“You can’t get the swings and you can’t get the blocks if you’re not digging the ball first. Keeping the ball up on our side of the court is the first step.”
For Tennessee volleyball, that important first step is led by libero Raegan Burns. Going into conference play, Burns leads the Lady Vols with 92 digs in 31 sets played. You may tend to overlook Burns on the stat sheet as a defensive specialist. In this sport, everyone’s intrigued by the powerful kills and the dominant blocks at the net. However, without her ability, those things would be negatively impacted.
Selfless people build some of the best teams. Burns knows that, and in our conversation she was quick to let me know the team as a whole is that way.
“I was just having a conversation with one of my teammates, and it’s like, you could have the worst night of your career and your team still wins,” Burns said. “And honestly, that’s a great thing, because you don’t always have to be perfect for your team to win. So that’s a big mindset piece. I don’t always have to be the one that’s having the great night for my team to win. But if we win, it’s a great night.”
That mindset can be hard for some athletes to grasp. Everyone would like to think every team has a healthy culture, but that is not true. It starts at the top. Before Burns ever received her first serve at Tennessee, she knew this was the place because of the understanding and patient support head coach Eve Rackham Watt showed her.
Burns spent her first three collegiate seasons at Kansas. She played in 62 matches there and recorded 756 digs, 249 assists and 32 aces. In her last season there, however, she tore her ACL and meniscus. When she entered the portal, she found a welcoming staff in Knoxville. They gave her the time she needed to make sure she was ready.
“When I came here, the coaches were super understanding,” Burns said. “They knew my situation, my injury, they knew all of that, and they just made it really clear they weren’t going to rush my process or rush when I needed to be back.”
Not only did they give Burns the time she needed, they instilled confidence in her that when she returned to the floor, they could trust her to do the job. They also didn’t pressure her to be at her best right off. That was all the comfort Burns needed.
Even with her knee feeling right, there was still the mental side of it. When coming back from a major injury, a player may second guess some things just a bit.
“I had a lot of talks with Eve, our head coach, about how I feel so good physically, and I’m not thinking about my knee when I’m playing,” Burns said. “But I also felt like, just because you mentally aren’t in the game for a year, I was having moments in practice or in a game where I’d be like, oh, I feel like I should be having this ball. I feel like I should have more confidence to be that libero and go take the ball or something like that.”
Burns played her first match for Tennessee a little under 12 months after the injury. Along with those talks with Rackham Watt, she has worked with a sports psychologist. The continued support that the staff and athletic department has poured into Burns is a testament to the quality of people at Tennessee.
So, when did this journey begin? Burns grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, and has been around the game for most of her life.
“I started playing when I was 5 years old, which is kind of crazy to think about now, that I’ve been playing for that long,” Burns said. “In elementary school and middle school, I played the other sports like kids do. I played soccer for a second, and gymnastics and things like that. But volleyball always clicked for me, and I always had the most fun when I was playing it.”
By middle school, she had made up her mind that volleyball was it. A big part of the appeal for Burns was how much the sport depends on everyone on the floor.
“I always had a passion for a team sport, and I feel like volleyball is the ultimate team sport,” Burns said. “You’re always relying on other people to help you out.”
That commitment paid off at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette. Burns helped McCutcheon win four conference championships, two regional championships, a semi-state championship and a state championship.
She was named first-team all-state by the Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association and earned MaxPreps All-American honors in both 2021 and 2022. She finished her prep career with more than 200 aces, including 34 digs in the state semifinals. Additionally, she was also an AAU Academic All-American.
Her family made a lot of that possible. Burns spent her early years tagging along to her older sister Haley’s soccer tournaments. Once Haley left for college, all of the focus at home shifted to Burns.
“They always joke that it was a good thing I was basically like an only child growing up, because my sister is six years older than me,” Burns said. “She had her time. But then she went off to college and wasn’t home, so they could put a lot of time into driving me an hour to club practice and an hour back, which was a big thing, and going to weekend tournaments with me and coming back. So they spent a lot of their time and well-earned money and effort just to get me to where I am today.”
It’s always amazing to hear of supportive parents, like Rachel and Sam Burns, who remain in attendance for games, even though they live hours away. It’s about an eight-hour drive from Lafayette, Indiana, to Lawrence, Kansas. And it is just over six hours from her hometown to Knoxville.
“My whole college career, I could count on two hands how many games they’ve missed,” Burns said. “They’re always in the stands, my biggest cheerleaders.”
Leaving a legacy is often talked about, especially in sports. Whenever Burns’ time in Knoxville comes to an end, she knows what she wants to leave behind.
“A big thing for me has always been being able to be a great teammate no matter what,” Burns said. “Being out for a year last year was the ultimate test for me. I wasn’t contributing on the court, obviously. So just learning how to communicate and give my all, even when I can’t physically be giving on the court.”
On the court, that shows up in the consistency she brings to the back row.
“As a libero, being consistent is one of the best things you can be, because your job is to put up a great pass,” Burns said. “You’re not getting the big kills, you’re not getting the big blocks.”
She may not be in the headlines, but every kill and block for the Lady Vols starts with that first step. More often than not, Raegan Burns is the one taking it.
