Aleah Hayes completed six seasons at Trinity Valley Community College and then went on to complete a spring season at SIU Carbondale in 2025. During her time at Trinity Valley (2019-2024), she helped lead the Cardinals to 3 straight NJCAA National Tournament appearances in 2022, 2023, 2024 along with 2 back to back Region XIV Titles (2023 & 2023). Hayes coached numerous All American and All Region players including 4 straight Region XIV Setter of the Year players.

Hayes assumed her first head coaching job at the college level at Trinity Valley Community College in 2019 after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Columbia College, her Alma mater. In addition, she was an assistant at Evangel University and two years as a graduate assistant at Columbia. In 2018, the Cougars finished as the NAIA National Runners Up. In 2015, the Cougars won the NAIA National Championship.

As a college athlete, Hayes played at Texas Tech University in 2009 & 2010 earning first team Academic All-Big 12 selection in her second year. Hayes concluded her career at Columbia College (MO) in 2011 & 2012 where she was an All American Honorable Mention honoree, a scholar-athlete and received the AMC Champions of Character award in both 2011 and 2012. In 2012, Hayes was on a NAIA National Runners Up team.

In 2016, Hayes was awarded the 30 Under 30 Award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and in 2017 earned the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Wynn Award. In 2024, she was part of the Columbia College Athletic Hall of Fame Induction for the 2015 NAIA National Championship Team. In 2010, she earned a silver medal at the USAV Beach High Performance National Tournament hosted in Oakland, California.