Héléna Cazaute (born 17 December 1997) is a French volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for VakıfBank Istanbul and has captained the France women’s national team. Born in Narbonne and raised in a volleyball family near Gruissan, she developed into a six-rotation outside hitter whose game combines serve reception and back-row defense with an increasingly important attacking role.
Cazaute built her professional career through Béziers, RC Cannes and ASPTT Mulhouse before moving to Italy in 2021. She won the CEV Challenge Cup with Chieri, reached consecutive Champions League podiums with Milano, and then joined VakıfBank in 2025. Her first season in Türkiye produced a major treble of the Turkish Cup, Turkish League and CEV Champions League. Internationally, she has been part of France’s rise from European Golden League and Challenger Cup success to the Paris 2024 Olympics and a historic World Championship quarterfinal appearance in 2025.
Player Information
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Héléna Cazaute |
| Date of Birth | 17 December 1997 |
| Place of Birth | Narbonne, Aude, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Position | Outside Hitter |
| Height | 184 cm |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Spike Reach | 311 cm |
| Block Reach | 286 cm |
| Dominant Hand | Right |
| Previous Clubs | VC Gruissan, France Avenir 2024, Béziers Volley, RC Cannes, ASPTT Mulhouse, Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76, Vero Volley Milano |
| Current Club | VakıfBank Istanbul |
| Club Number | 1 |
| National Team | France Women’s National Volleyball Team |
| National-Team Number | 1 |
| @helenacazaute1 |
Volleyball World lists Cazaute at 184 cm and as France’s number 1 outside hitter, while current CEV roster data supports the listed weight and reach measurements. Her right-handedness is also recorded in established player databases.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Cazaute grew up surrounded by volleyball. Her mother had played at Nationale 1 level and later coached her, while her two sisters also competed in the sport. Her father came from rugby before becoming involved in volleyball and serving as president of the club in Gruissan where Héléna learned the game. According to her Team France athlete profile, she began playing at around eight years old.
That environment gave her an unusually early connection with the gym. In a later CEV interview, Cazaute recalled accompanying her mother to practices and watching her sisters play from childhood. She also tried tennis and gymnastics but preferred being part of a team.
After developing at Gruissan, Cazaute entered the Institut fédéral de volleyball in Toulouse for the 2013–14 season. The move placed her inside France’s national development structure before she joined Béziers Volley in 2014. Still a teenager, she gradually earned more court time and established herself in the French top division, beginning a seven-season run in domestic volleyball that would eventually take her through three leading clubs.
Club Career
Establishing Herself in France
Cazaute spent three seasons with Béziers from 2014 to 2017. The period gave her regular senior-level experience and included a French championship runner-up finish in 2016. She moved to RC Cannes in 2017, joining one of the most successful clubs in French women’s volleyball.
Cannes brought the first major trophies of her professional career. Cazaute won the French Cup in 2018 and then the French league championship in 2019. Her performances had already made her one of the notable French outside hitters of her generation, and in 2019 she moved to ASPTT Mulhouse.
The 2020–21 season became her defining domestic campaign. Mulhouse completed the French league-and-cup double, while Cazaute was named MVP of the Coupe de France final and then Ligue AF MVP for the season. She was also selected as the league’s best outside hitter. The combination of team success and individual recognition provided the platform for the overseas move she had wanted for several years.
Italy: Chieri and Milano
Cazaute joined Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 in 2021, beginning four consecutive seasons in Italy’s Serie A1. She later described the move as an important career target and highlighted the greater technical emphasis on passing and defense that she encountered in Italian volleyball.
Her second Chieri season ended with European silverware. Chieri won the inaugural WEVZA Cup in 2022 to qualify for the Challenge Cup and then completed an unbeaten run to the 2023 CEV Challenge Cup title. Cazaute finished that Challenge Cup campaign with 132 points in CEV statistics, reinforcing her value as both a first-contact player and a scorer.
Milano signed her for 2023–24, placing her in a deeper roster alongside elite international attackers. Her first season included one of her standout European performances in the Champions League semifinal first leg against Fenerbahçe, when she scored 11 points and was named match MVP. Milano ultimately reached the 2024 Super Final before losing a five-set final to Conegliano.
Cazaute remained in Milano for 2024–25. The team returned to the Champions League Final Four and finished third, defeating VakıfBank in the bronze-medal match. Cazaute contributed 15 points in that victory, completing two consecutive Champions League podium seasons before leaving Italy.
VakıfBank and the 2026 Treble
In June 2025, VakıfBank officially announced Cazaute as a new signing. The move took her from Serie A1 to Türkiye’s Sultanlar Ligi and into another club built to compete for major domestic and European trophies.
Her first season in Istanbul delivered all three of the biggest trophies available to the club. VakıfBank won the 2026 Turkish Cup, defeated Fenerbahçe in the championship series to claim the Turkish league, and then captured the CEV Champions League in Istanbul. The European title was VakıfBank’s seventh and completed a league-cup-Champions League treble.
Cazaute remained with VakıfBank for 2026–27 and added another trophy at the beginning of the new campaign, helping the club defeat Eczacıbaşı 3–2 in the 2026 Turkish Super Cup.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2012–2013 | VC Gruissan | France |
| 2013–2014 | France Avenir 2024 / IFVB | France |
| 2014–2017 | Béziers Volley | France |
| 2017–2019 | RC Cannes | France |
| 2019–2021 | ASPTT Mulhouse | France |
| 2021–2023 | Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 | Italy |
| 2023–2025 | Vero Volley Milano | Italy |
| 2025–present | VakıfBank Istanbul | Türkiye |
Her progression from France through Italy to Türkiye is documented across CEV and Italian league records, with CEV listing VakıfBank for both the 2026 and 2027 European Cup cycles.
National Team Career
Cazaute has been involved with the French senior national team since 2015, following earlier youth international experience. Her importance increased as France began rebuilding its women’s program, and she became captain around the 2021 European Championship. That tournament ended with France reaching the quarterfinals, giving a young group one of its first significant results together.
The next two seasons changed France’s international standing. In 2022, Cazaute and the Bleues won the European Golden League, the first international title in the history of the French women’s senior team. France then won the 2023 FIVB Challenger Cup in Laval, earning promotion to the 2024 Volleyball Nations League. Cazaute delivered 25 points in the 3–1 final victory over Sweden and led the team as captain.
Paris 2024 gave Cazaute her first Olympic appearance. France entered automatically as host and faced Serbia, China and the United States in the group stage. Although the team did not progress to the knockout rounds, the Olympics represented another step in a rapid transition from second-tier international competition into regular matches against the world’s leading teams.
France’s next World Championship appearance produced an even bigger landmark. Returning to the tournament in 2025 after a 51-year absence, the team advanced from its pool and then defeated China 3–1 in the round of 16. Cazaute scored a match-high 22 points in the upset as France reached the World Championship top eight.
She then scored 20 points in the quarterfinal defeat to Brazil. At the conclusion of the quarterfinal stage, Volleyball World had Cazaute leading the tournament charts in scoring, attacking and reception — an unusually broad statistical combination for an outside hitter and a reflection of the all-around workload she carried for France.
Cazaute remained captain for the 2026 international season. She scored 111 points across nine recorded appearances in the 2026 VNL, including 105 attack points. A back problem later ruled her out of EuroVolley 2026, interrupting her national-team season before she returned to club competition in the autumn.
Playing Style & Strengths
Cazaute’s value as an outside hitter starts with the balance between first contact and attacking responsibility. At 184 cm, she is shorter than many international players in the same position, so her game has developed around technique, movement, ball control and variety rather than relying on height alone.
In a 2026 FIVB interview about her development as an outside hitter, Cazaute identified passing and digging as central parts of her game. She also described the importance of having several attacking solutions available — hitting the line or diagonal, using the block and adapting the swing to the situation rather than depending on one route to score.
That profile helps explain why she has fitted into teams with high-volume opposite hitters. At Milano she could contribute reception stability around Paola Egonu while still attacking effectively when rotations or matchups required it. Italian league reporting described her as particularly reliable in reception while also noting her serving and blocking contributions.
Her international role is broader. France has often needed Cazaute to remain involved in reception and defense while carrying a larger scoring share than she might at a star-heavy club. The 2025 World Championship illustrated that dual responsibility: she was not only one of France’s primary attackers but also among the tournament’s strongest receivers through the quarterfinal stage.
Her game therefore fits the profile of a genuine six-rotation outside hitter. Rather than being defined by one overwhelming physical weapon, Cazaute contributes across several phases of a rally and uses shot selection, court reading and technical consistency to remain effective against larger blocks.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | CEV European Golden League | Champion |
| 2023 | FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup | Champion |
| 2024 | Olympic Games, Paris | Olympic participant |
| 2025 | FIVB Women’s World Championship | Quarterfinalist / top eight |
France’s 2023 Challenger Cup title earned promotion to the VNL, while the 2025 World Championship run marked one of the strongest finishes in the history of the women’s national team.
Selected Club Honors
| Year / Season | Competition | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | French Cup | RC Cannes | Winner |
| 2018–19 | French League | RC Cannes | Champion |
| 2020–21 | French League | ASPTT Mulhouse | Champion |
| 2021 | French Cup | ASPTT Mulhouse | Winner |
| 2022 | WEVZA Cup | Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 | Winner |
| 2022–23 | CEV Challenge Cup | Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 | Winner |
| 2023–24 | CEV Champions League | Vero Volley Milano | Runner-up |
| 2024–25 | CEV Champions League | Vero Volley Milano | Bronze |
| 2026 | Turkish Cup | VakıfBank | Winner |
| 2025–26 | Turkish League | VakıfBank | Champion |
| 2025–26 | CEV Champions League | VakıfBank | Champion |
| 2026 | Turkish Super Cup | VakıfBank | Winner |
The 2026 season was particularly significant: VakıfBank’s Turkish Cup, league and Champions League victories formed a treble before the club added the Turkish Super Cup at the start of the following campaign.
Selected Individual Awards
| Year / Season | Competition | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | French Cup | Best Outside Hitter |
| 2020–21 | French League | Most Valuable Player |
| 2020–21 | French League | Best Outside Hitter |
| 2021 | French Cup | Final MVP |
Cazaute’s 2020–21 season with Mulhouse remains the clearest individual peak of her French-league career, combining the domestic double with both league and cup MVP recognition.
Where Is Héléna Cazaute Playing Now?
As of October 2026, Cazaute is playing her second season with VakıfBank Istanbul in Türkiye’s Vodafone Sultanlar Ligi. CEV’s current records list her as a VakıfBank player for the 2027 European Cup cycle, and she continues to wear number 1.
Her start to the 2026–27 season also confirmed her return from the back problem that kept her out of EuroVolley 2026. On 6 October, she started for VakıfBank in the Turkish Super Cup against Eczacıbaşı, scoring six points — five attacks and one block — while recording 52% positive reception in the five-set victory.
For France, Cazaute remains the established captain and one of the senior figures around whom the national team’s recent progress has been built. Her immediate club focus is now another season in which VakıfBank enters as the defending Turkish league and European champion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Héléna Cazaute?
Héléna Cazaute is listed at 184 cm by Volleyball World and VakıfBank.
What position does Héléna Cazaute play?
She plays as an outside hitter, with responsibilities in serve reception, defense and left-side attack.
Which club does Héléna Cazaute play for?
Cazaute plays for VakıfBank Istanbul in Türkiye’s Vodafone Sultanlar Ligi.
What number does Héléna Cazaute wear?
She wears number 1 for both VakıfBank and the France women’s national team.
Is Héléna Cazaute the captain of France?
Yes. Cazaute has served as captain of the France women’s national team since the early 2020s and was the team’s designated captain through the 2026 international season.
What are Héléna Cazaute’s biggest volleyball titles?
Her major titles include the 2022 European Golden League and 2023 Challenger Cup with France, the 2023 CEV Challenge Cup with Chieri, French league and cup titles, and the 2026 Turkish Cup, Turkish League and CEV Champions League treble with VakıfBank.
References
- Volleyball World — Héléna Cazaute VNL 2026 player profile
- CEV — Héléna Cazaute player history and current VakıfBank affiliation
- Team France — Héléna Cazaute athlete profile
- CEV Champions League — Super Finals are the big prize for Cazaute’s fantastic ascension
- FFvolley — Cazaute named 2020–21 Ligue AF MVP
- CEV — Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri are the 2023 Challenge Cup champions
- CEV — Héléna Cazaute moves from Milano to VakıfBank
- Volleyball World — France defeat China and reach the 2025 World Championship quarterfinals
- Volleyball World — Cazaute leads three statistical charts after the 2025 World Championship quarterfinals
- FIVB — Helena Cazaute: No one is too short for volleyball
- VakıfBank — Club history and the 2026 treble
- FFvolley — Héléna Cazaute returns to competition and wins the 2026 Turkish Super Cup
- Instagram — Héléna Cazaute (@helenacazaute1)
