SPRINGDALE — Anna Holcomb was initially reluctant of the idea of playing volleyball at Ouachita Baptist.
After all, her parents are from Arkadelphia and she envisioned attending a college in another city. But as time passed, OBU began to sound like an appealing option to the Springdale High libero.
Holcomb made it official Wednesday afternoon, signing a national letter of intent with the Lady Tigers during a ceremony inside the Bulldog Gymnasium.
“It feels so good,” Holcomb said. “I never thought this is actually going to happen, so it’s really neat to actually have it locked in.”
Holcomb is the second player in Amanda Williford’s short stint as the Springdale coach to sign with a college, and soon the two former Lady Bulldog players will be teammates.
When Holcomb arrives at OBU, she’ll join Lauren Perry, who starred at Springdale in 2010 and is now a sophomore outside hitter for the Lady Tigers. Holcomb said she knew Perry a little bit through club volleyball, but they weren’t teammates in high school since Holcomb played at Springdale Har-Ber when Perry was at Springdale.
The Lady Bulldogs relied on Holcomb to provide solid defense during her senior season. She led the team with 385 digs and ranked second with 27 aces, helping Springdale advance to the first round of the Class 7A State Tournament.
“She just knows volleyball, and it’s not just about being an athlete. It’s about being an all-around team player,” Williford said of Holcomb. “And I think the girls fed off of her with her energy and her knowledge and just her fun, bubbly personality.”
Holcomb, who was twice named to the 7A/6A-West All-Conference Team, said she had a tryout with John Brown University. But she admitted that OBU was her top choice all along.
“We just kind of had an open mind, and OBU was kind of it from the beginning,” Holcomb said.