South OKC News

New Oklahoma head volleyball coach Aaron Mansfield announced Tuesday the addition of transfer Lydia Burts for the 2023 season. Burts, a 6-3 middle blocker, will join the Sooners after playing the last three seasons at Liberty.

"We are extremely excited to add Lydia to our program," Mansfield said. "She has a great presence at the net as a blocker and is able to score points from many different spots on the court as an attacker. What stuck out to us the most about Lydia, though, was her servant leadership style, her commitment to personal growth and desire to continue playing volleyball beyond college. We are excited to be a part of her journey and we can't wait to immerse her into our program."

At Liberty, Burts was named to the ASUN All-Conference first team in 2022, her second career all-conference honor. She finished last season ranked second in the ASUN in hitting percentage both overall (.362) and in conference play (.364), while leading the league with 140 blocks. Burts finished third on the team with 326 kills and led the squad (ranked fourth in the conference) with 433 total points.

Burts entered her junior season with eight career double-digit kill matches and recorded 20 10-kill matches in 2022. She registered 10-plus kills in 10 straight matches, the longest double-digit kill streak by a Liberty middle blocker since 2004. She finished with a career-high 19 kills and a .621 hitting percentage at Bellarmine on Oct. 7, 2022. Burts was a member of the 2020 recruiting class which received "Highest Honorable Mention" from PrepVolleyball.com.

Prior to college, Burts was a middle blocker for three years at T.L. Hanna High School before sitting out her senior season due to injury. She was a two-time all-region performer and was named to the AAAA All-State team in 2018 when she led the state of South Carolina with 181 blocks. As a sophomore, she hit .387 and added 121 blocks. Burts also played club volleyball for Upward Stars Volleyball Club National 18U. Excelling in the classroom, Burts was a member of the Beta Club, Interact Club, Random Acts of Kindness and National Honor Society.

"The coaching staff has such a great vision for the direction of the program," Burts said. "The team was welcoming and I could see myself fitting right in. I'm looking forward to getting pushed past my limits alongside the most supportive people with the same goals."

A native of Anderson, S.C., Burts plans to pursue a master's degree in social work. She has an older sister, Rachel, who played volleyball at North Greenville before transferring to Anderson (S.C.). 

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