Biography
2021 (Senior): Played and started in all 24 matches ... Was only Lion to start and play in all 24 matches ... Finished second on the team in total points (210.5), total blocks (62.0), blocks per set (0.73) and hitting percentage (.268) ... Ended the season with 175 total kills and 2.06 kills per set ... Had seven matches with at least 10 kills ... In back-to-back wins (Sept. 10-11) recorded 10 kills, finishing with 10 kills against St. Francis Brooklyn (Sept. 10) and 10 kills against Iona (Sept. 11) ... Posted 10 kills in Columbia's win against Akron (Sept. 18) and against Yale (Oct. 1) ... Had back-to-back matches with season-high five blocks against Brown (Oct. 2) and Penn (Oct. 8) ... In straight set win at Harvard (Oct. 16) recorded 11 kills ... Had season-highs in kills (14) and hitting percentage (.444) against Rider (Oct. 20) ... Recorded 10 kills against Harvard (Nov. 5).
2020 (Junior): Season canceled (COVID-19).
2019 (Sophomore): Suffered injury in opening match against Howard (Sept. 6) and did not play in any matches through the season.
2018 (First-Year): Played in 17 of 24 matches, making 16 starts during the season ... Was second on the team in total blocks recording 51 blocks (eight BS; 43 BA) and blocks per set (0.85) .... Finished fifth on the team with 117 kills ... Averaged 1.95 kills per set, fourth-best on the team ... Began the season with a season-high seven blocks in first ever collegiate match against URI (Aug. 31), adding 10 kills during the match ... Smoked 14 kills, a career-high, vs. DU (Sept. 1), adding two blocks ... Tied season-high in blocks (seven) two times, after setting mark in season opener, first vs. Brown (Oct. 6) and shortly after at Harvard (Oct. 26) ... Had 10 kills vs. Penn (Nov. 3) in home finale.
High School: Four-year letterwinner and three-year captain at Gulliver Prep in Miami, Florida ... Led the Raiders to three district finals appearances, including the district title as a senior ... PrepVolleyball.com 2014 Frosh Top 49, 2015 Top 79 Sophomores, 2016 Top 50 Juniors, 2017-18 Senior Aces “The 150” and a 2017 Player to Watch ... AVCA Phenom Elite high school student-athlete four years in a row ... Gulliver Prep’s Offensive Player of the Year three times (2015, 2016, 2017) ... Selected All-Miami-Dade County twice ... 2017 All-State honoree ... Member of Team Florida for USAV High Performance and took first place in 2015 ... Member of National Society of High School Scholars ... Member of French Honors Society
Personal: Born Feb. 25, 2000 in Miami, Florida ... Daughter of Diana Valbuena and Diego Lamus ... Intends to study economics and political science ... Chose Columbia over a number of other interested schools, including Penn, Cornell, Yale, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Miami, UNC, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Arizona, West Virginia, Villanova and San Diego State ... Can speak four languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese and French).
