Kozuch Family Adding to Memorable Moments as 'Dream' Run Together Nears End
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
November 4, 2026
A photo from several years ago shows a young Madeline Kozuch with a coaching whistle in her mouth, sitting atop the shoulders of her mother. Naturally, they were on a volleyball court.
Fast forward to present time: Kozuch is a standout senior outside hitter for a strong Morley Stanwood team, which her mom coaches.
Robin Kozuch, who was inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) Hall of Fame this year and has led Morley Stanwood to two MHSAA Finals championships, is in her 28th and final season as head coach for the Mohawks.
Morley Stanwood (26-11-0) takes on Lakeview (15-21-1) in an MHSAA Division 3 District Semifinal tonight in Kent City. Mom and daughter know their time together on a volleyball court is winding down, but they hope to keep this journey going as long as possible.
“The more (the end) gets closer, the more sad I’m getting,” Madeline Kozuch said. “She texted me the other day, she’s like, ‘I can’t believe it’s our final year together.’”
“It’s definitely real,” Robin Kozuch said about the bittersweet emotions. “Every step of the way this year – A: Because I’ll be an empty-nester because Piper’s in college; (and B:) I think about, ‘Where will I be this time next year?’ I don’t know how I’m going to deal with that. It’s still different. I’ve been (coaching) since before they were born, so it’s hard.”
Piper Kozuch, a 2025 Morley Stanwood alumna, is a sophomore setter for the Madonna University volleyball team. She and younger sister Madeline will be opponents on the court as the latter is headed to play volleyball for Aquinas College, which is in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference with Madonna.
The Kozuchs are a volleyball family. Robin’s husband, Matt, coached the sport alongside his wife for 25 years, including during Morley Stanwood’s Class C title years of 2007 and 2011. Now he’s in his third season as an assistant coach for the unbeaten and Division II top-ranked Ferris State University squad (25-0).
The Kozuchs are rock stars in a volleyball setting. On a related note, Matt Kozuch once was the front man for a rock band. He was lead singer for the band “Dirty Americans,” a Detroit-based group whose work included playing festivals overseas alongside the likes of Metallica, Green Day and Motorhead, plus opening for Alice Cooper once upon a time.
“I got into (volleyball) to help Robin with a dream, and it turned into something I loved. It became a huge passion of mine,” said Matt Kozuch, whose last name is pronounced “Ko-jus,” like the “jus” in au jus.
Robin Kozuch, a Millington native who was inducted into her alma mater’s athletics hall of fame as part of the inaugural class, was a 5-foot-11 outside hitter at the Division I collegiate level. Kozuch spent her freshman year with Michigan State University’s Final Four team in 1995 before she transferred to Central Michigan University. She’s a twin and has four sisters, three of whom went on to play college athletics.
As a coach at Morley Stanwood, Kozuch has amassed an overall record of 902-289-36. She reached her 900th win when her team captured the Central State Activities Association title Oct. 20.
Kozuch has coached or worked with eight nieces or daughters who have gone on to play volleyball in college. She serves as a regional rep for MIVCA, and throughout her tenure at Morley Stanwood she’s been all over the state running camps and assisting with clinics to help grow the sport.
Kozuch plans to continue helping out with the Morley Stanwood volleyball program. She has been grooming her niece, Alexis (Huntey) Cummings, to become the Mohawks’ next head volleyball coach. Cummings (Huntey) was a standout player on the Mohawks’ Class C championship volleyball and girls basketball teams during the 2011-12 school year.
While Robin Kozuch has two daughters, she views her players in much the same way. One player, Morley Stanwood senior libero Saige Ososki, said that Kozuch has been much more than a coach to her.
“Not just from volleyball, but even just being, like, a person,” Ososki said. “She’s so amazing and she’s like a second mom to me. I really look up to her.”
As Ososki recalled, she and Madeline Kozuch hit it off as friends during third grade. Their relationship continues as they spend a lot of time together as teammates in three sports.
At Morley Stanwood, particularly in girls athletics, many student-athletes play multiple sports.
Kozuch, a well-rounded individual who carries a 3.89 GPA that’s still rising, excels in volleyball, basketball, and softball. During the 2025-26 school year, Morley Stanwood was a conference and District champion in all three of those sports. The Mohawks’ girls basketball team captured a Regional title and softball squad was a Regional finalist.
“All of our girls sports are really strong and everyone plays the same (sports),” Madeline Kozuch said. “Every volleyball player plays basketball and softball. We’re all super close and very competitive and we always go super far, so I just feel like it’s more family.”
Not surprisingly, volleyball has a special place in Madeline Kozuch’s heart, and she’s thrived. Last season, she earned all-conference, all-region, first-team all-state, was named Big Rapids Pioneer Dream Team Player of the Year and made the MLive Muskegon Chronicle Dream Team.
This season, the 5-foot-8 Kozuch has recorded 564 kills, a .331 hitting percentage, a .449 kill percentage, 78 aces, 381 digs, and passes at a 2.1 clip. In her career, she has compiled 1,178 kills; 1,200 digs, and 78 aces.
Kozuch has played volleyball at a high level for quite some time, including with her Inside Out travel team that competes nationally.
Dominant as she is on the court, Madeline Kozuch has a soft side as well.
“She’s honestly a really caring person – almost sometimes to a fault,” Robin Kozuch said. “She’s very empathetic. I think sometimes she’s a little too nice about hurting people’s feelings. She’s gotten better this year about stepping up and demanding things from her teammates, taking more of a vocal role and pushing her teammates. … Piper had no problem with that.”
That’s not to say Madeline Kozuch lacks competitiveness. Far from it.
It’s in the Kozuch and Ill (Robin’s maiden name) families’ blood.
“I think everybody would say Robin (is most competitive), but I know deep down I hate losing,” Matt Kozuch said with a chuckle. “I think maybe after she thinks about it, she might say it’s me, too. But I think it’s pretty close to even, Robin and me both. We just don’t want to lose, man.”
Robin and Madeline Kozuch both acknowledged that the mother-daughter dynamic can create some pressure to perform and bring about naysayers, but they keep their noses to the grindstone and continue to deliver.
While Robin Kozuch plans to keep pitching in with Morley Stanwood’s program when she can, her family’s focus will shift to her daughters’ collegiate travels. It’s been quite the journey as it stands.
“It’s been sad watching it wind down,” Matt Kozuch said about Robin and Madeline’s careers at Morley Stanwood coming to an end. “It’s been an epic career for Robin and Matty, too.”
Added Ososki about her coach and teammate: “I just think those two do so much for our school and our program. They are amazing at what they do and, I mean, we probably wouldn’t do any of this without them. I’m just so thankful for them.”
Scott DeCamp has worked more than 25 years in sports media, including 21 at MLive Media Group as a reporter and editor. He is founder and owner of DeCamp Creative Solutions. Email him at [email protected] with story ideas for Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, and Oceola counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Morley Stanwood’s Madeline Kozuch celebrates a moment during a match this season against Big Rapids, with her teammates joining in as well. (2) Kozuch sits atop her mom Robin’s shoulders with the coach’s whistle. (3) Morley Stanwood coach Robin Kozuch enjoys a moment with her Morley Stanwood players, including Madeline (10). (4) Madeline Kozuch poses for a photo with her parents and the softball team’s District championship trophy won this spring. (5) Kozuch (10) smashes a kill attempt against Big Rapids. (Action photos by Scott DeCamp. Childhood and softball photos provided by the Kozuch family.)
Covenant Christian Stands Tall in Class C
November 23, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BATTLE CREEK – Denise Uittenbogaard felt all season she had a special team. But not until Grand Rapids Covenant Christian eliminated No. 2 Morley-Stanwood in the Regional Final did the Chargers’ coach begin to understand what could be accomplished.
Next fell No. 4 Unionville-Sebewaing in the Quarterfinal. Then top-ranked Mendon took only one game before succumbing to Covenant Christian in Friday’s Semifinal.
By the time Uittenbogaard and her players reached Saturday’s championship game against No. 3 Beal City, the No. 8 Chargers were used to playing – and beating Class C’s best.
And after dispatching the rest, Covenant Christian finished Saturday standing alone with the champion’s trophy. The Chargers finished their first trip to Finals weekend with a history-making four-set win over the Aggies – 25-21, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17.
“We did it. I don’t know how. We weren’t supposed to win. And we came in and we did,” Covenant Christian senior Alyssa Scholten said. “Our coach is like, ‘They are the same age as you. They play the same game as you. What are you afraid of? Go in and take it. It’s yours to take.’
“We took it.”
Covenant Christian finished 47-9 after entering the tournament coming off a pair of late losses to Class B Finalist Grand Rapids South Christian and Class A honorable mention Grand Rapids Christian – but with an imposing front line prepared to dominate after surviving a competitive regular season slate.
The 6-foot-2 Scholten had at least three inches on every one of Beal City’s players Saturday and finished with 13 kills and eight blocks – the latter tying an MHSAA Finals rally-scoring era record.
Alongside her, 5-10 senior Shelby Lubbers also had 13 kills and 5-9 senior Cailey DeJong and 5-9 sophomore Makenzie Engelsma added eight and six, respectively.
The Aggies did lead the first set 21-18 at one point and the second set 11-10 before winning the third. And they had an all-state hitter as well in 5-10 Addie Schumacher, who finished with 15 kills and five blocks.
But together, the Chargers were just too strong at the net, with Lubbers getting four of her kills during the fourth set including the final on a cross-court smash.
“We had some crucial blocks to stop their offense; I think that was the key of the third game,” Beal City coach Kelly David said. “But they found a way around our block, and that was tough on our defense.”
“These girls have an amazing sense of determination. They encourage each other, motivate each other to play hard, practice hard, and that’s what got us here,” Uittenbogaard said. “That third game we had a little breakdown. We had to relax a little bit. ... (And) when it came down to it, they came out in that fourth game and they were not going to go home without this trophy.”
Covenant Christian took its first few minutes at Kellogg Arena this weekend to soak in the atmosphere for the first time. Beal City was in similar position only a season ago, when it made its first MHSAA Final before losing to Battle Creek St. Philip in Class D.
Whether in Class C again or back in D, the Aggies could be headed back to Battle Creek in 2014. Senior Melanie Schafer added 17 digs and six kills Saturday. But she and Schumacher are two of only four seniors on a team that finished 56-4-1.
Junior setter Jenna Theisen had 26 assists, junior hitter Jordan Schneider had seven kills and four blocks, and junior hitter Nicole Gross also had six kills.
“I just think they weren’t satisfied with last year, so they really wanted to come in this year and win the state championship,” David said. “We fell a little bit short. But they gave it all they had, and I’m proud of the way they played.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Covenant Christian players celebrate after clinching their first MHSAA championship. (Middle) Covenant Christian’s Shelby Lubbers reaches over the net to block Beal City’s Jenna Theisen (10). (Below) Theisen and Addie Schumacher (8) block a Chargers kill attempt.