Aleke went to Nashville and threw out her anchor. 

State singles champion at Parkway Central. Twice a finalist. Girls' 18 National Indoor Doubles Champion. Ranked No. 10 in the country. Vanderbilt snatched her. Three-time All-American, first-team All-NCAA, first-team All-SEC in both singles and doubles. Of all those honors, the Riviera doubles championship stands out most. She's still the only player to win it in consecutive years with two different partners. She left holding the school doubles records too: most career wins, best winning percentage, a 15-match streak with Kelly Schmandt that nobody's touched since. Her teams reached the national championship match, an Elite Eight, two Final Fours. 

The tour came next. She climbed as high as No. 126, picked up four ITF doubles titles, played two seasons for the St. Louis Aces, and beat Anna Kournikova somewhere along the way. That's the kind of win you'd bury a whole career under if you wanted to. 

She didn't bury it. She went back to Vanderbilt and coached as hard as she played. 

Not many players get offered their alma mater's program right when their career is winding down. Fewer take it. Aleke spent twelve years as an assistant, turning down chances to run programs elsewhere. During that stretch, she helped Vanderbilt win a national title in 2015 and was named ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2020, the job she'd been waiting for finally came: head coach. The anchor held firm. 

By 2026, the wins had piled up. March 27, Knoxville, TN. Vanderbilt against Tennessee, the Dores fell behind 1-3 early. Aleke's teams don't give up. Aleke's teams hunker down. They righted the ship and came away with a 4-3 win. Her 100th as head coach. She said afterward it was one of the most impressive wins she'd ever been part of. That same year, she was named ITA Coach of the Year again, this time as the Dores' Head Coach. 

She's an alumna, All-American, Hall of Famer, and Head Coach. She didn't have to throw out her anchor. She is the anchor. 

(2024)