Women's Volleyball
- Title:
- Head Women's Volleyball Coach
Branden Higa was named the California Baptist University women's volleyball head coach in 2012, after three years as an assistant at NCAA Division I Mississippi State. He has since logged a 204-122 record with the Lancers.
Over the past 12 years with Higa, CBU women's volleyball has four top-three conference finishes and won the conference title with an undefeated 20-0 record in 2017. The Lancers finished the 2017 season 29-1 overall and hosted the West Regional that year in their second-straight postseason berth, with Higa earning Coach of the Year honors in the West Region and PacWest.
Since joining NCAA Division I, the Lancers have gone 82-74 in six seasons. In 2018, Higa led the Lancers to a 21-11 campaign in their first year in NCAA Division I and the Western Athletic Conference. CBU earned a berth to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) and won its tournament opener.
In 2023, the Lancers logged a 14-14 record that included the program's first-ever win over a PAC-12 opponent after they defeated Oregon State at home in five sets. CBU also recorded its longest winning streak of the DI era with eight straight wins in September and earned the second best non-conference finish since 2018. Freshman Opposite Hitter Nicole Mauser earned the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2023, becoming the first Lancer to win a major conference award since CBU joined the conference in 2018.
In 2022, CBU finished 12-14 with a 7-7 conference mark and participated in the WAC Tournament for the first time in their first year eligible.
In his time, CBU players have reaped 33 all-conference and 15 All-West Region and All-American honors each, with 12 All-Americans at the NCAA level. Higa has coached the two conference Setter, Freshmen and Newcomer of the Year honorees. He also coached the 2017 PacWest and D-II West Region Player of the Year and 2014 D-II Freshman of the Year, Lauren Hackett.
Several Lancers have gone on to professional careers in Higa's time, as well: Lauren Hackett, Sydney Kralj, Summer Avery and Madison Witt and McKenna Witt.
Higa served as an assistant coach for the 2017 USA Collegiate National Team that won a championship at the European Global Challenge in Croatia. He coached players from Washington State, Kentucky, Stanford, Louisville, Wisconsin and UCLA in the process.
While at Mississippi State, he helped the Bulldogs to an improved record each year and finished third in the SEC West this past season. Higa coached the blockers and hitters for the Bulldogs, including All-SEC honorees Caitlin Rance and Ashley Newsome, as well as heading up opponent scouting and assisting with recruiting for the program.
Originally from Lancaster, Calif., Higa joined the MSU staff in 2009 after having served in 2008 as head volleyball coach at West Los Angeles College in Culver City, Calif. Higa also had a two-year stint as an assistant at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and a season (2005) as an assistant at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
While at LMU, the Lions posted a 35-25 record, placing one player on the AVCA All-Region team and five players on the All-West Coast Conference team and two more on the WCC All-Freshman squad.
Prior to his time in the collegiate ranks Higa spent time coaching throughout the Southern California club system with the South Bay Volleyball Club in Torrance, the Santa Monica Beach Club in Sherman Oaks and the Santa Clarita Athletic Club. Higa also worked with the Kevin Barnett Pro Performance Camp in Norfolk, Neb., and the Nina Matthies Volleyball Camp at his alma mater, Pepperdine.
In 2008 Higa served as an assistant coach with USA Beach Volleyball in Los Angeles, the organization that selects and trains athletes for the Youth Junior National Teams.
Higa played collegiately for three seasons at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., where he earned a double major in international studies and public relations in 1998. He was a member of coach Marv Dunphy's nationally-ranked volleyball program from 1995 to 1997. His team finished third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in both 1996 and 1997 and concluded the 1997 season with a No. 6 national ranking.
For seven years after his graduation at Pepperdine, Higa served his alma mater as coordinator of international programs and later as assistant director of the Office of International Student Services.
Prior to his time in Malibu, Higa won the 1994 California Junior College Most Outstanding Player award at Pierce College.
Higa and his wife Tori have a son, Kainoa James-Paul, and daughter, Maile Rose.
|
OVERALL |
CONFERENCE |
|||||||
|
YEAR |
SCHOOL |
W |
L |
PERCENT |
W |
L |
PERCENT |
CONF. |
|
2012 |
CBU |
19 |
8 |
70.4 |
12 |
4 |
75.0 |
PAC WEST |
|
2013 |
CBU |
17 |
11 |
60.7 |
14 |
6 |
70.0 |
PAC WEST |
|
2014 |
CBU |
16 |
12 |
57.1 |
12 |
8 |
60.0 |
PAC WEST |
|
2015 |
CBU |
21 |
7 |
75.0 |
14 |
6 |
70.0 |
PAC WEST |
|
2016 |
CBU |
20 |
9 |
69.0 |
15 |
5 |
75.0 |
PAC WEST |
|
2017 |
CBU |
29 |
1 |
96.7 |
20 |
0 |
1.0 |
PAC WEST |
|
2018 |
CBU |
21 |
11 |
65.6 |
9 |
7 |
56.2 |
WAC |
|
2019 |
CBU |
14 |
16 |
46.7 |
7 |
9 |
43.8 |
WAC |
|
2020 |
CBU |
8 |
8 |
50.0 |
4 |
8 |
33.3 |
WAC |
|
2021 |
CBU |
13 |
11 |
54.2 |
8 |
6 |
57.1 |
WAC |
|
2022 |
CBU |
12 |
14 |
46.2 |
7 |
7 |
50.0 |
WAC |
| 2023 | CBU | 14 | 14 | 50.0 | 7 | 9 | 43.7 | WAC |
|
California Baptist |
204 |
122 |
62.5 |
129 |
75 |
63.2 |
||
|
California Baptist (D1) |
82 |
74 |
52.5 |
42 |
46 |
47.7 |
||
| Career | 204 | 122 | 62.5 | 129 | 75 | 63.2 | ||
