Merrick McHenry is an artist on the volleyball court, so it only makes sense the multi-time NCAA champ would take his talents to the home of Picasso, Van Gogh and Chagall.
The UCLA great is starting his pro career in the French Riviera, signing with a club in Nice. McHenry posted a photo of himself in his new blue and gold uni on Sunday.
“Same colors, same number, same moiiiiiiii💋,” he posted, to the tune of nearly 3,600 “likes.”
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McHenry, 23, just enjoyed a landmark summer. Fresh off his second straight championship, he graduated from UCLA, completing a life-changing journey.
“During my 5 years at UCLA I have been my happiest, saddest, in love, most anxious, most confident, envious, heartbroken as sh*t, elated, grateful, and so much more,” he posted on Instagram. “Being able to feel all of these emotions in the way that I wanted to for so long is exactly the reason why I will never regret my decision of being a Bruin. Thank you for everything, UCLA💙.”
He closed with an exclamation point, and reference to his jersey number: “13 till I die meowwwww.”
McHenry’s accomplishments on the court are unparalleled in recent UCLA history. The middle blocker led the Bruins to back-to-back championships for the first time since 1995-96, and owns the school record for solo blocks. He also won Player of the Year honors from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
A redshirt senior, McHenry registered 10 kills and five blocks for UCLA in its four-set victory over Long Beach State in the NCAA finals.
When the final whistled sounded, McHenry was in the middle of the action!
While volleyball is obviously a huge part of McHenry’s life, his graduation note indicates he values his personal growth more than on-court successes. As a gay kid growing up in Texas, he never felt comfortable with his identity.
The selling point for him on UCLA wasn’t the Bruins’ track record of excellence; but rather, the freedom of living in Los Angeles.
“[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.”
Living in L.A., one of the gay cultural capitals of the world, showed him the privilege of being LGBTQ+.
“I love being different,” he said. “I just can’t help it.”
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Volleyball star Merrick McHenry is a back-to-back winner! Could the Olympics be next?
UCLA volleyball star Merrick McHenry is at the top of the world.
By living his life out in the open, McHenry is showing other queer kids that happiness is possible. Maybe the most memorable moment of his college career came after one of his games, when a young fan in Virginia thanked him for his visibility.
“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.”
With teammates from all over the world–Nice Volleyball has players hailing from nine different countries–McHenry is in for another transformational experience.
“What a life!,” he posted on Instagram in June.
It’s about to get even better!
