advice Matt would give to his younger self
- Matt answers some fan questions
- Matt reveals one thing people can do to get 1% better each day
Episode Quotes
“I called some of my teammates — some of the guys who’re my best friends now — and just talked to them and asked them what their opinions were…And then I really just sat there and reflected, ‘What else do I need to accomplish?’ And, the biggest thing that kept coming up in my head was, ‘School’s not going anywhere…And I had an opportunity to go follow a dream that every little kid has: to be a professional athlete.’”
“I vividly remember a few times calling my dad and talking to him to the point of tears like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this, it’s tough.’”
“I want to be regarded as one of the best players ever but, more so I want to be regarded as one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and somehow who works hard but knows how to enjoy life.”
“I realized that, for me as a person, I needed to stop what I was doing. I needed to remove myself from the situation. And the best place I could do that was to come home and be with my family, turn off my devices, and just invest in personal relationships with other people. And that was my family.”
“I don’t do well with coaches that yell. It’s just not the way I accept it mentally. And when coaches yell I just kinda turn it off…but if you sit down and explain to me the actual logistics of it, I believe I’m a really good, coachable athlete in that regard.”
“I think you need to do a little bit of self-reflection every night. I think that if you are an athlete, you need to give yourself time to be a person and, if you don’t, you put yourself in a really dangerous spot of losing that person.”
