A long time dream came true for Powell High School senior Addi Holcomb when she signed her letter of intent on Wednesday, March 19 to continue her volleyball career at NCAA Division II school Montana State University-Billings this fall.

Falling in love with volleyball came at a young age for Holcomb, who was introduced to the sport through her mom, Kelly.

“My mom introduced me to the sport when I was about 6 and it’s just been my favorite sport ever since. I just kept playing and loved making friends through it,” Holcomb said.

Holcomb’s high school career largely took place in Oregon before she and her family moved to Powell this past season for the final year of high school. She applauded the Panther girls and staff for making it a strong environment from the start.

“They were all so welcoming when I came, it just made it easy to just jump in and start playing with them,” Holcomb said. “They (the coaches) definitely made it so much fun every practice and they challenged us every day and helped us grow a lot. [They] made a really positive environment.”

In her lone season as a Panther, Holcomb was named to the 3A All-State team and recorded 270 kills on a .201 hitting percentage, while adding 229 digs, 57 total blocks and 64 aces as an outside hitter for Powell.

Holcomb was a key player on a Panther team that finished third at the state tournament and second at the 3A West Regionals.

She said this one season as a Panther helped her learn how to compete with a new group of people, and she is hopeful that will transition to the next level in Billings.

“I think it just showed to myself that I can go somewhere different and play with a new group of people and still find success. A lot of it’s thanks to them for helping me get here,” Holcomb said. “I’ll already know what it’s like to come play somewhere and have to just adjust to the changes.”

Moving on to the next level and signing with the Yellowjackets came in a hurry, as Holcomb came into contact with the program through her club coach in Montana before visiting the campus.

“It (the recruiting process) was a lot of emails sent, but I didn’t start talking to them until a few weeks ago,” Holcomb said. “My club director from the club I’m playing with now out of Bozeman, she said that she would set me up with the coach, and then a week later I went on a visit and they offered me there. It just felt right.”

As she stays close to her new home and heads to Billings for school, Holcomb wants to get a good foundation in business, before pursuing one of her true passions that she discovered as a child.

“I think I’m going to go for business to get a good base, and then after that I want to be a helicopter pilot,” Holcomb said.

She said that passion initially started with fighter jets before transitioning towards helicopters.

“When I was little I always liked fighter jets and stuff, and then I found helicopters, and I just thought they were so cool. So that’s something that’s interested me for a long time,” Holcomb said.

She will join the Yellowjackets, who are seeking to continue improving their record after finishing 7-21 this past season after a 3-25 2023 season. They haven’t recorded a winning full season as a program since 2009.