The LRSC Royals Volleyball team is excited to announce the signing of Mariana Esguerra de Pombo, an opposite/middle hitter from Cartegena, Colombia.

The LRSC Royals Volleyball team is excited to announce the signing of Mariana Esguerra de Pombo, an opposite/middle hitter from Cartegena, Colombia. Mariana will be transferring to LRSC after spending one season at Neosho Community College in Kansas. She brings experience at the JUCO level and has also had a successful club volleyball career back home.

Mariana has had a very decorated volleyball career. She was the captain of her club team in Colombia for six years, and won the Dream Team award after winning the national title. Additionally, Mariana received the Most Valuable Athlete award during her high school graduation, won a national championship three consecutive years representing her city, and was selected to be a part of the the Colombian National team that competed in the AAU Junior Nationals from 2019 to 2022.

On asked why she chose to become a Royal, Mariana had this to say: "I chose LRSC because from the first moment, I felt it was the right place for me, it feels like the perfect place to grow both as an athlete and as a person. Their strong volleyball program, supportive environment, and commitment to excellence made me confident that this is where I can take my academic and athletic career to the next level. Volleyball has been my passion for as long as I can remember, and finding the right place to continue chasing my dreams and goals was important to me. I wanted a program that would push me to be the best version of myself both as a person and as an athlete, and I have no doubt that I made the best decision. I can't wait to see everything we will achieve together and so excited and ready to give my all to this new chapter."

Waddell has this to say about Mariana: "I am thrilled to have Mariana join us this fall and add to our already strong recruiting class! I knew within the first minute of speaking to her that she was everything that we look for in a Royals Volleyball player. She has had a very decorated career as a volleyball player, but it was clear from watching her play, that she also plays with a lot of joy, passion, and intensity. I am confident that she will be an extremely positive addition to our team and to the LRSC community as a whole!"

The Royals will be very exciting to watch next season with a lot of local talent and strong players from around the world! The season will open the weekend of August 22-23 at the Opening Weekend Tournament in Rockford, Illinois.