For many years, Aaliyah Green’s family has been synonymous with basketball in both Frederick County and the DMV area.
Her mother, Tami, played Division I basketball at Howard University and has coached a national championship-winning AAU team. Her father, Erick Sr., is the current Millbrook boys’ basketball coach, and previously coached the girls’ team, leading them to a Class 4 state championship in 2018.
Her siblings all played for Millbrook. Her brother, Erick Jr., played at Virginia Tech from 2009-2013 and has carved out a professional career, playing in the NBA and other leagues. Her sister, Courtni, played at Delaware from 2012-2016, while her sister Madison played for James Madison from 2018-2022.
Despite this extensive family history, Aaliyah was determined to carve out her own athletic path. She started playing volleyball in sixth grade and eventually “fell in love” with the sport. Now a junior at Millbrook, Green’s hard work has resulted in her being named The Winchester Star Volleyball Player of the Year.
Green said some initial encouragement from her mom helped her begin playing volleyball.
“Ever since I was little, I always just said I would never play basketball. I was surrounded by it forever. I was just like, ‘I can’t touch a basketball, I can’t be like them,’” Green said. “My mom said, ‘Your siblings are D1, you’ve got to find a sport that’s going to send you D1. If it’s not going to be basketball, then it’s got to be something else. So I was like, ‘I guess it’s time to go hunting for a sport.’ And I found volleyball.”
Back in June, Green made good on her longtime goal, announcing her verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut. She certainly did the Huskies proud this past fall, putting together her strongest season to date while helping guide Millbrook to a 19-4 record.
Green averaged an area-best 5.40 kills per set, frequently causing chaos for defenses trying to keep her thunderous attacks off the floor. Green had 405 total kills this year after ranking seventh in the area with 233 kills in 2024. No one else on the team had more than 153 kills this year.
She also averaged 2.95 digs per set (sixth-best in area) and 0.68 aces per set (eighth-best) en route to winning the Northwestern District Class 4 Player of the Year award and also being named to the Class 4 All-State First Team.
Millbrook head coach Dave White, who made his Pioneers’ debut this past season, said Green’s “biggest asset” is her ability to attack the ball.
“Her attacking is definitely the most impressive part of her game,” White said. “Her ability to hit with a lot of range and different angles, and the power with which she hits … a lot of that is coming from the great athleticism that she has in terms of her vertical and getting up and being above a lot of the blockers.”
Although White only recently began coaching at Millbrook, he’s coached several of his current players, including Green, on Blue Ridge Volleyball Association’s indoor and beach volleyball teams. Green — who currently plays for Paramount Volleyball Club based in Leesburg — said playing for White again this season helped make her “very comfortable” on the court, further aiding her performance.
Blue Ridge was the first volleyball team Green played for, so White has been there for a large portion of her journey with the sport. He said her offensive abilities have come a long way over the years.
“I think over the past couple seasons with her travel and previous high school season, I think [her attacking] has become more natural,” White said. “I knew Aaliyah when she was in the seventh grade, and it was not natural. I think she’s put a lot of work into really making an effort to get her feet to the ball and just being more consistent as a hitter. When she was younger, she might have been a little wild, but I think now she’s much more consistent.”
White added that, coming into this past season, Millbrook made it a point of emphasis to make Green “a pivotal part” of its offense. With a strong group of teammates, including setters Paisley Cook and McKenna Homans, complementing her offense, Green left a large impact and helped the Pioneers reach the postseason.
There, they defeated Handley in dramatic fashion in the Region 4D quarterfinals. Against the Judges, the Pioneers trailed 2-1 before rallying to win the fourth set 25-19 and the final set 15-10. Green finished that night with 27 kills and said the comeback win was her favorite moment of the season.
“The quarterfinal game against Handley, when we won against them in the fifth set, I think that definitely boosted our confidence,” Green said. “It was just a great game. The comeback and the energy and how the team gathered together in the fifth set [was memorable].”
Although the Pioneers went on to lose 3-1 to eventual state champion James Wood in the Region 4D semifinals, they set a strong precedent for 2026. With only two members of the team graduating at the end of the school year, Millbrook could return 12 players from this year’s team during Green’s senior season.
With Green already having achieved a lot, she said her goal is for the Pioneers to find further postseason success and to do “more of what I did this year” individually.
White said he’s excited to coach Green for one final go-around and anticipates her stepping up as a senior leader for the team going forward. He also said he’d like to see her continue sustaining her offensive prowess.
“Continued success attacking, and even more consistency from her on that pin is going to free up our middle and our opposite hitters. So more of what she’s doing [is the goal],” White said.
“She supports everyone, just as they’re supporting her. I’d love to see next season, going into it, I’d love for her to really take hold of that leadership role. I know she’s capable, and I think that’ll take us to the next level next season.”
