ace in the hole

UCLA volleyball star Merrick McHenry keeps raking up awards as he prepares for another championship run

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Merrick McHenry is delivering quite an encore performance.

Fresh off leading the Bruins to their first NCAA men’s volleyball championship in 16 years, the UCLA standout is playing at his best when the matches matter most. With the NCAA championship starting later this month, McHenry was just named his conference’s offensive player of the week. The redshirt senior registered 15 kills on 19 swings in two wins last week over Stanford, the No. 6-ranked team in the country (a kill is a shot that’s not returnable, leading directly to a point or loss of rally).

In addition, McHenry recorded seven blocks in the first affair, tying a season high, and came through with three straight service aces in the second matchup.

Earlier this season, McHenry set the UCLA men’s volleyball career record for solo blocks. That’s quite an accomplishment, considering UCLA is one of the most storied men’s volleyball programs in the country.

Standing at a towering 6-foot-7, McHenry hails from a volleyball family in Texas. His mom, a former middle blocker at Texas Tech, is a volleyball coach herself.

Though McHenry loved growing up in the Lone Star State, he never felt comfortable with his gay identity. That was one of the prevailing reasons why he wanted play at UCLA: Los Angeles is a playground for young queer men looking to explore and find their way.

“[To] be a gay man and grow up in Texas … I just felt out of place,” he told the Los Angeles Times last year. “To be able to be around people who still love me despite what a lot of parts of the world might see as different … it’s a journey and it still is a journey but I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my own skin as a 22-year-old nowadays. I think it’s only just going to get better for me.”

McHenry is right about that. He’s firmly established himself in the UCLA record books, leading the nation with a .537 hitting percentage last season, second all-time for the program. 

On defense, his 107 blocks were a career high, and he ranked eighth in the nation in blocks per set at 1.081. He was a First-team AVCA All-America and All-MPSF selection (the MPSF is the West Coast men’s volleyball conference).

But McHenry’s most pivotal performance came in the championship match against Hawaii. Seeking to avenge last year’s semifinals loss to Long Beach State (the Bruins blew a two-set lead), McHenry dominated the match. He recorded 11 kills and 16 total attempts in the win.

Related:

College volleyball star Merrick McHenry starts the new season with a No. 1-ranking & the best smile in the country

McHenry is looking to lead the Bruins to their second straight championship.

It’s apparent that McHenry enjoyed his triumph to the fullest. He celebrated his team’s big win with trips to the White House and Paris.

It must be cool to be 23 years old and on top of the world!

“Still speechless..gonna go take a nap now,” he posted on Instagram in the aftermath of UCLA’s victory.

The good times for McHenry continued throughout the summer and fall, with trips to London and Guadalajara, where he played in a tournament.

But in a year full of highlights, he says his favorite moment came when a fan approached him after a match against George Mason. The person thanked McHenry for his visibility.

Growing up, McHenry was searching for Black and gay role models in his favorite sport, and struggled to find them. 

Knowing he’s that role model for other LGBTQ+ kids is the sweetest triumph of all.

“It’s just me being myself. I’m not trying to be extra, I’m not trying to do more,” McHenry said. “I’m just ultimately trying to show people that you can be yourself and you’re still going to be loved and appreciated.”

It can be tough following up a championship season, but McHenry is doing his best. Once again, he’s filling up the stat sheet, and leading the Bruins to a No. 1 ranking.

Their upcoming schedule doesn’t get any easier, with two matches coming up this weekend against Grand Canyon University, the No. 3-ranked team in Division 1. The for-profit Christian school, which has been fined $37.7 million from the Education Department for deceptive advertising, teaches that marriage “is a sacred union between a man and a woman.”

It would be awfully nice for McHenry to spike the ball down their throats. He’s giving the Bruins the lift they need in pursuit of their 21st championship.

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