Nicole Branagh (born January 31, 1979 in Orinda,
California) is an American volleyball player. She
played internationally for the US National team in
indoor play and is currently on the AVP tour playing
beach volleyball professionally.
Branagh played collegiately at the University of
Minnesota. She was twice named to the All-America
Second Team as an outside hitter. She also was the
Big Ten's co-Player of the Year in her senior
season. Following graduation, she played for the US
National team from 2001 to 2003, finishing her
national career after the 2003 Pan American Games,
where she won a Bronze Medal.
After spending a season as an assistant coach at
Cal-State Fullerton, Branagh joined the AVP tour.
She has had relatively good success on the AVP tour:
she was named the AVP Rookie of the Year in 2005 and
its Most Improved Player in 2006. She partnered with
Olympian Holly McPeak for much of the 2006 season
before partnering with Elaine Youngs, McPeak's
partner in the 2004 Summer Olympics, for the
remainder of the 2006 season and the 2007 season.
