Chattanooga volleyball saw its first transfer portal addition of 2025 come in this past week, as head coach and Director of Volleyball Julie Torbett Thomas confirmed the signing of Old Dominion’s Bailey Burgess on Monday.
A native to Raleigh, North Carolina, with a six-foot-one frame, Burgess joins UTC’s 2025 roster having spent the previous three years with Old Dominion in the Sun Belt Conference. Burgess comes to the Scenic City with two years of athletic eligibility remaining.
“I am excited about adding Bailey to the team,” Torbett Thomas said.
“We were in need of an experienced middle blocker and Bailey has the size and experience we were looking for to come in right away to contribute to our program. I’ve only heard positive things about her from former teammates and coaches, so I am eager to get her in the gym this spring.”
Despite not playing for the Monarchs in 2024, Burgess was an impactful player for ODU in her first two seasons playing under head coach Fred Chao, having led her team in blocks in back-to-back seasons as an underclassman.
Her freshman season saw Burgess start in 27 of her 28 appearances for the team, logging 172 kills, 99 blocks, 52 digs, 23 aces and five assists. Burgess would finish with 10+ kills in a total of three matches, including logging a career-high 12 kills Sun Belt Tournament matchup against Arkansas State.
Burgess’ freshman season concluded with her ranking eighth overall in the SBC in blocks per set (0.97) on the year. A highlight of her rookie campaign came at the Virginia Tech Invitational, where she garnered All-Tournament Team honors after tallying 19 kills (1.73 kills/set) and 16 blocks (1.46 blocks/set) over the course of the three-match tournament in Blacksburg.
As a sophomore, Burgess made a massive step up in her defensive game after starting in 30 of her 31 match appearances for the Monarchs. Burgess would end her year with 112 total blocks, marking a single-season program record for Old Dominion. Her freshman year total of 99 total blocks ranks tied for fourth in program history and marked the most blocks by an ODU freshman all-time.
Her season totals included recording 154 kills with a .310 hitting percentage alongside an additional 32 digs, 21 aces and five assists. Burgess ended up wrapping up the 2023 season having logged 5+ blocks in a total of 12 matches for the Monarchs, including tying her career-high of nine blocks in a 3-0 sweep victory at Power 4 foe West Virginia.
Prior to her time at Old Dominion, Burgess was a four-year starter and letterwinner at Wakefield High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she ended her career as a four-time All-Conference selection and two-time Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Her senior season at Wakefield saw Burgess garner Second Team All-State recognition along with being named to the AVCA All-American Watch List as well as the Under Armour All-American Watch List.
Born March 15, 2004, Bailey is the daughter of Tim and Candice Burgess. Additionally, she has two siblings: Tyson and Roz. Her father Tim played football at North Carolina from 1996-2000, where he was a linebacker under head coaches Mack Brown and Carl Torbush. She intends on majoring in Integrated Studies with an emphasis on Cybersecurity while attending UTC.