Senior and student athlete, Loren Burton is not ending her volleyball career just yet. After about ten total years of club and high school volleyball, Loren has decided to take the next step by continuing her career at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The NAIA division school will be taking Loren under their wing not just academically, but athletically as well. 

Loren had a wide range of schools and decisions (Including Thomas Moore, Kentucky Christian, Montana State University Billings, and some in Texas), and she liked many things about MVNU. “The team culture there was amazing, and I also like the school.” In her deciding factors, Loren explains what set MVNU apart from other schools. “At Mount Vernon, my first visit there, I not only met with the team and whole coaching staff, but I also met with professors as well. And that was really helpful in my deciding factors. I got to know more about not only the volleyball program, but the education part too.” As a player, Loren has decided to forward her career because of “My love for the game, and also the fact that if I play I’ll get money from scholarships” Loren says what she is looking most forward to for playing is the competitive level which MVNU is at, as well as the high level of competition. “The competition is going to be on a whole other level. I’m looking forward to that, but also nervous about that because I’ve only played in high school and club settings. Not like super competitive collegiate settings.” Balancing schoolwork and volleyball will be harder in her coming years Loren fears. “There’s like 3-4 games a week, and 5 hours away. It’s going to be tough to balance school work.” 

Loren was a varsity player her freshman year and to her, she was “super nervous and a timid player”. During her years playing, Loren says she has improved her mental game as well as her physical game. “I’ve gotten more in shape and more aggressive at the net.” For Loren, switching her mindset from high school into the college playing mindset will be easy for her. She visited multiple open gyms over the summer. “I personally find it easier playing with them, because it’s a different variety of players from all over.” Heading into college, Loren says she will be taking the piece of advice, “if you mess up move on” which she has learned from many coaches throughout her career so far. “Volleyball is a game of mistakes, so I’m going to have to learn that.”