South Haven Celebrates Program Pioneers to Begin 50th Season, Aspires to Add to Tradition
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
August 26, 2025
SOUTH HAVEN — When the call went out for volleyball players, a whopping 115 students showed up at South Haven High School.
That was 50 years ago, and the daunting task of whittling down those numbers fell to coach Dene Hadden.
From that group of hopefuls, he kept 13 on varsity and 13 on junior varsity.
The biggest problem was that neither the girls nor the coach had ever been involved in the varsity sport.
That sure has changed.
Fifty years ago, when the MHSAA debuted girls volleyball as a varsity sport, 462 schools fielded teams, with 12,012 athletes. Last season, 16,679 players took the court for MHSAA high schools, and this season 697 teams are slated to play.
Those first years were tough, Hadden said.
"We tried to use some athletic skills, jump height, jump distance, some other tests that I read about and heard about,” he said.
Things got easier for Hadden the second year after he attended a volleyball camp in Chicago.
“I spent seven days and nights of intensive volleyball training and learned so much about the game from key ‘grandfathers,’ you’d have to say now, about volleyball and came back much more confident in what I knew, how to teach skills and what skills to look for. It made a huge difference.”
That huge difference made an impact on the South Haven program. In 1977, the Rams made it to the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Class B championship match and, in 1985, won the title. They also reached the Finals in 1980 and 1991.
Fourth-year Rams coach Wendy Spencer said today’s players do not realize how much they owe to those pioneers.
“I think so many of these girls take for granted all the battles that women had to fight for to just be an athlete,” she said. “Isn’t that such a blessing that this next generation doesn’t have to realize the struggle?
“We don’t take for granted how special it is. I think for (current athletes) to see on a board their (photo) next to someone who’s 50 years older than them can put it into perspective sometimes.”
The current athletes also got a taste of those trailblazing players two weeks ago during an alumni game celebrating 50 years of MHSAA volleyball.
Diane (Sherman) Skuza was one of the alumni. She joined the volleyball team her junior year in 1977.
“I was playing basketball and softball,” she said. “I tried out, had never played volleyball before. Dene saw something in me as an athlete.
“One of my strong points was my serving. He would often bring me in just to serve. My senior year I actually played quite a bit and was all-conference.”
The Rams won the Wolverine Conference her final two years (1977, 1978), finishing both seasons with identical 26-1 records.
At the alumni game, Skusa, who at 64 was the oldest player there, joined the other women in competing against current varsity players.
“When I played in the alumni game, they said, ‘OK, we’re gonna do whatever,’ and I didn’t know what they were talking about,” she laughed. “They said do you want to be a middle hitter or an outside hitter.
“We really didn’t do that. We had our positions. If you were on the left side, you hit from the left side. It’s a lot more involved now. But we had some really strong players, and Dene was a great coach.”
The alumni actually won the game, but they had a few ringers, according to Hadden.
“You have to remember the alumni had Hayley Kreiger, an All-American at Davenport a couple years ago playing that night,” he said. “We had some all-conference players, so there was some talent on the alumni side of the net.”
The alumni team also included former players from the 1985 championship team.
Hadden said that when organizers started planning the 50th anniversary celebration, “We wanted to recognize the 318 varsity letter winners who have contributed to the sport at South Haven.”
Rams return experience
For this year’s team, Spencer will rely on three returning seniors, including four-year varsity player Charlotte Knox, who already owns three school records.
She is first in career digs (742) and aces (28). She also has the single-season record in kills (365 set last year).
Her single-season achievements also include ranking fifth with most blocks (62 in 2022), second in most digs (298 in 2023) and tied for fourth with most aces (98 in 2023).
She is third in career blocks with 126 heading into this season.
In her second year as captain, Knox is “a kid who shows up for her teammates before she shows up for herself,” Spencer said. “She can keep that high level of expectations without coming down on people.
“Charlotte has consistently had the best stats in our region in kills, digs and aces. As a junior, she is already in the top five of all of South Haven history for season and for career.
Other seniors on the team are Charlotte Grzybowski, Areanna Wabanimkee-Gluck, Nevaeh Cooper and Kaitlin Moore. Juniors are Ly’nique Cunningham and Trinity Sistrunk, while sophomores are Kiersten Chalupa, Julia Wiley and Piper Allen.
Spencer noted that most players today hone their skills on travel teams outside the school season.
“Club sports have taken a huge role in athlete’s development, but I think there’s something missing if kids don’t want to play high school athletics,” she said. “School sports are important; club sports are important if you have bigger goals.
“These (school teammates) are the people you will remember, the ones you will show up at 50-year reunions with, not your club team. We’re trying to keep that going, and Dene’s the reason for that.”
Hadden, who coached the Rams for 19 seasons, still keeps active.
“He announces all our home games, he still shows up at all our tryouts,” Spencer said. “He’s just someone who loves our district and loves volleyball so much.
“He really keeps our traditions alive. He’s the only coach who won a state championship and runner-up twice. The question is, how do we learn from that?”
The reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champ started the season repeating as champ at the Coloma Tournament last Saturday with Knox recording 74 kills to reach 1,000 for her career.
The Rams continue Wednesday against Constantine with one goal in mind: “The team works every year at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena (during the MHSAA Tournament),” Spencer said. “This year we’d like to be playing there, not on the sidelines.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Senior Charlotte Knox reaches out toward a ball during South Haven’s alumni match earlier this month. (2) Dene Hadden, then and now, was the program’s first coach and remains an active supporter. (3) Alums Sarah Washegesic (right) and Megan Sollman share a laugh. (4) Knox is celebrated by her teammates after reaching 1,000 career kills Saturday. (Alumni game photos by Micah Jones. Knox 1,000-kill photo submitted by Wendy Spencer. Hadden photo courtesy of Hadden.)
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 3, 2025
Nearly 700 high school varsity volleyball teams will begin their marches toward MHSAA championships over the next three days, beginning a final three-week run that will conclude Nov. 22 at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.
District tournaments start tonight with 178 matches. Links to interactive brackets for all four divisions plus information on purchasing tickets is available on the Girls Volleyball page, and a list version of tonight’s slate is posted on the Scores page – with green TV icons linked to broadcasts on the NFHS Network.
Below is a look at a few last regular-season results of note and glances at three Districts in each division that especially pop off the page. Records, results and schedules below are those posted for teams on MHSAA.com, and rankings reflect polls posted by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Kingsley d. Traverse City St. Francis (25-20, 25-21) This was the most notable result from the annual ABCD quad, as Kingsley (50-4-1) is ranked No. 3 in Division 3 and St. Francis is No. 8 (28-16-0).
2. Coldwater d. Mendon (2-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 15-3) The Cardinals (22-17-5) head into Division 1 District play off avenging a loss from 11 days prior to the Division 4 top-ranked Hornets (32-6-1).
3. Marshall d. Edwardsburg (25-23, 25-21, 15-25, 25-15) Honorable mention Marshall (31-11-5) got a nice boost heading into Division 2 District play, adding a second win this season over the No. 9 Eddies (28-8-0).
4. Adrian Madison d. Concord (23-25, 26-24, 25-15) The Trojans (34-14-2) came back after losing the first set to add a second win this season (plus a draw) against the Division 4 No. 6 Yellow Jackets (26-10-3).
5. Lowell d. Battle Creek Harper Creek (25-14, 25-15) The Division 1 No. 8 Red Arrows (35-8-3) also swept Mattawan and Caledonia at their regular-season ending quad, but with this matchup with the Division 2 honorable mention Beavers (27-21-1) perhaps most notable from the final tune-up.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold, and top two seeds at each are noted.
DIVISION 1
Cadillac
#1 Cadillac (34-7-1), #2 Mount Pleasant (26-9-1), Midland (25-8-4), Midland Dow (21-13-5), Bay City Western (20-16-4).
All five of these teams have winning records, with Big North Conference co-champion Cadillac holding down the top seed and potentially looking for a chance to avenge after seeing last season end against Mount Pleasant in a District Semifinal. Those two met only once this regular season, a 2-1 Mount Pleasant win at the Flint Powers Catholic Tournament. The Oilers also won their division of the Saginaw Valley League and went a combined 6-0 against the other three SVL teams in this week’s field.
Northville
#1 South Lyon East (37-7-1), #2 South Lyon (33-9-0), Northville (19-13-0), Salem (12-11-0), Canton (7-17-0), Plymouth (8-26-0).
South Lyon East has won its last 11 matches, is the only team in the state to defeat top-ranked Rockford, has a pair of wins over rival South Lyon and defeated Northville in their lone meeting as well. But South Lyon will certainly be prepared to challenge its rival one more time and has won nine of its last 10 matches with a victory over Clarkston during that run. And don’t count out Northville – last season’s Division 1 champion – which has seen several of the state’s best and did defeat East in last year’s District Final.
Troy Athens
#1 Bloomfield Hills Marian (43-5-0), #2 Bloomfield Hills (37-6-1), Troy Athens (21-6-1), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (10-11-3), Birmingham Seaholm (12-22-2), Troy (1-29-0).
Marian and Bloomfield Hills High have hovered among the top-ranked teams in the state all season, with the Black Hawks holding a 2-1 match advantage as Marian won their first meeting Sept. 4 but Bloomfield Hills claimed the next two including in a three-set comeback Oct. 25. Marian made the Division 1 Semifinals last season and has won District championships nine straight seasons. Host Athens has enjoyed a notable six-win jump from a year ago and won 11 of its last 12 matches.
DIVISION 2
Adrian
#1 Tecumseh (51-2-0), #2 Adrian Madison (34-14-2), Chelsea (32-11-2), Brooklyn Columbia Central (23-16-0), Adrian (15-21-1), Michigan Center (14-23-2).
Last season’s Division 2 runner-up Tecumseh has certainly earned its way to the top seed this week with its only losses this season to Division 3 top-ranked Roscommon and Division 1 No. 6 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. Tecumseh also has two wins apiece over Chelsea, Columbia Central, Adrian and Madison, and Chelsea and Madison could meet Wednesday to set up one last rematch. Madison defeated Chelsea in three sets during the Sept. 20 Onsted Tournament.
Caro
#1 North Branch (32-8-0), #2 Imlay City (33-9-0), Yale (23-24-1), Croswell-Lexington (25-24-0), Caro (1-20-0).
A District Final matchup between North Branch and Imlay City would be the third meeting in three weeks between the Blue Water Area Conference rivals, with North Branch winning during the league schedule Oct. 21 and again in the league tournament four days later, both in three-set sweeps. The Broncos are ranked No. 2 and Imlay City No. 7 statewide in Division 2, and if they meet once more it will be with North Branch’s 20-year District title streak on the line.
Saginaw Swan Valley
#1 Essexville Garber (39-13-3), #2 Saginaw Swan Valley (22-13-1), Freeland (24-15-2), Carrollton (31-2-2), Bay City John Glenn (10-18-1), Bridgeport (1-13-0).
Garber is the top seed after reaching the Division 2 Semifinals a year ago and taking Tecumseh to a fifth set in Battle Creek. But no matter which opponent the Dukes might face if they reach the District Final this week, they’ll surely be cautious. Garber defeated Swan Valley in four sets two weeks ago, but fell to Freeland in five in their league meeting Sept. 24. And Carrollton definitely is intriguing with its only losses to Division 3 No. 9 Saginaw Valley Lutheran and a strong Breckenridge team.4
DIVISION 3
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker
#1 Cass City (22-8-2), #2 Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (19-14-3), Bad Axe (26-14-0), Unionville-Sebewaing (16-15-4), Harbor Beach (15-17-3).
Although Cass City is a combined 7-0 this season against Laker, Bad Axe and USA, there is potential for some shaking up in this bracket as those opponents all are familiar with each other. Cass City won two matches against Laker, both in four sets, and Laker has two wins in three matches against Bad Axe, both victories coming in five sets. Laker and Bad Axe could meet Wednesday with another opportunity to see Cass City on the line – but Harbor Beach and USA have made enough noise during the season to make this unpredictable.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central
#1 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (20-4-1), #2 Clinton (31-5-1), Ottawa Lake Whiteford (20-12-0), Erie Mason (13-13-3), Blissfield (8-28-1), Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (7-9-1).
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central is the reigning Division 3 champion and again has seen its share of top competition from multiple divisions. The Kestrels are coming off a loss to league rival Flat Rock, and Clinton – which made the Regional Finals a year ago – will try to jump into the mix with 11 wins over its last 13 matches and losses as well to some of the best in Divisions 2 and 4 including Tecumseh and Mendon. Whiteford also recently tested itself against several larger opponents, going 3-3 at the Belleville Invitational on Oct. 18.
Morley Stanwood
#1 Morley Stanwood (26-12-0), #2 Kent City (31-7-2), White Cloud (16-16-0), Lakeview (14-13-3), Blanchard Montabella (3-26-1).
Host Morley Stanwood and Kent City met three times during the regular season, splitting league matchups with Kent City winning the first, Morley Stanwood the second, but then Kent City coming back to win the third at the Central State Activities Association Tournament – and after losing the first set. That turnaround may provide Kent City with nice momentum if they meet again, although the Eagles did go 2-2 in matches last week. White Cloud lost twice to both this fall, but did take a set off Kent City in their second meeting Oct. 14.
DIVISION 4
Non-Traditional (top line of bracket hosts)
#1 Hancock (24-4-2), #2 Lake Linden-Hubbell (24-5-0), Baraga (21-10-0), Dollar Bay (19-11-0), Chassell (13-11-0), L’Anse (8-19-0).
Hancock burst back on the scene by making last season’s Division 4 Semifinals, and while it would be easy to look ahead to a potential Regional matchup next week with Crystal Falls Forest Park, the Bulldogs have to be cautious this week to make that happen. They’ve seen Lake Linden-Hubbell twice, winning both times in four sets, and Baraga and Dollar Bay have impressed as well – Baraga nearly flipping its record from a year ago. Lake Linden-Hubbell closed the regular season with a sweep of Dollar Bay, but Dollar Bay won their previous meeting in five and should present quite a challenge if it advances to Wednesday.
Bear Lake
#1 Onekama (32-9-3), #2 Suttons Bay (23-2-0), Leland (12-27-1), Frankfort (15-17-2), Bear Lake (16-23-0), Lake Leelanau St. Mary (4-26-3).
Onekama is a combined 11-2-1 over its last 14 matches and 5-0 this season against teams in this bracket as the Portagers seek a sixth-straight District title. They played Suttons Bay to a five-set win on Sept. 25, taking the first two and losing the next pair before winning the decider. Suttons Bay’s only other loss this season came to Division 3 contender Traverse city St. Francis, and the Norsemen defeated both possible Wednesday opponents Leland and St. Mary in a quad Oct. 23.
Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy
#1 Hillsdale Academy (21-11-1), #2 Concord (26-10-3), Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy (18-7-3), Pittsford (13-12-0).
The bracket also is filled with teams with winning records, with Hillsdale Academy an honorable mention and Concord ranked No. 6 in the most recent coaches poll. Hillsdale Academy has lost four of its last six matches, but those defeats came to Division 2 or 3 teams, or top-ranked Mendon, and Colts have wins in lone matches against Concord and Pittsford. Concord went 2-2 to close the regular season, but also with losses to Division 2 and 3 teams. Will Carleton and Pittsford have split a pair of meetings over the last three weeks.
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day hosts Hartland on Oct. 9. (Middle) Bath faces Brooklyn Columbia Central during the Mason Invitational on Sept. 13. (Country Day/Hartland photo by TCP-Photography. Bath/Ovid-Elsie photo by Click by Christine McCallister.)