By Jon Ackerman

Brazil's Murilo Endres may have won the 2012 Olympic men's volleyball MVP award, but he still went home disappointed. Despite taking the first two sets of the gold-medal match against Russia, Brazil was forced to settle for a second consecutive Olympic silver.

Murilo hopes to capture his career's crowning moment this summer. He's led Brazil to titles in every other major competition -- World Championships, World Cup, Grand Champions Cup, World League -- but an Olympic gold medal still eludes him. The 2016 Rio Games on home soil, in what could be the 35-year-old's final Olympics, would make for a perfect setting.

He needs the Olympic gold for bragging rights within his family. His older brother is Gustavo Endres, who helped Brazil to gold at the 2004 Athens Games. They were teammates four years later in Beijing, where Brazil again reached the final. But the U.S. snatched that gold.

Murilo would also like to keep pace with his wife, Jaqueline Carvalho, a star on the Brazilian women's team. The ladies have collected the past two Olympic titles. Only the second gold did she win as his wife, though; they weren't married until October 2009. In December 2013, the celebrity couple -- which often appears in Brazilian tabloids -- gave birth to its first child, a son named Paulo.

In reality, Murilo will go down as one of the finest athletes to ever play volleyball regardless of how he fares in Rio. He's a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, which is relatively short for his position. Yet, his vertical makes him one of the world's most dangerous attackers. Murilo also thrives as a defender, often being lauded for his receiving skills. He says he just does what's needed for his team. 

His squad sure hopes to have him on the court in Rio. He's battled shoulder injuries for years. But it would take something severe to keep Murilo from trying to win his first Olympic gold in his home country with his wife attempting the same.