Nicole Christine Branagh (born January 31, 1979, in Orinda, California)[1] is an American volleyball player. She has represented the United States in international competition as a member of both the indoor and beach national teams. With partner Elaine Youngs, Branagh competed in the beach volleyball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing fifth. She currently plays beach volleyball professionally as a right-side defender.[1]
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Branagh serving at the 2009 AVP San Francisco Open finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Nicole Christine Branagh January 31, 1979 Orinda, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hometown | Torrance, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beach volleyball information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current teammate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Career
editBranagh played collegiately at the University of Minnesota.[2] She was twice named to the All-America Second Team as an outside hitter.[3] She also was the Big Ten's co-Player of the Year in her senior season.[4] Following graduation, she played for the United States women's national volleyball team from 2001 to 2003,[4] finishing her national career after the 2003 Pan American Games, where she won a bronze medal[5] and was the top scorer.
After spending the 2004 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton,[4] Branagh began playing beach volleyball on the AVP Pro Tour and the FIVB World Tour. She has won 17 AVP events and 3 FIVB World Tour events over the course of her career.[6] She was named the AVP Rookie of the Year in 2005 and the Most Improved Player in 2006 and 2008.[7] She partnered with Holly McPeak for much of the 2006 season, before teaming up with Elaine Youngs for the remainder of the 2006 season and up until the 2009 season.[8][9] Branagh and Youngs competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics where they came in fifth.[9][5]
Personal life
editBranagh lives in Southern California with her wife and two children.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Team Details: Branagh/Walsh USA". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "Gophers in the Pros: Nicole Branagh". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-America History (through 2017 season): Minnesota (21/32)" (PDF). American Volleyball Coaches Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c "2004 Volleyball: Nicole Branagh". Cal State Fullerton Titans. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "Nicole Branagh". www.teamusa.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ "Nicole Branagh: Victories". Beach Volleyball Database. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "AVP Pro Tour Athlete Nicole Branagh". AVP Beach Volleyball. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "Nicole Branagh: 2004–07". Beach Volleyball Database. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "Nicole Branagh: 2008–13". Beach Volleyball Database. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "Nicole Branagh". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
External links
edit- Nicole Branagh at the Association of Volleyball Professionals
- Nicole Branagh at the Beach Volleyball Major Series
- Nicole Branagh at the FIVB beach volleyball database
- Nicole Branagh at the Beach Volleyball Database
- Nicole Branagh at Team USA (archive November 29, 2022)
- Nicole Branagh at Olympics.com
- Nicole Branagh at Olympedia