Tennessee volleyball senior libero/defensive specialist Raegan Burns reached a career milestone on Senior Day. Burns recorded her 1,000th dig during Sunday’s sweep over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Going into the match, Burns had amassed a team-leading 237 digs this season alone. 

Prior to her transfer to Rocky Top, Burns spent three seasons at Kansas, where she played in 62 matches, posting 756 digs, 249 assists, and 32 aces. She missed the 2025 season due to injury. Before she arrived in Knoxville, head coach Eve Rackham Watt made it clear that she wanted her to be totally ready before returning to the floor after her ACL and meniscus surgery.

“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 told me in a previous interview. “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 returned to the floor less than 12 months after her injury, and she quickly turned into one of the most important pieces on this Lady Vols team. Sunday, in the sweep over Alabama, Burns had six digs, seven assists and two aces, with one service error. After the match, I asked Rackham Watt about Burns and what she's brought to the team.

“Rae is just like the ultimate teammate and the maturity and just level-headed," Rackham Watt said. "She’s so level and calm out there. I think you guys don’t see it on the stat sheet, but the serves that she handles and how good she is at that first contact. And I thought tonight was probably one of her best serving matches of the year. But she was just such a calm player. And I think for this group, that’s been really important.

"Highly competitive, but also doesn’t get rattled and has a lot of experience under her belt as well. I think for her, it’s a great milestone. I’m glad we had an opportunity to do that at home and celebrate it. But I think there’s more to come for Raegan. As she continues to get healthier and stronger, she’s gotten better throughout the season. But I still wouldn’t say she’s at 100% because it’s a long recovery for her. So we’ve got more in the tank for Raegan and looking forward to seeing her continue to develop.”

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One of her best outings came on the road in a win over Arkansas. Burns recorded a season-high 23 digs with six assists. Without digs, a lot of points would be left off the board. Her ability to react quickly, be consistent and help set her team up for success can’t be overlooked.

“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.”

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