Bio

Jacob Laikona joined the SMCC women's volleyball coaching staff as an assistant coach in June 2026 and brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Cougars. 

Laikona currently serves as the Head Coach for the 15 Nationals and 18 Mana Wahine Koa teams at LVL UP Volleyball, where he continues to develop athletes both on and off the court. During the 2024–2025 club season, he had the opportunity to compete at the USAV 18s National Championships, an experience that further strengthened his passion for high-level athlete development and competition.

After serving as a 12U coach for his daughter's team at Hybrid Volleyball Club, Laikona founded Club Mana in 2017 and led the organization through 2025. He coached every age level from 12U to 18U. One of his proudest accomplishments was helping more than 50 student-athletes achieve their dreams of playing college volleyball, ranging from junior colleges to NCAA Division I programs.

At the high school level, Laikona has served as the Head Coach of both the girls' and boys' varsity volleyball programs at McClintock High School for the past seven seasons. Under his leadership, the girls' program has qualified for the state playoffs in each of the past five seasons, while the boys' program has reached the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The girls' teams captured Region Championships in 2023 and 2025, and Laikona received Region Coach of the Year in both seasons. In 2024, the boys' program won a Region Championship, and he was once again recognized as Coach of the Year.

Laikona spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Phoenix College. The experience gave him a deeper understanding of the day-to-day operations of college volleyball while continuing to help student-athletes prepare for and reach the next level.

Laikona was a multi-sport athlete at Tempe High School, competing in men's volleyball, football, basketball, wrestling, and track & field. He was a four-year varsity starter in volleyball, earning numerous honors as a senior. He received Region Player of the Year and First Team All-Region honors, First Team All-Tempe honors, and a selection to the 2001 Arizona North All-Star Team.