Pioneer Manore Sets National Record
By
Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
September 24, 2015
On Monday night, Temperance Bedford High School honored its long-time volleyball coach Jodi Manore for breaking the national high school record for wins.
At the end of her short speech prior to the match, Manore said to her players, “It’s about you the rest of the night. It’s not about me.”
Those girls already knew that. Just 17 days earlier, Manore broke the record held by retired Portage Northern and Delton Kellogg coach Jack Magelssen with win No. 1,833 of her career. But none of her players were aware of the record until a few days after the match.
“We found out a few days later,” four-year senior Isabelle Marciniak said. “We saw all the stuff in the media and in the paper, and we’re like, ‘What?’ She doesn’t go around bragging.
“She is not the type of person who will go around and say, ‘Hey, I’m about to break the record.’ She’s not like that. She is so humble about all of her achievements.”
Manore has piled up plenty in her 31 years of coaching volleyball at Bedford. In addition to the national record, Manore has led Bedford to three MHSAA championships (1998, 2001, 2005), five runner-up finishes (1991-92, 1996, 1999, and 2012), and she had a team with an 89-3 record in 1997-98. Three years later, the Mules started the season 72-0. This season, the Kicking Mules are 29-7, bringing her career high school varsity coaching record to 1,844-306-52.
When asked about the national milestone, she tried to shrug it off as not that big of a deal.
“The state is probably just as important because we can play more matches than most other states, so if you break the Michigan record, you have a good shot at the national record,” she said.
However, she conceded that breaking the record did present her with a little bit of personal satisfaction.
“I think that some of the satisfaction came from that it was Jack Magelssen’s record that I broke,” she said. “He was the Portage Northern coach, and that is who we emulated our program after.
“He was the first one in the state to be really good and knocked Bedford out of the state tournament for like 10 years in a row, and then finally, we got them in 1998 – we won our first state championship. The fact that he retired a couple of years earlier is what allowed me to pass him.”
No games to play
As a child growing up in Bedford during the 1960s, Manore was faced with the fact that organized sports were not a viable option for girls. And she desperately wanted to play.
“Everything I learned was in the back yard,” Manore said. “I had a dad who played catch with me. We went baseball, basketball, football and played them all. I had two brothers under me and a younger sister, and my dad was my best friend. We’d go out and play catch.
“My favorite sport growing up was softball, and I wanted to play Little League, but that was before girls could play Little League, so I had to be the scorekeeper. When I was 16, I ended up playing in an adult women’s softball league.”
By the time Manore arrived at Michigan State University in the fall of 1971, she had developed into a decent athlete, and a twist of fate led her to volleyball.
“I took a phys ed class in volleyball, and the varsity coach (Carol Davis) happened to be the teacher,” Manore said. “She said, ‘You’re athletic; why don’t you come out for the team?’ I went out and made it on my athleticism and played for four years.”
Manore didn’t know it at the time, but not only was that the beginning of a successful and record-breaking career, she was learning lessons on how to run a team at the same time.
After college, Manore was trying to find a teaching job when she spotted an ad in the newspaper. The University of Toledo was starting a volleyball program and needed a coach. Manore applied and landed the job. She was a college coach just fresh out of college.
“I was their first coach and only two or three years older than some of my players,” she said. “I just ran it like the college coach at Michigan State had done it. It was OK.
“My teams – we went into the weight room – and at that time it was unheard of for the girls to lift weights. Pretty early on, I happened to have a girl who could out-lift the boys. Other kids just kind of saw her lift like that and said, ‘Oh, we can do that, too.’
“One thing that has changed is that now it is so natural for girls to be in athletics. Back in the early days, it was like, ‘I’m not sure we’re supposed to sweat,’ and now they can perform better than a guy. My girls are like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to beat those football players in the weight room.’ ”
Four years later, Manore accepted the job as volleyball coach at Bedford, and from 1979-83 she coached both the Mules and Toledo. However, in 1983, Toledo volleyball became affiliated with the NCAA, which did not allow a coach to also be involved with a high school team. So she resigned as Bedford coach to remain at Toledo.
Going home to build a program
In 1989, Manore returned to Bedford, from which she had graduated in 1971. The school enjoyed a state power in wrestling under coach Bill Regnier, and Manore took some of his approach and applied it to her volleyball program.
“He was scheduling wrestling meets all over the state, so I started scheduling volleyball tournaments all over the state,” she said. “I coached the girls like I would coach guys, I guess, or like I coached in college. I coached the high school kids like that instead of, ”Oh, they’re just high school, I have to water it down.’ I never did that.”
The program really got rolling during the 1990s. Bedford appeared in the Class A Finals in both 1991 and 1992 and finished runner-up. Another second-place finish came in 1996. Bedford wanted to take the next step. The championship step.
After losing to nemesis Portage Northern in the 1997 semifinals, the players on the team who were not graduating made it their mission to win an MHSAA championship in 1998.
“In 1998, it was like we got the monkey off our back,” Manore said. “We had been close for a few years, and after losing in the semis in 1997, I found out later that when we got home, the juniors on the team got together and vowed that they were going to stick together, work hard and get it done.”
“Their goal all the way through was to win that state championship, so for them to really realize it was a neat thing.”
Obviously, Manore cherishes all of the wins and championships over the years. But she has received other rewards that are even more gratifying.
‘She’s not as scary as people think’
A coach with a résumé as strong as Manore’s can be intimidating to incoming players. Add in the fact that Manore is a disciplinarian, and it can be even more intimidating to a 15-year-old girl.
Yet, it is those relationships that Manore cherishes more than her record number of wins.
“Seeing young girls develop, seeing them go on to play in college – those who want to – and those who don’t play in college might do some other things, is very rewarding,” Manore said. “I guess having enough of them say, ‘You made me the woman I am,’ or ‘You gave me opportunities,’ or ‘I’m so disciplined in my working life,’ that’s just so neat to see.
“These girls are confident and dedicated and overachievers. It’s just a neat thing.”
Yet, they don’t always see it that way early on in the program. Marciniak, the four-year senior this year, had two older sisters play for Manore, so she had sort of a head start on understanding her coach.
“Every player goes in scared of Coach Manore just because they know she has such a strong program, and we all really want to impress her,” Marciniak said. “But once you get to know her, she’s not as scary as people think she is.
“She is one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had. She pushes the girls, and she knows what people can take. I guess I was kind of prepared because of my sisters, and they just kind of told me, ‘Don’t be scared of her; she wants to see you succeed, and she pushes you to succeed.’”
Marciniak flashed a big smile when asked if Coach Manore has a funny side.
“She cracks jokes all the time,” Marciniak said. “When you’re on the court or during practice, it’s all go, it’s time to prepare, it’s time to do work, but off the court, she cracks jokes all the time. Sometimes it takes us a second – like she does these little jokes where she makes fun of us, and obviously we can take it, and then takes us a second and then we start cracking up.
“She is a very disciplinary coach. She won’t brush things off like, ‘Oh, you’ll get it next time.’ She makes sure you know what you did because she wants you to be the best you can be. She pushes you, and she’s a very tough coach, but for Bedford volleyball, that obviously works very well for us.
“The thing I love about Coach Manore is that there are a lot of coaches out there who just worry about winning or worry about what goes on with the girls on the court, but Coach Manore loves us like we’re her daughters. She cares about every single one of us, and she wants the best for us on and off the court. She makes sure that we’re getting enough sleep and this and that and everything. She really cares about her girls.”
Speaking of records ...
All of the success of the Bedford volleyball program has forced Manore, a self-described introvert, to become more vocal and take on larger responsibilities.
“I guess that is something that athletics has given me,” said Manore, who retired from teaching in February. “I was one of the shy kids in school. I had to be number one and top of the class, and I got my homework in, I did all of that. But I didn’t want to speak up.
“But I had to do that to do interviews and speak at banquets. I’ve served on MIVCA (Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association) board of directors for more years than I can count, and I’ve been on American Volleyball Coaches Board of Directors for six years, so just getting involved with people at the highest level, I had to speak up.”
And her latest public speech was Monday night, in front of family members, current and former players, school officials and parents of the players. In typical Manore fashion, the message was more about her players than it was her record.
“To all the wonderful young ladies that I had the opportunity to coach, you guys won the games; I didn’t do anything,” she said. “I just worked you hard in practice, made you hate me for a while and then you moved on.”
Marciniak spoke of what an honor it was for this year’s team to be the one to deliver the record-breaking win after it was set up by so many years of other teams and other players.
“It was a really cool feeling because she has given us so much, and we gave her that one win,” Marciniak said. “Obviously, she gave it to us beforehand.
“It is so awesome that we were able to give something back to her.”
See below for video from Monday's ceremony honoring Manore's record-breaking feat.
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Temperance Bedford coach Jodi Manore instructs her players during the 2004-05 Class A Final. (Middle) Manore, far right, poses with her 1997-98 team, which won the first of the program's three MHSAA championships under her guidance. (Below) Manore oversees her players setting up a kill attempt during last season's MHSAA Semifinals.
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Regional Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 10, 2025
After just a week, our list of MHSAA Finals hopefuls has whittled down to 128 who hoisted District title trophies – and they will have an opportunity to raise another Mitten in just a few days as they continue their march to Battle Creek.
Up next are Regional Semifinals on Tuesday, and all Regional Finals on Thursday. 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 this week’s slate is posted on the Scores page – with green TV icons linked to broadcasts on the NFHS Network.
See below for a look at District Finals that were among the biggest headliners, and glances at three Regionals in each division that should generate the most buzz. 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. Bloomfield Hills d. Bloomfield Hills Marian (18-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-21) There’s no understating the significance of this win for No. 2-ranked Bloomfield Hills (39-6-1), as Marian (44-6-0) had made at least the Semifinals four of the last five seasons and won three-straight Division 1 titles from 2020-22.
2. South Lyon d. South Lyon East (27-25, 17-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-6) The honorable mention Lions (35-10-0) hung on through the end of what could have been a match-clinching fourth set for No. 5 East (38-8-1), then dominated the fifth to avenge two regular-season losses with a Division 1 District title victory.
3. Romeo d. Utica Eisenhower (19-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-9) Unranked Romeo (27-10-1) claimed a Division 1 District championship by avenging a pair of regular-season losses to the Macomb Area Conference Red rival Eagles (33-5-3), who entered the postseason ranked No. 7 and won the first two sets of this match.
4. Parma Western d. Marshall (25-18, 25-21, 30-28) These Interstate 8 Athletic Conference opponents met for the third time, unranked Western (40-9-3) getting the win in this Division 2 District Final after No. 9 Marshall (32-12-5) won the first meeting and they played to a draw at the league tournament.
5. Grand Rapids Christian d. Grand Rapids South Christian (15-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-22) The No. 3-ranked Eagles (24-8-0) locked up a Division 2 District championship, adding to a Sept. 2 win over the No. 8 Sailors (24-9-0).
Regionals 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
Hartland
South Lyon (35-10-0) vs. Brighton (32-7-2)
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (28-6-3) vs. Farmington Hills Mercy (21-4-2)
Mercy has been considered one of the statewide favorites all season and entered the playoffs ranked No. 3. The Marlins have regular-season wins over South Lyon and Brighton but will see honorable mention St. Mary’s for the first time this fall. The Eaglets have won 21 straight matches and like Mercy are Catholic High School League division champions. Like St. Mary’s and South Lyon – the latter coming off its big win over No. 5 South Lyon East noted above – Brighton entered the postseason an honorable mention in Division 1 as well and has won 12 of its last 14 matches.
Hudsonville
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (39-8-1) vs. Grand Haven (36-10-0)
Hudsonville (31-8-1) vs. Rockford (43-1-1)
All four entered the postseason ranked – Rockford at No. 1, Forest Hills Northern No. 6, Hudsonville at No. 9 and Grand Haven No. 10. The Rams have defeated Hudsonville three times, although the Eagles forced a fourth set in both league matches, and Rockford swept Grand Haven in their two Ottawa-Kent Conference Red meetings. Rockford and Forest Hills Northern last met in a Regional Semifinal last season, when the Rams won in four sets. The Huskies may get the chance to avenge but can’t look past Grand Haven; they’ve defeated Grand Haven twice this season but also lost in three sets when the teams met in early September.
Portage Northern
Mattawan (22-18-0) vs. Byron Center (34-5-2)
Caledonia (24-18-0) vs. Battle Creek Lakeview (38-8-7)
Byron Center entered the postseason as an honorable mention in the final coaches poll and also won its District a year ago before falling to Lakeview in a Regional Semifinal. The Bulldogs have a win over Mattawan and a pair over Caledonia this season but have not faced Lakeview this fall. The Spartans have a five-set win over Mattawan but will be seeing Caledonia for the first time this season as well. Lakeview did go on last season to reach the Division 1 Quarterfinals and avenged its only loss over the last month by defeating Portage Central in their District Final last week.
DIVISION 2
Charlotte
Parma Western (40-9-3) vs. Niles (16-16-0)
Battle Creek Harper Creek (30-21-1) vs. Tecumseh (53-2-0)
Tecumseh is ranked No. 6 and the presumed favorite this week after also finishing Division 2 runner-up a year ago, although Harper Creek also reached the Semifinals last season and should provide a challenge. Tecumseh has defeated Western twice and Harper Creek once this fall and not seen Niles to this point. But Western and Niles both are coming off what would be considered upsets last week, Western defeating No. 9 Marshall (see above) and Niles clinching its District title against honorable mention Edwardsburg after falling to the Eddies just two weeks before.
Grand Rapids South Christian
Grand Rapids Christian (24-8-0) vs. Holland Christian (26-8-0)
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (34-12-1) vs. Lake Odessa Lakewood (22-22-0)
As noted above, Grand Rapids Christian is ranked No. 3 and is seeking its first Division 2 championship since winning three straight from 2018-20. The Eagles own one win this fall over all of the other three teams competing at South Christian this week, but this Regional is loaded with Grand Rapids Catholic Central ranked No. 4 and Holland Christian ranked No. 5. If Holland Christian were to get past Grand Rapids Christian and see the Cougars, it would be a first meeting this fall between those two. Lakewood and Grand Rapids Catholic Central also are meeting for the first time.
Yale
Marysville (31-13-1) vs. Detroit Country Day (19-8-0)
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (31-14-2) vs. North Branch (40-8-0)
This Regional is anchored by the reigning Division 2 champion Yellowjackets and top-ranked North Branch, which overtook now-No. 2 Country Day in the final coaches poll. They have not faced each other this season, but Country Day won their Quarterfinal match a year ago in five sets. There is plenty of intrigue in this bracket because of the two unranked teams as well. Marysville and Notre Dame Prep also are among the most successful programs in MHSAA history, and the Fighting Irish won the Division 2 title just four years ago. Both Regional Semifinals are first-time meetings this season. Marysville did win its lone matchup this fall with NDP, at the latter’s invitational in September.
DIVISION 3
Centreville
Kalamazoo Christian (26-12-3) vs. Bangor (28-5-2)
Constantine (27-10-3) vs. Bronson (28-17-6)
Kalamazoo Christian defeated Bangor and Bronson at last year’s Regional on the way to reaching the Division 3 Semifinals in Battle Creek. The No. 8-ranked Comets haven’t faced either this season but do have a win over Constantine. Bronson, an honorable mention heading into the postseason, hasn’t faced any of this week’s possible opponents but has taken all but one of its losses this season from Division 1 and 2 teams. Bangor is 15-2-2 since the start of October, and Constantine has won 11 of its last 13 matches – although Bangor dealt the most recent defeat.
Clinton
Hanover-Horton (41-1-1) vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (16-16-1)
Grass Lake (25-13-4) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (23-4-1)
Reigning champion Monroe St. Mary prepped for this run with another schedule of nearly all Division 1 and Division 2 opponents. In addition to facing tough competition, the added significance of that for this week is the Kestrels and Hanover-Horton haven’t met since SMCC won their Quarterfinal a year ago. The Comets opened this season going 2-1-1 at the Chelsea Invitational – falling to Parma Western and tying Milford – and have won every match thereafter. They entered the playoffs ranked No. 4, with St. Mary at No. 5. Grass Lake has won 11 of its last 12 matches, the lone defeat to Hanover-Horton in the Cascades Conference Tournament. Lumen Christi has won seven of its last eight, the defeat coming against Grass Lake.
Houghton Lake
Roscommon (45-2-0) vs. Kingsley (52-4-1)
Beal City (34-9-1) vs. Breckenridge (36-6-3)
This Regional arguably packs as much punch as any in any division. Top-ranked Roscommon has lost only to No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis and Division 1 Caledonia, and has two wins over No. 3 Kingsley and defeated No. 10 Beal City in their lone meeting two weeks ago. The Bucks have lost only eight sets all season. Kingsley’s defeats were only to Roscommon and Division 2 Flat Rock and Tecumseh, and the Stags are on a two-month winning streak with only one tie mixed in. Kingsley has defeated Beal City three times, but all of the Aggies’ losses were to either ranked teams or Division 2 opponents. Breckenridge is unranked but 12-2 since the start of October and avenged its most recent loss by defeating St. Louis in their District Final.
DIVISION 4
Carson City-Crystal
Fowler (31-8-2) vs. Mason County Eastern (19-12-1)
Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (29-2-0) vs. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (25-8-6)
Fowler and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart have bounced around the top 10 in Division 4 all season, settling in at Nos. 2 and 5, respectively, heading into District play. Sacred Heart actually won their lone meeting, in four sets Sept. 11. Fowler hasn’t faced Mason County Eastern this season, and the Cardinals are on a nice 8-2-1 run over the last month after a couple of rough patches earlier this fall. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart defeated Grand Rapids Sacred Heart in four sets on Sept. 25, but Grand Rapids Sacred Heart’s only other loss was to Division 3 Fennville.
L’Anse
Crystal Falls Forest Park (39-1-0) vs. Hancock (26-4-2)
Norway (18-8-2) vs. Ishpeming (22-5-2)
This Forest Park/Hancock matchup has been one of the Upper Peninsula’s most anticipated all season after Hancock won last year’s Regional Final meeting and ended a two-year string of Trojans trips to the Semifinals. Hancock advanced instead, ending last fall at Kellogg Arena, but Forest Park avenged in their only match this season Sept. 13. The Trojans’ only loss this fall came during the first tournament of the season to Division 3 No. 6 Saginaw Valley Lutheran, and Hancock’s only other defeats came to Division 2 Kingsford and Negaunee and Division 3 Calumet. Norway is on a 15-3-1 run since mid-September and will take on an Ishpeming team that hasn’t lost in nearly a month – most recently falling to Hancock on Oct. 16.
Mendon
Mendon (34-6-1) vs. Martin (16-11-0)
St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (28-7-3) vs. Battle Creek St. Philip (24-14-5)
Mendon is seeking its first Regional title since its most recent Division 4 championship season of 2019, and the top-ranked Hornets started a 14-3 run on Sept. 30 with a four-set win over No. 8 St. Philip. If they meet again, it will mean the Tigers ended Michigan Lutheran’s 10-match winning streak, during which the Titans have lost only one set. St. Phil last week won its District for the 26th-straight season and is seeking its first Regional title since its Division 4 title-winning season of 2021. Martin has won four straight District titles and nine of its last 11 matches this fall, with both losses during that run to teams still alive.
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern’s Isabel Ayars (12) gets to a ball during her team’s Division 1 District Final win over East Grand Rapids on Thursday. (Middle) Davison’s Darby Crystal (14) winds up for a hit during the Cardinals’ sweep of Lapeer on Wednesday. (FHN/EGR photo by Michigan Sports Photo. Davison/Lapeer photo by Terry Lyons.)