General | 3/24/2016 2:37:00 PM

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (MAR. 24) – On May 14 of this year, Central Washington University will induct volleyball standout LeAnne (McGahuey) Branam into the 2016 Athletics Hall of Fame held in the SURC Ballroom.
 
McGahuey-Branam will enter the hall of fame as arguably the greatest offensive player to ever play at CWU, and she has the numbers to back it up.
 
She is the single-season leader in kills (429 in 2004), kills per set (4.56 in 2004), attack percentage (.418 in 2004) and points per sett (5.26 in 2004).  She is also the career leader in kills per set and points per set at 3.61 and 4.29 respectively.
 
Her 2004 numbers helped the Wildcats to the greatest regular season in school history, going 26-0.  The 2004 volleyball team is also being inducted into this year's hall of fame.
 
Her career accomplishments include:

• 3-time GNAC First-Team selection
• 2-time AVCA All-West Region Selection
• 2-time Daktronics All-West Region Selection
• 2-time AVCA All-American
• 2-time Daktronics All-American
• 2005 GNAC Player of the Year
• 2005 GNAC Female Athlete of the Year

 
 
McGahuey-Branam is now married to her husband Aron, they have three children and they live in Wenatchee where LeAnne is the assistant athletic director at Wenatchee High School and also served as the schools head volleyball coach for 8 seasons.  In 2010 she took her varsity team to the state tournament; this was the first time in 20 years that a WHS volleyball team had made it to the tournament.  The program went back for 5 consecutive seasons under McGahuey-Branam's coaching.  She "retired" or at least hung up the coaching hat for now as she had a baby during the middle of last season.
 
Below is a conversation between CWU Athletics and LeAnne:
 
Question 1:  What does it mean to be recognized as one of the best athletes in CWU History?
 
LeAnne: It is a weird statement to hear and not something I would have ever anticipated.  I don't feel like I was one of the best athletes to play at CWU, I was surrounded by so many amazing athletes during my time at school that could easily have earned this award as well!  However, it is very flattering, humbling and I have some pretty special feelings about the induction.  I am so excited about becoming part of a club that the CWU greats are part of! ......... So wait…does this put John Kitna and myself on the same level? ;)
 
Q2: What has life been like since you left CWU and in what way did your experiences as a Wildcat shape who you are today?
 
LeAnne: Life since leaving CWU has been very similar.  I started working as an athletic director, I continued to play volleyball on a team hear in town and I still coach.  My experiences playing volleyball at CWU taught me how to be a leader and work hard if you want to succeed.  I have to lead everyday, I am put in the front line, organize, teach, and that is exactly what you have to do in volleyball.
 
Q3:  Having worked in high school athletics for a number of years, have you ever considered working at a higher level.
 
LeAnne:  I worked just the one year with Mario Andaya as an assistant coach at CWU and I loved coaching there, being Mario's assistant and working with the college athlete, but I was not a big fan of recruiting.  I am not a fan of selling myself so it wasn't very fun for me.  I don't think I would ever work at the college level, unless I found the unique opportunity where someone could do all the recruiting for me, but that just isn't the case.
 
There is a lot of liability at the high school level but it is fun that every year I get to implement new things and new programs. I am all about changing things up and seeing what works and what doesn't work and just trying to help make WHS a better place.  I love what I do, I love my job and I love the people I work with…so no, I don't think moving to a college program is where I would want to be.
 
I got this job right out of college, and to me it was my dream job, but even now I feel like I did back in high school where I say to myself "I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up."  Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I tried to take my game overseas or move to California and play on the beach somewhere.  There is always that "what if?"  But I do not for one-second regret where I am at in life and what I am doing.  I have the coolest one-year old daughter on the planet and an amazing family that I wouldn't trade for anything.
 
Q4:  What is your most memorable moment as an athlete at CWU?
 
LeAnne: I actually have two.  The first is when we played Western Washington my junior year (2004) and we went five games.  It was back-and-forth the entire match and we hadn't beat Western in a couple of years. I was up at the net and my hands were shaking when we were serving the ball because my adrenaline was pumping.  I can't even recall the score, but I know we won.  It was one of the coolest feelings ever.  The fans we had that year were so supportive and were on their feet and going crazy.  It was such a sweet moment to have everyone rooting for us and our team was on fire. 
 
The second was my senior year at regionals.  We ended up winning our first match of the tournament.  During the final point of that match, I was serving the ball.  The play went on for what seemed like eternity but really only like two seconds.   Once the ball was on our side, Lindsey Dollente-Smith set the ball to Cristina Null and the other team tried to block her ball and it ricocheted out of bounds.  We had won…all our players started going crazy and jumping up and down.  I was shocked and in awe and just remember kind of going blank thinking "oh my gosh!  Did this seriously just happen?"  Even on the video we later watched, you can see me just standing there with my hands on my head, while my team is jumping up and down and everyone is hugging.  I looked baffled like I was soaking in the moment before I went to celebrate with my teammates.  Winning a game at regionals and advancing one more match is one of my greatest memories.
 
Q5:  How special is it to be inducted as both an individual and a teammate on the 2004 team.
 
LeAnne:  It is really special, not just because I get to go into the hall of fame, but because I get to go in with my teammates as well.  Our team was so unselfish, and it always seemed as if everyone was happy for each other.  I was always taught that you win as a team and lose as a team, so I feel honored to have been part of this winning team.  In 2004, for the majority of the time there were only about seven of us who played during "games." However, just as important were the girls that pushed us every single day in practice to get better.  I battled it out every day with the other middles at practices and their competitiveness a skill helped me get better each day.  Each and every girl on the 2004 team played an important role in the success we had!
 
Being inducted with my teammates the same year as I go in as an individual makes me excited because who on earth would I rather have by my side than this amazing bunch of girls!  I get to celebrate with some of my best friends, ones I have the greatest memories with.  It is such a blessing that we all get to be there together, celebrate together and just hangout as a team once again.  Watch out Ellensburg…here we come!
 
Q6:  Give us a funny story about coach Mario Andaya
 
LeAnne:  Oh my gosh! I could talk for an hour about things that Mario has done.  But the best story that I remember, that I probably tell the most came during my sophomore year.  An official made a bad call after a point and the ball happened to roll over to Mario.   He slowly picked up the ball and booted it as high as he possibly could.  The ball hit the speakers above the court, bounced around several times and dust bunnies were flying everywhere.  All of us players were doing the best we could not to bust out laughing on the court; it was so funny because it is not Mario's normal style to do something like that.  He then, with a straight face, takes his clipboard that had pencils and pens and a bunch of papers on it, and he smashes it on the ground.  The papers fly all over the court and you can tell that he was doing everything he could not to laugh himself.  The ref then gives Mario a red card and kicks him out of the match and Mario yells out "That's the best damn call you've made all night!".  He then proceeds to walk so slowly, like a little baby turtle out of the gym just to be a pain in the butt!
 
Q7: What was your favorite CWU event to attend?
 
LeAnne:  All were great, but Men's basketball for sure!  I did not get a chance to go to many football games in my career because we were always playing since it's the same season.  I worked basketball games for Teresa Miller and they were always the most fun.  The crowds were wild and the volleyball and basketball team always had a great bond so it was fun to be able to support them!
 
Q8: Having played volleyball and now being able to see the game as an athletic director and a coach, has the game changed at all?  And what advice would you give to current student-athletes?
 
LeAnne:  I think the game has changed a little bit, but not a ton. I coached similar to the way Mario ran his program because it was so familiar to me.  I know that a lot more players will set serves and set digs more often then when I played, but that is about it, other than that the game just keeps getting better and better!
 
My advice for current student-athletes is that they need to work hard regardless of what opportunities they are given.  The expectation to work is not where it used to be and I don't know if it is a generational thing or what.  None of us are entitled to playing time or being a starter, these are things that need to be earned through hard work and dedication.  You have to work for what you want, you have to be disciplined and you have to listen to your coach even if you think they are wrong.  Your coach is paid to do what they are doing and if you want to play for that coach you have to do what they expect you to do.
 
I talk a lot with my friends and wonder if our kids are going to have the same mindset we had, because we are going to teach our kids the same values in competition that we had because of our parents.  I am hoping that my daughter knows from day one that she has to work hard and the expectations we put on her, not just in sport, but in life will be reflected in her ability to be coached and part of a team.
 
Q9:  Looking back on your days as an athlete, both high school and college, would you have a different approach or mindset towards being a student-athlete and what it takes to be successful?
 
LeAnne: I don't believe there was a single practice where I didn't come into the gym and practice as hard as I could, that is just my natural mentality with life.  I will say that I would have worked much harder in the weight room.  I could have been much stronger than I was…clearly I'm really buff! :D
 
Tickets for the 2016 Hall of Fame ceremony can be purchased online here.