Bonjour,

I am Kevin Tillie, Anteater Class of 2013 and professional volleyball player from France. I came to UC Irvine in April 2011 for a visit while having studied and played two years at Thompson Rivers University in Canada. I needed a change, a new experience to move forward in my life, but also in volleyball. UCI had won a few titles (2007 and 2009) so I had been watching them play quite a lot. I was excited to think I could play on that team.

The location of the school was also a perfect fit for me, as I grew up by the beach in France. During my visit, players living in a beachfront house hosted me. As I video-called my parents early in the morning on the patio, I showed them the view of the beach and the big waves of the ocean. My parents were telling me to commit right away, as it seemed like the dream life. Then suddenly, I saw some dolphins jumping around by the shore. I was thinking; "This must have been staged by the school to convince me." It worked. What else would I want for my college life? I committed soon after.

During my two years at UC Irvine, I lived in a beach house on the Newport Beach Peninsula. Living there feels like a little beach village. Your neighbors are often students and student-athletes. You get together on the beach, restaurants and houses.

On weekdays, when we had the time, we would wake up early and just lay on the sand. Or, if the waves were good, we would get "barreled" while body surfing (I wasn't able to stand on a surfboard) before going to school or going to practice. That was the best-ever start to the day. But we would also do that in the evenings for the sunsets.

Weekends were for playing beach volleyball with teammates, the women's team and other athletes like the baseball players. Being a student-athlete on the Peninsula is like being part of a little community and you never get bored. However, UC Irvine is not only about living on the beach.

During my visit, I understood very quickly what the team's culture was all about. It is a big volleyball family where all the players are brothers. We help each other, we work for each other, we fight together and we especially laugh together (a lot). I noticed immediately during my visit that the players were very close friends and it felt like they had known each other forever. I could see that this group of guys were going to stay friends forever. I wanted to be part of that group.

I don't think they had had many foreigners before I arrived, but they accepted me like I was one of them. They embraced my differences coming from France and they made me part of their family. This family is forever and I keep in touch with many teammates that are playing or not all over the world. I even run into alumni that I haven't met before and play against them. We always discuss UC Irvine and our common experiences there. One thing is for sure: We all miss it now.

While at UC Irvine, I made forever-friends, brothers and a new family that keeps on growing with players that I will play with or against all over the world.

Kevin Tillie

Post Script, by Head Coach David Kniffin

Kevin Tillie started for UC Irvine in 2012 & 2013, winning back-to-back NCAA Championships. He and Chris Austin (who transferred from Long Beach Community College) are the only two student-athletes in the history of the program to have won NCAA Championships in 100% of their attempts. Tillie has since competed in the Olympics and several professional leagues around the world.

I would also like to confirm that, having handled the details of Kevin's Official Visit, the dolphins (referenced above) participated in a purely voluntary capacity.