University of Minnesota Athletics
Branagh Named AVP's Offensive Player of Year
10/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
University of Minnesota alum Nicole Branagh was named the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Best Offensive Player, announced Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Branagh returned to peak form in 2015, earning the best offensive player accolades for a second time in her career, last in 2009. The AVP veteran and Olympian proved to be lethal at the net, recording the most kills among all women with 529 kills in 955 attacks with just 108 errors to record a .441 hitting percentage.
Branagh and her partner Jenny Kropp were also named Women's Team of the Year. The duo paired up for the first time in 2015 after spending years on opposite sides of the net. The Tour’s best offensive player and best blocker combined to be the most impressive team on the women’s side, earning four finals berths and finishing no lower than ninth in 2015. For Kropp, it is her first-ever AVP Team of the Year award, and it marks the second time Branagh has won – she also won in 2009 with Elaine Youngs.
The year-end honors were awarded based on statistics, player votes and points earned during the 2015 tour season. Ten players were nominated in the categories of best defensive player, best blocker and best server, based on statistics (blocks, digs and aces recorded per set, with a minimum of 30 sets played to qualify for the category), with the winner being chosen by votes cast by active AVP players. Similarly, the top 10 offensive players were nominated based on hitting percentage (with a minimum of 600 attacks to qualify), with the winner also being selected by AVP players.
Winners in the categories of most valuable player and most improved player were selected by AVP athletes through a write-in ballot. Teams were nominated in the category of team of the year based on tournament wins and overall points earned in 2015, with the winner being selected in a vote cast by the AVP players.
Branagh began her career at Minnesota in 1997. Following an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention freshman season, she emerged as a star in 1998, when she earned First Team All-Big Ten recognition. In 1999, she was again named First Team All-Big Ten and added an All-America honor to her resume. As a senior in 2000, she earned her third consecutive First Team All-Big Ten selection, becoming the third player in program history to accomplish that feat, as well as her second straight All-America nod. She was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year that season.
Statistically, Branagh was in a class of her own after four seasons at the U. Her 2,379 career kills are the most in school history and, at the time, set a new mark for the entire Big Ten conference. That total was also sixth-best in NCAA history, an accomplishment made even more impressive considering Branagh played fewer games than any of the five women ahead of her on the all-time list. Her career kills total remains among the top 15 in NCAA history.
