Team USA star David Smith became just the fourth American to ever make four Olympic indoor volleyball squads this past summer.  Smith, a 39-year-old deaf man, has been playing volleyball for over half of his life. The former Saugus Centurion isn’t letting his age stop him and is still playing high-level volleyball and not counting out a fifth-straight Olympic games appearance.  “Playing in the Olympics in L.A. would be a dream,” Smith said in a very long-distance phone interview. “I haven’t made any decisions on that yet. We’ll need to have some conversations. We’re just taking it one year at a time right now, and we’ll see.”  Smith’s talents have taken him all over the world and to heights like medaling in two Olympic games, becoming an NCAA national champion and winning three European Champions League titles with his current club ZAKSA of south Poland.  However, the USA middle blocker never saw himself playing volleyball before his freshman year at Saugus High School.   Four-time Olympian David Smith poses with the Saugus girls’ volleyball team. Courtesy photo. The former Centurion entered high school standing around 5 feet, 10 inches tall and was aiming to play soccer but picked up volleyball as an off-season sport. Smith says he never hit a giant growth spurt – he just kept growing all the way to his now 6-foot, 8-inch frame.   Smith led Saugus into the postseason in multiple years despite having a different varsity coach in each of his four seasons.   “I don’t think I was quite at the level to play at the university,” Smith said. “I think I knew I had better chances to play volleyball. It was just this new, exciting game, and all the guys that I was playing club with were all signed to play college. So, I knew I’d have the opportunity to do that if I wanted to go for it.”  Eventually realizing how far volleyball could take him, Smith went all in. He played for the Santa Monica Volleyball Club for Tom Black, the current women’s volleyball coach at Georgia. The Centurion would commute all over the San Fernando Valley and down to Santa Monica to compete among the best local volleyball players.  “It was a great experience and exposure to the game, but I think playing for my volleyball club was how I kind of got the exposure, and how I got really, really good,” Smith said. “I would just play with a bunch of top athletes, I think most of the guys that were on a team in college at some point.”  After his freshman year at UC Irvine, Smith got his first glimpse of the national level, as he was called up to the junior national team.   “I was one of the best in my age group, then one of the best in my area, then the best in the country of the guys that are your age,” Smith said. “That was pretty exciting and motivating to me. I wanted to see how far I could take this.”  He wouldn’t get called up to the senior team for another few years but kept pounding in wins with the Anteaters. Smith won his biggest volleyball hardware at the time in 2007, when he led UCI to a NCAA national title. The middle blocker set a new single-season assisted blocks record with 160. Smith eventually became the Anteater program’s leader in block and block assists.  The Anteater brought home the NCAA championship under head coach John Speraw, who now coaches the men’s national team. The two have had a relationship that goes well beyond a typical player-coach rapport, as Smith cites Speraw as one of the most influential coaches and people in his life.  “John Speraw is probably an obvious one, because I’ve known him now since 2003, so for over 20 years,” Smith said. “We’ve had a relationship as a coach and a player, then as I’ve become my own man, now our families know each other, and it’s definitely a lot deeper than just a typical player and coach. I’m a 39-year-old man now and we’ve had a heck of a ride together. A lot of highs, a few let downs, some hard moments, some hard conversations, but I always have the highest respect for him. I appreciate what he’s done to help me evolve as a multiple player and as a person. I definitely would not be here without his influence in my lifestyle.”  Smith was also quick to praise his wife Kelli Smith, as his rock and personal sports psychologist.   Smith was on his way to Germany when the U.S. won gold in the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic games. The middle blocker didn’t think he’d make the national team for another two Olympics, not knowing he’d soon get the call-up in 2012.  USA’s David Smith (20) and teammates celebrate a point during a Volleyball Nations League Finals match between the USA and France at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois on July 10, 2019. “I wasn’t really thinking about making the London Games,” Smith said. “I thought I was gonna be too young. So, my goal was 2016 so I could give myself time and get experience overseas.”  2012 turned into a wild year for Smith. He was playing professionally in France when his son was born, and still had no indication if he’d be on the senior national team.   “2012 was very unexpected for me,” Smith said. “They had a trip to Italy, and I wasn’t on the roster. And then, things happen fast, man. I ended up going on the next trip and my son was less than a week old.”  Smith and the USA placed fifth overall in the Summer Games. It wasn’t the finish the team wanted, but Smith wanted more.  He returned to the senior team in 2016 and earned his first and the nation’s second-ever bronze medal. The USA team fell just short of at least a silver medal, losing in five sets to the eventual runner-up Italy.  With two Olympic appearances under his belt, Smith felt great heading into 2020. He felt at the height of his game and was coming off a feat he never thought he’d achieve at the club level.  “During COVID, right after the first wave, I ended up having another great year,” Smith said. “I won the European Champions League for the first time in my life. I never thought I’d be able to do that, but we had a great team. Everybody on my team ended up making their different national teams.”  Feeling confident on a USA team loaded with talented returners, Smith retook the floor for his third Olympics. After blowing by France, the eventual gold medalist, in the USA’s first game, the team stumbled to its second-worst finish since the start of Olympic indoor volleyball.  “2020 was a shock,” the national teamer said. “We were playing really well, and somehow ended up in a perfect storm where nothing went right. We started off the tournament great but then we crumbled and we didn’t make it out of our pool. I don’t think that was on any of our radars. We knew maybe we’d struggle a little bit, drop a couple matches, but didn’t think we’d finish that low. We were very confident we were gonna be a top-four team.”  The middle was tempted to quit after the 10th-place finish at 2020 games and was unsure on the future of his national career.  “Tokyo was a disappointment. It was a heartbreak,” Smith said. “It made me question, ‘Is all that effort into this worth it when you’re going to fall on your face?’ But I was still healthy. I was still playing well and my club was still doing great.”  Smith took it year by year, not planning too far ahead for his national team career. Fortunately for his spirits, ZAKSA went on to win two more Champion’s League titles and become the first club ever to three-peat.  Smith opted in to rejoin the senior team for the 2024 games and joined Lloy Ball, William Priddy and teammate on all four teams Matt Anderson as the only Americans to play indoor volleyball in four Summer Games.   The middle was a veteran leader for a USA team that, yet again, lost in five sets in the semifinals to the eventual runner-up, this time to Poland.   After years of waiting and taking things day-by-day, Smith found himself proud to be back on the national team, podium or not.   “We were going to see how my body felt, how my family was feeling, and every year we just kept coming back and we were like, ‘Yeah, we’re still here. We’re still enjoying what we’re doing. We’ll give it another run.’ I think being able to stand on the podium in Paris again was very validating. That made it all worth it. I think it would have been worth it, no matter what happened.”  Smith has since returned to ZAKSA, which is rebuilding after a big turnover last season. While his club playing career has been a lengthy journey, it is still temporary, unlike his deafness. Smith always makes time for deaf fans knowing he’s one of very few premier athletes who are part of the deaf community.   “(Deaf fans) are very enthusiastic when they meet me, because there’s not a lot of high-level deaf or hard-of-hearing athletes,” Smith said. “Growing up, I didn’t really have a role model or somebody that I could see doing what I wanted to do. So, I kind of had to forge my own path in this way. Obviously, I’ve got great support from the hearing world and from my family.  “I would definitely love to get more involved with the deaf community,” Smith said. “I get messages from the deaf volleyball team that competes in the Deaflympics. I try and send them tips and encouragement.”  Smith is one of the oldest players on ZAKSA and one of three players at least 32 years old. The middle blocker is yet to let age slow him down, and as he still takes his professional career day-by-day, Smith sees no end in sight. Smith could make history as the first American to make five Summer Games. The Olympics being in Los Angeles would just be the cherry on top to cap off one of the greatest indoor volleyball careers in the sport.  The middle is one of three former Santa Clarita Valley players who could suit up for the USA in the Olympics. Valencia alumnus Kyle Ensing could return to the team in 2028 while libero Mason Briggs aims to make his first Olympic team.   “I was excited when I first met Kyle. Obviously not super excited since he’s from Valencia,” Smith joked. “It’s crazy there’s a few guys from Santa Clarita. We’re not really a volleyball hotbed like Orange County … Kyle and I have both been able to represent the U.S. in the past two Olympics. And for Mason, he’s got a long road ahead of him, so I’m excited to see as you continue to improve, like start to take a more defining role on the team in the next few years.”  Smith, Briggs and Ensing will all likely return to the senior team in 2025 when the USA heads to the FIVB World Championships in the Philippines.   The post Smith still going strong after fourth Olympic run  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.