Leeya Rubio is the setter for the Cerritos College volleyball team, and is essentially, in basketball terms, the point guard on the court.

Her first season at Cerritos ended with being selected second at the All-South Coast Conference, but let’s go back to where it all started.

The origin story of Leeya’s volleyball career began when she was in 6th grade, after being inspired to play because of her two older sisters Lannette and Lupita.

“I was about 9 or 10, I started because my sisters both played in High School and club, I was always around volleyball.

“I grew up watching my sisters play, me and my family were always at their games, and I would go to their club games, I was always in the environment and it wasn’t really any other sport for me it was just volleyball,” Rubio said.

Leeya played for a volleyball club called Commerce Crush around this time, and this was the beginning of her growing stage in volleyball.

She views her time at Commerce as one of the biggest highlights during her volleyball journey, and was taught many valuable lessons in this timeframe.

“Definitely learned resiliency, confidence, friendship, and attitude. My first year, my attitude was terrible. I didn’t really know how to handle my emotions. I had my coaches and teammates tell me that it’s not the best look on players.”

“It’s really easy to lose your shit completely because as soon as something doesn’t go your way, you just wanna break out and do what you want but in this case you really can’t because one person can affect so much,” Rubio said.

After her days in Commerce were finished Leeya began her tenure in Shurr High School where she played on the varsity team as a freshman.

She faced some challenges at Shurr with one of them switching from a setter to a libero and adjusting to a higher competitive level.

She was able to overcome those obstacles as she found great success in high school, earning 2nd team honors as a freshman and was named 1st Team all-league as a senior and junior.

When she graduated, Leeya was having questions about her future, more specifically her future in volleyball.

Going into college, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue playing but after her coaches in High School advised her to continue her volleyball career, she committed to Cerritos College.

Leeya didn’t come to Cerritos alone, as a couple of her teammates from high school: Jasmine Soto-Castro, Brisa Cortez, and Priscilla Castillo committed as well.

It was an up and down season during her freshman year in Cerritos.

During the indoor season, the team finished 13-9 and made the playoffs but where Leeya struggled the most was transitioning from indoor to beach volleyball.

Her beach partner was former Falcon, Jayda Harris-Amete and the duo struggled to find momentum as they finished the season with a 3-15 record.

“Conditioning was for sure a problem but it wasn’t even the main thing, I did play beach in high school with friends but the competition wasn’t as strong as it is here, we were playing people who have been playing beach for years so they have experience and the vision on the court and it was so much easier for them,” Rubio said.

When Leeya is off the court, she is a family person, the majority of her time away from the sport is spent with her family which is something she always cherishes.

“I would say I was a very fortunate child, I didn’t grow up in the biggest house ever but what I did have was way more than enough for me and my family,” Rubio said.

She added, “Everything was fine, my mom was a stay at home mom so I spent a lot of time with her and if I wasn’t with her I was with my sisters, and my dad worked a lot but he would always try to make as much time as he could for him and his family.”

She’s very close with both her parents, Leonard and Rosie Rubio as she is able to be open and vulnerable with them no matter the situation.

Leeya said her mother, Rosie, taught her so much throughout her life and continues to do so everyday.

“She allows me to be vulnerable and continues to be such a blessing in my life, of course she has her weaknesses but she is the strongest woman I know and no one can do it like she can,” Rubio said.

When it comes to her dad, Leonard, she views him as an inspiration, mentor, and most importantly, her best friend.

“He’s my best friend, he’s taught me so much, I’m very open with him and I feel like I could talk to him about anything, I have a very close relationship with my dad and it’s something I cherish a lot, If I have any trouble with anything or need advice he’s right there and will listen to anything I have to say,” Rubio said.

What made this relationship as strong as it is, was the most challenging obstacle thrown at her and her family, was her father’s liver transplant operation when Leeya was only 10 years old.

“I was there and I saw it all, I saw all the trials and tribulations and I think for him to stay strong and push through that every single day was hard on me but it just showed me what type of person he was.”

“It was difficult seeing my dad like that because it was one of his closest moments to not being here anymore, but he’s strong, he’s healthy, and he’s here now,” said Rubio.

From the words of Leonard, “God said it wasn’t my time.”

As Leeya’s time at Cerritos is nearing an end, she still has questions about her future in volleyball. She is exploring her options and is considering a future as a social worker for substance abuse.

She said she’ll miss the environment at Cerritos and is thankful for all the relationships she’s made with her friends and teammates.

Leeya on how she would like to be seen, said: “Leeya Rubio…. I am someone who is for one, who doesn’t see the world as this big, dangerous evil place, I kinda see it as the more positive side of things. Obviously she is very hard working, she doesn’t take things for granted, she takes any and every opportunity she can get and…. She… she has God by her side.”