Helena Wenk Hoengen

Helena Wenk Hoengen is a Brazilian volleyball player, born on February 11, 2005, in Joinville, Santa Catarina. She stands at 6'6", a height that helped her rise quickly in the sport. At just nine years old, she already measured 1.85m. Her early physical growth led her away from rhythmic gymnastics, which she gave up because she couldn't do a cartwheel, and she briefly tried swimming before finding volleyball. She started training at the Joinville Volleyball Association, and at age 15 her potential caught the attention of Sesc RJ Flamengo, prompting her move to Rio de Janeiro. She joined the youth categories under coach Bernardinho. In Rio, Helena gradually earned her place and delivered key performances in the Superliga, attracting international interest. That led to her transfer to the United States professional league, League One Volleyball. She is 21 years old and has been active since 2019. She is bilingual, plays as an outside hitter, and has been active for seven years. With the Brazilian youth national teams, she won the South American U-21 Championship in 2022 and was named both most valuable player and best outside hitter. In 2023, she got her first call-ups to the senior national team and helped win the silver medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago. She remains a regular in the Nations League and Olympic preparation cycle.