Volleyball player brings positivity to the court

Story by Sophia Bauder

The Palomar Women’s Volleyball team has a leader who dominates on the court and elevates the skills of everyone around her through her team player mentality.

Alina Lecakes-Jones, captain of the Palomar Women’s Volleyball team, brings a spark of passion on and off the court.

Lecakes is a sophomore at Palomar College who started playing volleyball in eighth grade. Her mother had always wanted her to join a swim team, but that was not Lecakes’ vision. 

Instead of signing up for swim, she decided to join a recreational volleyball team for fun when her friend mentioned there was an opening.

From the first time she stepped onto the court, Lecakes knew it was her sport. “I instantly fell in love with the sport the first time I played, it was an instant connection,” she said.

Lecakes’ passion for volleyball followed her into high school. Freshman year, she made the team and decided it was something she wanted to pursue. She continued to play throughout her high school years, until she injured her left knee by tearing her ACL and meniscus. 

After her injury she decided it would be best if she continued her volleyball career at a community college, which is what brought her to Palomar.

Lecakes is now the outside hitter for the Comets and has made 122 kills this season so far. Coming to Palomar and playing for the team has ultimately made her volleyball experience even better.

“Volleyball at Palomar has changed me completely and has developed me so much more,” said Lecakes, “I’ve never been the player that I am now.”

Her teammates feel that she is an essential part of the team. Carsyn Emerson, freshman and right side setter said, “Alina brings a lot of positivity and definitely makes our team communication better, she’s essentially our hype man.”

Not only do her teammates feel that she brings a positive presence, but her defensive specialist Arielle Vannoy expressed, “Alina leads our team, she always brings us up when we’re doubting ourselves and speaks up when no one else wants to, we look up to her.” 

Lecakes is the voice of their team and always brings a calming presence when they are feeling overwhelmed.

In her free time, Lecakes works at Fit in Solana Beach where she babysits children in the daycare center. She mentioned that she loves spending time with kids, and is currently studying Liberal Studies to become a kindergarten schoolteacher.

Makeup is another one of her passions. She spends a lot of her time on YouTube watching beauty videos, such as Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson. She loves to just stay at home watching makeup tutorials, “I love doing my makeup, to me it’s like a creative outlook.”

Lecakes says she has had a positive experience  at Palomar, but decided this is where her volleyball journey will end.

“I’ve had such a good experience here and I want to leave it at that.”