MEET THE OWNER
Hi my name is Ashley Lee-Maldonado!
I absolutely love working with athletes and their parents. Everyday I look forward to seeing my athletes smile, especially when it’s about volleyball, school, or life.
I created RAKI Volleyball when I was 17 as a side job. I started with 1 lesson per week and have grown.
Growing up, I was always short. I was 5’0” my freshman year of high school and currently I'm 5’8” with shoes! Everyone always told me NO. NO you will never play Division 1. NO you will not be good at volleyball. NO you cannot make the team. I was only 15 and already had enough NO's to crush all my dreams. I never took NO for an answer and it led me to where I am now.
It was when I was 15 that Hall of Fame Honoree, Gene Selznick took me under his wing, gave me a chance, and taught me a whole new level of volleyball. USA Volleyball says, “Gene Selznick was one of the most talented volleyball players on both the indoor and beach courts... he was the All-Time Great Male Player.” And this he was. He showed me what it felt like to have a volleyball mentor and someone who really cared despite of what I looked like.
“Young people need models, not critics” - John Wooden
With the great mentors in my life, it led me to playing for two Division 1 colleges, Long Beach State and The University of Hawaii (Beach Volleyball). I then went on to play professionally in Switzerland for NUC Volleyball. I coached collegiately for the Beach Volleyball team at Concordia University while achieving a Masters degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration.
I want to continue on the legacy and give athletes a chance. At RAKI Volleyball, we believe that everyone is different and that is something to be celebrated. Every athlete will bring their own personality and skill set. We hand pick our coaches and train them to adjust to the athletes skill sets. RAKI is a place to learn new skills, enhance prior skills, and to mentor athletes to shine with confidence.
I absolutely love my job and the coaches I work with!
If you’d like to book a lesson, contact us at (949) 614-2081.
XOXO, Ashley Lee-Maldonado
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