{"id":500090,"date":"2026-10-18T11:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T11:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/500090\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T11:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T11:36:14","slug":"mckennah-iamaleava-making-name-for-herself-in-volleyball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/500090\/","title":{"rendered":"McKennah Iamaleava making name for herself in volleyball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whenever a teammate needs a pep talk McKennah Iamaleava is quick to give it \u2014 a skill one learns growing up in a family full of accomplished athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up my parents [Nic and Marlienna] would tell us family is No. 1 and whenever you\u2019re in a hole or whatever the situation you can always come back to them,\u201d Iamaleava said. \u201cSo, whether it be about sports or school we always have someone to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter on the Long Beach Poly High girls\u2019 volleyball team, McKennah is continuing the legacy of success of her four older siblings while simultaneously passing it on to her three younger ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of eight so volleyball runs in the family,\u201d the reigning Moore League player of the year said. \u201cI started playing when I was 6 or 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, volleyball is not the only sport McKennah played as a child.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dabbled in basketball some too,\u201d she confessed. \u201cMy aunt Janitah played at Carson High and the University of Oregon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sisters <\/p>\n

Sisters McKennah, left, and Ellie Iamaleava are two of eight siblings who have played volleyball.<\/p>\n

(Steve Galluzzo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

McKennah is committed to UC Irvine and, not surprisingly, its proximity was a major factor in her choosing to join the Anteaters\u2019 program.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, it\u2019s close to home and secondly I love the coaching staff,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of the girls are super nice, the campus is beautiful and competing in the Big West is going to be exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her oldest brother Matt played volleyball at Long Beach State, her older sister Nicaylah played at Cypress College and her two closest brothers, Nico and Madden, also grew up playing the sport while excelling in football and both are now quarterbacks at nationally ranked UCLA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see them [Nico and Madden] a few times a week,\u201d McKennah said. \u201cWe have dinners together. Of course we go to all of their home games.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t talk for long right after, we\u2019ll keep it short and then next day is usually the recap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nico suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of UCLA\u2019s 17-15 win at Oregon on Oct. 10 and is out indefinitely. McKennah was among the first people to offer him encouragement.<\/p>\n

\"Long <\/p>\n

Long Beach Poly High senior McKennah Iamaleava celebrates after winning a point against Redondo Union.<\/p>\n

(Steve Galluzzo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t there but I was watching,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a hard shot to take but Nico\u2019s tough and he\u2019ll come back strong. I was texting him right after the game and also in our group texts. I hope Madden gets some playing time. It would be good for him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having such a strong support system makes McKennah well-equipped to handle the ups and downs of volleyball and life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably talk to Matt the most,\u201d McKennah said. \u201cHe\u2019s already gone to college and graduated and I went to a few of his matches, which was so fun. Nicaylah is the libero of our family. \u2026 I watched her passing and she would teach me a lot. I\u2019m glad I have her.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKennah\u2019s two youngest sisters, Mallory (15) and Nori (12), also play volleyball but her tightest bond is with her closest sibling Ellie, a junior opposite hitter at Poly.<\/p>\n

\"Long <\/p>\n

Long Beach Poly High junior Ellie Iamaleava celebrates winning a point during a recent match.<\/p>\n

(Steve Galluzzo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cEllie and I are close,\u201d McKennah added. \u201cOur rooms are right next to each other so every time I want to annoy her I just go to her room. My sister is encouraging to me because she\u2019s very hard on herself. She\u2019ll get a great kill but won\u2019t be satisfied, which motivates me even more to be better as a person and a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMcKennah and I are always with each other,\u201d Ellie agreed. \u201cHer being an older sister kind of plays into that. She really pushes me. She helps me through all my hardships as a new player and I look up to her a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s always on top of everything and the game\u2019s real natural to her. I want to play in college too \u2014 anywhere close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poly (25-7) wrapped up its fourth straight league title last week under head coach Gerald Aquiningoc, who guided the Jackrabbits to theSouthern Section Division 3 championship in 2024 and the Division 2 semifinals last season.<\/p>\n

Along with Madden (then a senior), McKennah (a sophomore) and Ellie (a freshman) transferred to Poly from Warren High in September 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing family,\u201d Aquiningoc said of the Iamaleavas. \u201cMcKennah and Ellie are super coachable and huge pieces of our program. When they transferred in even though they couldn\u2019t play that whole first year they were still super involved. They helped us practice and to prepare for our matches. They were our best scout team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aquiningoc cited McKennah\u2019s leadership as a big reason the program has been on the rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I lead more by example \u2014 I\u2019m just always thinking,\u201d McKennah said. \u201cIf I don\u2019t say it I\u2019m usually thinking it, no matter how it comes out and I have a close relationship with our setter [Mina Orbiso]. I\u2019m super confident that I can put the ball away and I tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iamaleava, who plays club for SC Rockstar, appreciates the trust that Aquiningoc has in her.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach G gives me the space to grow as a person and a player,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m thankful because I know that on the court I can pick what I want and how I\u2019m feeling and it means a lot to me. The confidence he has in his players is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jackrabbits are seeded second in the Division 2 playoffs and host Gold Coast League champion Campbell Hall in the first round Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say this our best team, yes,\u201d McKennah said. \u201cWe have so much talent at every position. It\u2019s kind of fun because you can throw anyone out there and they\u2019ll perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Iamaleava lacks in height she makes up for with her intelligence, placement and angles that keep opponents guessing whether she will hit it down the line or crosscourt. She is adept at receiving serve and what she does in the back row is as valuable as what she does in the front row.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a short hitter you have to use the hand, hit off the block and find different kinds of shots,\u201d she said. \u201dThere\u2019s a lot to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKennah\u2019s stats from Poly\u2019s regular-season finale at Redondo Union on Wednesday reflect how complete a player she is. She had 22 kills, 14 digs, six blocks and did not miss a single serve in the Jackrabbits\u2019 five-set victory.<\/p>\n

Iamaleava is planning to major in business and is happy to the see the sport grow so much since she started playing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s volleyball is getting so much attention and I love it because it encourages all of the younger players to keep doing it,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat do I want to do long-term? Something with a sport but I\u2019m still deciding if I want to keep playing volleyball or just stay around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the short term, Iamaleava wants to conclude her high school career with a medal around her neck and make her family proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat pressure turns into a motivation to keep pushing ourselves,\u201d she said. \u201cFor Ellie and I there\u2019s a really high ceiling with our older siblings and we try to live up to that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whenever a teammate needs a pep talk McKennah Iamaleava is quick to give it \u2014 a skill one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[193900,193898,1431,11348,131,133,132,1741,193899,193896,193897,126067,9442,29323,4576,193901,7496,2468],"class_list":["post-500090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-aquiningoc","tag-ellie","tag-family","tag-home-game","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-lot","tag-madden","tag-mckennah","tag-mckennah-iamaleava","tag-nico","tag-player","tag-poly","tag-program","tag-section-division","tag-sport","tag-volleyball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}