Addie Thomas starts freshman year off strong for Nebraska Wesleyan
LINCOLN, Neb. (BVM) — Addie Thomas knew she wanted to play volleyball at the collegiate level at an early age. Having started in the second grade, Thomas fell in love with the sport through her YMCA team until fifth grade when she switched to a club team, and then at Elkhorn High School. From there, her positive attitude and talent led her to represent the gold and black at Nebraska Wesleyan.
A freshman outside hitter at Nebraska Wesleyan, Thomas plays as an outside hitter for the Prairie Wolves. While it might seem like a shock to play in the starting lineup as a freshman, this was not new to Thomas.
“We had a very young team freshman year of high school, so I was thrown into the lineup early on, ” Thomas said. “This boosted my confidence and being able to handle pressure situations since freshman year in high school has helped me here.”
In high school, she knew she wanted to play in college because of her teammates and the fun she had playing high-level games such as at the state tournament her sophomore and senior year.
“One of my favorite times was senior year because we made it to the second round which was like the first time in 15 years for Elkhorn,” Thomas said.
Her sophomore year also included a highlight when she earned a career-high 26 kills.
When deciding on what college to play at, it was not a hard decision since both parents went to Wesleyan and she had grown up knowing about the college. The volleyball team’s coach, Rayna Cain, also attracted her to the college.
“Coach was one of the first to reach out to me which made me feel like she actually wanted me and to be a part of the family,” Thomas said.
Thomas also gets to do the triple jump for the track team, another reason why she decided to come to Lincoln.
“I was worried about having to choose but here I get to do both, which is pretty awesome,” Thomas said.
Thomas is looking forward to seeing how the team comes together since they are starting to gel and it feels like a family already.
“I think we have a lot of potential,” Thomas said. “Everyone is super inviting and welcoming. I love Wesleyan because it’s smaller so a lot of people know each other. It’s been so fun and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
