Branden Higa Joins MSU Volleyball Staff
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University head volleyball coach Jenny Hazelwood has announced the hiring of Branden Higa as an assistant coach with the Volleyball Bulldogs. The hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
Higa is a native of Lancaster, Calif., and brings to Mississippi State a solid background in volleyball as both a coach and player. He served as head volleyball coach in 2008 at West Los Angeles and previously served as an assistant volleyball coach in 2006 and 2007 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and in 2005 at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
"I am pleased to have Branden join our volleyball staff at Mississippi State," said Hazelwood. "He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to the program and complements our staff very well. In addition, he has extensive knowledge of the beach volleyball game, and that is a huge asset as the SEC looks to be a leader in helping elevate sand volleyball to NCAA sponsored sport status.
"Branden also has many recruiting ties in the talent-rich West Coast area, which will aid greatly in our efforts to add high-caliber athletes from that region to our program."
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. Prior to playing for the Wave, he was honored as the 1994 California Junior College Player of the Year during a two-year career at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.
The new Bulldog assistant also gained expertise as a head coach in the highly-competitive California club volleyball ranks, guiding the South Bay Volleyball Club in Torrance, the Santa Monica Beach Club in Sherman Oaks and the Santa Clarita Athletic Club. He has also served as a coach and instructor at numerous camps and clinics across the nation and last year served as an assistant coach with USA Beach Volleyball in Los Angeles.