Merrick McHenry finds his 'happiest' place with UCLA volleyball

UCLA's Merrick McHenry spikes the ball in a match against Pepperdine.

Staff Writer

May 3, 2023 9:42 AM PT

Merrick McHenry didn’t think anything of it when he hatched his signature look. He just pulled up his long, white socks, put on his knee pads and went to work on the court. It wasn’t until he watched the film later that he realized just how much he liked the knee-high sock look.

It hasn’t changed.

“I love being different,” McHenry said with a wide grin. “I just can’t help it.”

McHenry is standing out for reasons other than just his wardrobe.

The dynamic middle blocker leads the nation in hitting percentage as No. 1 UCLA sets its sights on its first NCAA title since 2006 this week. The Bruins (29-2) will face Long Beach State at 2 p.m. PDT in Fairfax, Va., on Thursday in the NCAA semifinal after the Beach defeated Grand Canyon in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

UCLA, the winningest program in the sport but mired in its longest championship drought, had its best season in decades. The Bruins won the MPSF tournament for the first time since 2006. They were the first team to go undefeated in conference play since 1996.

For McHenry, getting the chance to compete for championships in college and playing with the U.S. national team like he did last summer seems surreal after growing up in Texas’ small men’s volleyball scene. But those fleeting moments of success aren’t enough.

“I really want to be a part of the team that wins the 20th national championship at UCLA,” McHenry said.

The 6-foot-7 redshirt junior still thinks about the way UCLA’s season ended last year. The Bruins had a two-set lead. Long Beach State roared back for a five-set win. It’s hard to escape the memories when the disappointment happened right in Pauley Pavilion.

With motivation from that loss, the Bruins returned this season with an intense focus. Coach John Speraw marveled at how his team didn’t suffer a single emotional letdown this season. He credited some of that to McHenry, whose competitive streak sparks a fire in his teammates.

“He’s just ultra competitive,” said freshman setter Andrew Rowan, who was named AVCA newcomer of the year while piloting UCLA’s top-ranked offense. “He gets in these zones in a game where he’s just like, ‘I don’t care, you don’t have to set me a ball, but we just have to win.’ He’s all for the team.”

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

— Merrick McHenry

For the second consecutive year, the Bruins lead the nation in hitting percentage, led by McHenry’s .537 mark that ranks second in UCLA history, trailing only Tim Kelly’s 1994 clip of .539. McHenry earned his second consecutive first-team All-American honor and was named the MPSF tournament’s most valuable player after he hit a scorching .870 across two matches with 20 kills on 23 attempts and no attacking errors.

Although he came to UCLA as an outside hitter and began training as an opposite, McHenry has found a comfortable home at middle, where he moved in 2021 when the Bruins were short-handed because of pandemic opt-outs and protocols.

Middle attackers often enjoy high hitting percentages after receiving short, quick sets that are hard to defend. Offensively, McHenry had no problem making the transition as he ranked third in the conference in hitting percentage in 2021.

The bigger learning curve was on defense, where he was responsible for organizing UCLA’s block and defending the net on almost every point instead of just contesting one side of the net. He watches the game differently now, keeping a close eye on the setter’s hands, and focuses on fine details of the blocking technique like hand placement.

McHenry’s 107 total blocks this season are a career high and he ranks eighth in the country in blocks per set at 1.081.

“He understands he can be a really elite-level volleyball player,” Speraw said. “He knows it’s going to take a lot of strength, a lot of personal development, and a lot of technical improvements and I think he takes all of those things incredibly seriously.”

Speraw, the U.S. men’s national team coach since 2013, was the main reason why McHenry wanted to attend UCLA to mold his professional and national team aspirations. Volleyball has been McHenry’s love since he first followed his mother, a former middle blocker at Texas Tech, to her practices when she started coaching.

Many of McHenry’s peers outgrew the small boys’ volleyball community in Texas and moved to St. Louis or California for more abundant club opportunities. It was rare that top volleyball prospects came from Texas and McHenry is proud to represent the state. Even his signature socks are inspired by Texas women’s volleyball.

But not all of his memories about the state are positive. Coming to UCLA helped McHenry embrace his identity.

“[To] be a gay man and grow up in Texas … I just felt out of place,” McHenry said. “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 never felt like he had role models who looked like him in men’s volleyball. Watching BYU All-American Ben Patch, who like McHenry is Black, was a defining moment. The star opposite soared through the air with his signature bleached-blond hair and helped the Cougars to the NCAA championship game twice before a successful pro career in Europe and with the U.S. national team. McHenry hoped that one day people would look at him and see themselves the way he felt when he watched Patch.

This season, after a match at George Mason, a fan approached McHenry. He thanked the UCLA star “for all that you’ve done for us” in the LGBTQ+ community. The memory brings a humble smile to McHenry’s face.

“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.”

Rowan, the setter, said UCLA’s unique personalities are the key to the team’s success. The Bruins are “just going to be ourselves and we’re going to come out and we’re going to beat you,” he said. They have socks of all lengths, ranging from J.R. Norris IV’s that barely peek out over his shoes to McHenry’s that stretch up to his knees.

As a star on a team with national appeal, McHenry is hopeful for the day when more young players are wearing their socks pulled up high too.