Born and raised in Riverside, CA, Lea Anderson was an avid basketball player, playing since the age of 8. In her sophomore year at John W. North High School, she was recruited to play volleyball and made the varsity team. She would continue to play basketball and run track until her senior year when she finally decided to solely pursue volleyball.
Lea attended San Bernardino Valley College where she only played one year due a knee injury. She then moved to New York City to pursue a career in sports and finish her studies at Fordham University. She graduated with a BA in communications and media studies with a minor in business administration. During her senior year she was a staff writer at the Fordham Observer covering volleyball, football and basketball.
During her time in New York, Lea continued playing competitively indoors in the USAV Garden Empire and Keystone regions. She has competed at the USA Adult Nationals tournaments in New Orleans (2006), Austin (2007) and Phoenix (2010) playing in division A and BB. In Phoenix, her team would place 3rd in the gold bracket. Lea has also played numerous grass doubles tournaments competing in the biggest grass tournament in the Northeast in Pottstown, PA.
In 2008, she partnered with her friend to fundraise for the Starlings Volleyball Club in New York City. Their mission was to provide inner city minority and lower income girls with the opportunity to play club volleyball. Together with friends and fellow volleyball players, they would raise over $2000 that would help provide transportation for all of the teams. It was this experience that would lead Lea to have a strong desire to coach.
In 2010, Lea was offered the opportunity to coach at Downstate Volleyball Club in Peekskill, NY. She was an assistant coach for the 15’s national travel team that would eventually finish third in their region and finish in the top 20 at the DC Classic.
Professionally, Lea has 10 years experience working in marketing and communications at some of the top financial services firms in NYC. She spent two years at the National Football League where she worked in business development and strategic planning for America’s #1 sport. Currently, she is freelancing and writes a blog about the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles sports scene.