After capping the 2024 collegiate season as the AVCA National Player of the Year and guiding the Anteaters to a NCAA semifinal appearance, senior outside hitter Hilir Henno continued that success over the following summer months.  But before we find out about how he spent his summer, let's rewind to the 2024 season.

An injury kept Henno sidelined for two and a half months to start the 2023-24 school year so the focus was lifting lower body and working on different ways of scoring.

"I wanted to play smart and it worked out pretty well," Henno said. "I became more physical and comfortable with the setter and to swing higher and keep the variety in my game."

He also embraced his new role of leadership.

"I am the captain of the team and everyone is looking to me. I couldn't show if I was frustrated because I didn't want my teammates to feed off the negativity and play stiff. If I made a mistake, I could talk it out with Coach Kniffin or setter Brett Sheward. They helped me get to the next point quickly. I always want to be confident no matter what the situation is."

Henno's volleyball prowess and leadership skills led the Anteaters to the semifinals of the NCAAs.

"The NCAAs were interesting being there for the first time. It's a different environment. You play three matches in four days so its physically very tough playing against the best teams in the country. You also get to see some teams you never get to play like Penn State."

While UCI's season ended in heartbreaking fashion, Henno's maturity saw the bright side of the adversity.

"I've watched the match many, many times figuring out what we could have done better or different. We obviously couldn't control Ahkil's (Tangutur) injury, but I thought we did a good job emotionally even though our best passer went out and that showed our character."

Henno didn't get much rest following the NCAAs, starting an exciting summer of activities joining Team France at the Men's U22 European Volleyball Championships alongside younger brother Mathis. The duo hadn't played side-by-side since their early teen years.

France beat Italy 3-2, capturing the CEV U22 Volleyball European Championship in Apeldoorn Netherlands.  The elder Henno led the team with 25 points followed by Mathis with 19 points. Each brother recorded four aces in the win.

"I've been seeing how good he was and wanted to see how compatible we were because we are both big characters, but we played well together. It was nice, we could tell each other things and be honest with each other which is a healthy relationship, and we were super effective."

If it couldn't get any better than that, Paris hosted the Summer Olympic Games, a dream of Henno's.

"The country was buzzing. You could see 20 different nationalities at one train station. The atmosphere was super exciting. The Olympics were one of my dreams, not only to play, but just to be a tourist."

Henno's Olympic ties run deep. His father Hubert was a French Olympian, competing at the Athens Games in 2004. He won a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships, was a two-time silver medalist at the European Championships (2003, 2009) as well as a four-time French Champion. Henno's passing abilities can be attributed to his father and the elder Henno earned many honors as a libero.

His mother Alketa Doci-Henno, was also a talented player from Albanian, who spent the majority of her career in France.

Henno's dream of being an Olympic tourist came true and then some. He attended all of men's indoor quarterfinal matches and both semifinals and was asked to do the les trois coups before the France versus Germany match.

The ritual, a French theatrical tradition, marked the start of each sporting event at the 2024 Paris Games. An individual would strike a wooden staff, called a brigadier, on the ground three times to mark the official start of the competition.

His father was asked to do the Japan vs. Italy match then came the invitation for the younger Henno to be recognized.

The moment was special, not only getting to see the French team in the hallway, but the announcer introduced him as the future of the French team and National Player of the Year.

"That was super, super special. After the announcer introduced me and I heard everyone clapping and was so excited and very proud of what I accomplished."  

During the semifinal matches, they were invited to the VIP box, sitting close by Serena Williams Giba (Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho), a Brazilian legend and French president Emmanuel Macron.

His Olympic experience also included a trip to the French Club where French fans could hang out as well as having access to the building where French athletes would gather. The women's volleyball team was there one of the days as well as the President of French Volleyball Federation Éric Tanguy who Henno took the opportunity to spend some important time with.

Henno also attended beach volleyball in front to the Eiffel Tower, a venue that featured UC Irvine alum Thomas Hodges, playing for the Australian team.

The Hennos watched the gold medal match as a family huddled around a tv at home, cheering as France defeated Poland, 3-0.

Former UC Irvine All-American and national champion Kevin Tillie was a member of the team, capturing his second gold medal as a member of the French team. A proud moment for Henno, both as a countryman and as a member of the UC Irvine program. The two exchanged congratulatory text following the Olympics. 

Another highlight of the summer was meeting his favorite player, Trévor Clévenot, at a beach in France a few weeks before the Olympics began.

"Unconsciously I try to implement the same game as he has. He can swing and tip and it worked perfectly throughout the Olympics. I really watched how he plays."

As the 2025 season starts, Henno is ready to take all of his experiences over the summer into his final campaign.

"It's crazy that I'm a senior. It seems like I just started. I want to be the best model from the freshmen. Not only on the court
but being smart off the court as well."

Henno knows what an exciting place the Bren Events Center is to play and can't wait to have the fan base gain momentum as the team is ranked No. 2 nationally.

"I can't wait to see what this team is capable of. We just need to play our game and see where that leads us."

He will complete his degree in International Studies this June then continue playing professional volleyball with hopes to one day fulfill his dreams of playing in the Olympics.