Official VaSID All-State Release

The Liberty volleyball team has placed a program record-tying four players on the 2022 VaSID University Division Volleyball All-State team.

Liberty juniors Kamryn Bacus (outside hitter), Lydia Burts (middle blocker) and Delaney Dilfer (setter) were all named to the first team, while sophomore middle blocker Madison Blane received second-team honors.

Nomination and voting for the team is conducted by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). The all-state team honors the best Division I volleyball players in the Commonwealth of Virginia. A total of six schools were represented on the all-state team this year. Liberty led all schools with four selections, followed by three each from James Madison and Virginia .

These four players helped the Lady Flames post a 23-9 overall record, their most wins in a single season since the 2014 campaign. Liberty went 14-2 in ASUN play, earning its first ASUN regular-season title. The Lady Flames tied a program record with 14 conference wins this season and took a 12-match winning streak into the ASUN final before falling to No. 2 seed FGCU. For the second time in program history, the Lady Flames hosted the first two rounds of the Women’s National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

The Lady Flames have tied a program record with four All-State players this season, matching their previous record of four, set in 2019. Liberty also tied its program record for first team All-State honorees, as three Lady Flames were named to the first team in both 2012 and 2019.

Burts receives her second career All-State honor, as she was voted to the second team during the spring of 2021, while the other five Lady Flames were named All-State for the first time.

A native of Edmond, Okla., Bacus made an immediate impact at Liberty during her first year as a Lady Flame, being named to the ASUN All-Conference first team. One year after leading Lipscomb in kills, Bacus paced the Lady Flames with 357 kills (3.31 kps), ranking seventh in the ASUN in kills per set. After entering the season with seven career service aces, she finished second on the team with 34 aces. Bacus recorded 21 double-digit kill matches, including two 20-kill matches and the first five double-doubles of her career. She led Liberty with 4.11 kills per set at a .271 pace during its 12-match winning streak which was snapped in the ASUN final. Bacus scored 15 or more kills 10 times this season, the most 15-kill matches by a Lady Flame since 2019. She scored 21 kills in a three-set win over Eastern Kentucky and sent down a career-high 23 kills in the ASUN semifinal against Lipscomb.

Hailing from Anderson, S.C., Burts was named to the ASUN All-Conference first team in 2022, her second career All-Conference honor. She finished the season ranked second in the ASUN in hitting percentage both overall (.362) and in conference play (.364), while leading the ASUN with 140 blocks. Burts finished third on the team with 326 kills, leading the team and ranking fourth in the ASUN with 433 total points as a middle blocker. Burts entered the season with eight career double-digit kill matches and recorded 20 10-kill matches this year. She scored 10 or more kills in 10 straight matches, the longest double-digit kill streak by a Liberty middle blocker since 2004. She scored a career-high 19 kills at a .621 pace at Bellarmine and posted a season-best nine blocks at UC San Diego.

An Austin, Texas, native, Dilfer was named ASUN Setter of the Year while also earning ASUN All-Conference first team and ASUN All-Tournament Team honors. She revolutionized Liberty’s offense, as the Lady Flames hit .243 just one year after hitting .173 as a team. Dilfer transferred to Liberty from Lipscomb and helped the Lady Flames enter the postseason as the only NCAA Division I volleyball team with four players with 300 or more kills. Dilfer ranked third in the nation with a program 25-point rally-scoring record 1,371 assists, while also leading the ASUN with 48 aces. Dilfer posted 17 double-doubles this season, the most by a Lady Flame since the 2007 season. On Sept. 9 against UC San Diego, she became the first Lady Flame in the rally-scoring era to record 50 assists and five aces in the same match. She tied her career high with 58 assists in the ASUN quarterfinal against Stetson, one of 20 40-assist matches and nine 50-assist contests for her.

Hailing from Montgomery, Texas, Blane was Liberty’s unofficial breakthrough player of the year this season, being named to the ASUN All-Conference third team after leading the conference in blocks per set both overall (1.19) and in conference play (1.43). Blane was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. She led the ASUN with a .372 attack percentage in conference play. She recorded the first six double-digit kill matches of her career, with the first five 10-kill matches coming in a row. She averaged 2.46 kills (.479) form Oct. 1-16. Blane posted a career-high 12 blocks on Oct. 28 against Austin Peay, the most by a Liberty player in a four-set match in rally-scoring history. She scored a career-high 15 kills in the ASUN quarterfinal against Stetson.

2022 VaSID University Division All-State Volleyball Team
Player of the Year – Sophie Davis, James Madison
Defensive Player of the Year – Sophie Davis, James Madison
Rookie of the Year – Ryann Love, William & Mary
Coach of the Year – Lauren Steinbrecher, James Madison

All-State First Team
Sophie Davis, James Madison
Miette Veldman, James Madison
Grace Turner, Virginia
Delaney Dilfer, Liberty
Lydia Burts, Liberty
Kamryn Bacus, Liberty
Anna Porter, William & Mary (Libero/Defensive Specialist)

All-State Second Team
Caroline Dozier, James Madison
Abby Tadder, Virginia
Elanor Stothoff, William & Mary
Veresia Yon, Virginia
Madison Blane, Liberty
Anabel Zier, Virginia Tech
Shelby Hernandez, Radford (Libero/Defensive Specialist)

Featured in photo: Delaney Dilfer