Tabit Twins Drive Top-ranked Team in B
September 1, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
MOUNT MORRIS – In the heat of an intense volleyball match, it could be easy to get the wrong impression about Hannah and Sarah Tabit of Mount Morris.
A raised voice or a stern stare isn't an alarming indication of discord between the two. They're not mad at each other. They're not being mean. It's just two highly driven twins who have learned over the course of 17 years together which buttons to push without hurting each other's feelings.
"Their chemistry is great," Mount Morris coach Jim Pender said. "I sympathize with them sometimes, because I'm an identical twin, too. Joe and I, when we competed, we got on each other. It wasn't anything we can't handle.
"Sometimes it seems like they're yelling at each other. It's just a different thing with identical twins. The kids now understand they're not yelling at each other. They're so competitive. They want the best out of each other. That's how they get it out of each other."
The tough-love approach seems to work.
The Tabits have been an integral part of Mount Morris' success over the past three seasons and to their fast start and No. 1 ranking in Class B as seniors this year. Sarah is an outside hitter who was second-team all-state after registering a school-record 867 kills last season. Hannah, an outside hitter and setter, made third-team all-state despite being limited by an injury.
Both are committed to play next season at Saginaw Valley State University, a short trip up I-75 from their hometown. Starting next fall, a new set of teammates will have to get accustomed to the in-your-face manner in which the Tabit twins motivate each other on the court.
Between twins, nothing that happens in the midst of competition is taken personally when they head home.
"I feel like I can be a little more firm with her and it's not like she'll cry or something," Sarah said.
"It's just because we've been playing together for so long," Hannah added. "We have a lot of chemistry together. If we mess up, we've got to figure out what's wrong. We have to fix it."
The Tabits have played volleyball together for quite a while, but not for as long as some high school teammates.
They became enthralled with the sport in elementary school when they went to Mount Morris matches to watch their brother's girlfriend play for the Panthers.
They couldn't wait to play volleyball themselves – but they had to.
Their father, Mount Morris assistant coach Pat Tabit, has witnessed many cases of burnout among athletes who have been playing the same sport from a young age. He didn't want that to happen to his daughters.
"Our parents actually wouldn't let us play until we were in sixth grade," Hannah said. "We kept trying to ask if we could. They'd say, 'Not yet, just wait it out.' They finally let us play. My dad didn't want us to get tired of it too quick, because it happens to a lot of girls who play now and start in third or fourth grade. He didn't want us to die out of it."
The Tabits enter their senior season very much energized about volleyball. It helps that they are on a team that could deliver only the second MHSAA championship in school history in any sport. The 1984 softball team won the Class B title, one year after Pender graduated from the school.
Mount Morris has won five district titles over the last seven years and nine overall, but has never advanced beyond regionals. The Panthers were strong before the Tabits arrived, but the program is at a different level with the twins leading the way.
"People come into the gym now and ask, 'When are those two going to be seniors?'" Pender said. "It seems like they've been on the team forever. They're noticed in the gym. Sarah got MVP of the first tournament and Hannah was on the all-tournament team. I haven't had too many players who could be a dynamic player for anybody in the state of Michigan. They know what's at stake and bring their game every time."
The Panthers didn't even make it out of their district last year, but it was understandable -- they lost to eventual Class B champion North Branch in the District Final. The teams have typically met in the regionals, with North Branch eliminating Mount Morris in that round in 2009, 2012 and 2013.
The teams are again in the same district this season. It will be played Nov. 2-7 at North Branch, the seventh-ranked team in Class B.
It's a testament to Mount Morris' returning talent that it earned the No. 1 ranking, despite its early exit last season and its history of never making it out of regionals.
"We're very happy about it, but we've still got to work hard every day," Sarah Tabit said. "That way we can maintain that No. 1 spot the whole season."
Mount Morris is off to a 16-1 start after three tournaments that have featured some of the best teams in the state. The Panthers beat Chelsea (No. 8 in Class B) and Birmingham Marian (preseason No. 9 in Class A) to win the first of two tournaments in Brownstown. They lost to Lake Orion (No. 2 in Class A) in the semifinals of the second tournament in Brownstown.
In their own tournament last Saturday, the Panthers beat long-time nemesis North Branch 25-13, 25-19 in the championship match.
In addition to the Tabits, libero Lauren Gibbs received postseason honors last year by making the all-region team as a freshman. Gibbs was injured and unable to play in the district, leaving the Panthers shorthanded against a powerful North Branch team it beat during the regular season.
Junior Summer Bruce, junior Mahogany Malone, sophomore Linda Allen, senior Kayla Sorensen and senior Madeline Clarke are other key contributors from last year's team.
"In the last six years, we've been ranked in the top 10 because of the tournaments we've been playing in," Pender said. "We've been playing some strong competition and competing with them. We graduated only two seniors, and they were basically in the same spot. We beat some really good teams last year. It puts a little more pressure on me, though, when they say you're that good. You have to have the kids to do what you need to get ranked. Now we have to put everything together. It puts a little added pressure."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Hannah Tabit works to get a ball past two opponents at the net during a match last season. (Middle) Sarah Tabit connects earlier this fall. (Below) The Tabit twins, numbers 12 and 16, lead the top-ranked team in Class B. (Top and middle photos by Greg Tunnicliff/Genesee County Herald; bottom photo courtesy of Mount Morris athletic department.)
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Week 7 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 8, 2025
With just more than three weeks left until the start of MHSAA District play, several teams are surging with the potential to peak when it matters most this season.
This week’s state polls voted on by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) saw four teams enter their respective top 10s across the four divisions and a new No. 1 in Division 3 as Roscommon took back the top spot it yielded with the Sept. 9 rankings.
Expect more maneuvers to come as teams finish off league championship and tournament schedules and the last of this season’s Saturday showcases.
As always, records, results and schedules below are those posted for teams on MHSAA.com. Rankings reflect the latest polls posted by MIVCA, with last week’s referenced in “Week in Review” and this week’s referenced thereafter.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Lowell d. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (25-15, 16-25, 15-9) The Red Arrows (23-7-2) – an honorable mention in Division 1 last week – finished 4-1-1 at the Jenison Tournament, losing early to Hudsonville and tying the host in two sets before finishing with three-set wins over Grand Rapids Christian and then No. 8 FHN (24-7-1).
2. Fowler d. Pewamo-Westphalia (21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21) The Division 4 No. 6 Eagles (18-5-1) took a major step in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference with this win over the Division 3 No. 5 Pirates (23-7-3).
3. Pewamo-Westphalia d. Plymouth Christian Academy (25-27, 25-18, 15-11) P-W headed to the Mt. Morris Tournament after suffering losses on successive days earlier in the week, but finished 5-0 on Saturday topped by this victory over No. 3 PCA (29-6-1).
4. Saginaw Swan Valley d. Frankenmuth (25-23, 28-26, 25-23) Coming off a five-set loss to Bay City John Glenn a week earlier, Swan Valley (18-9-1) stunned the Division 2 No. 10 Eagles (9-8-4) with this Tri-Valley Conference Red sweep by the leanest of margins.
5. Lake Odessa Lakewood d. Parma Western (25-23, 25-27, 25-22) Coming off six losses over its last seven matches, Lakewood (17-13-0) won a close one over Division 2 honorable mention Western (23-6-1) and also swept P-W at a home tri.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Hudsonville (20-6-1) The Eagles have jumped from the list of honorable mentions, moving up to No. 10 in the state rankings this week coming off a 4-1-1 run at the Jenison Tournament that included wins over then-No. 5 Jenison, now-No. 7 Lowell and Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian. Hudsonville has played most of the best from the west side of the state, with the Lowell win avenging an early loss and a tie with Forest Hills Northern on Saturday also following an August defeat.
Utica Eisenhower (20-2-1) After reaching the Division 1 Quarterfinals last season – and winning the first set in that match before falling to Bloomfield Hills Marian – Eisenhower is building up to another potentially serious run. The Eagles have loaded the schedule, posting especially impressive wins over Lowell, Division 1 honorable mention Brighton and Division 2 No. 5 North Branch, and with losses to only Marian and Farmington Hills Mercy.
DIVISION 2
Edwardsburg (24-7-0) The Eddies have won 12 of their last 13 matches and moved up to No. 10 in the Division 2 rankings from honorable mention a week ago, coming off wins over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, West Bloomfield and Birch Run over the weekend. Their only loss during that time was a 2-1 defeat against Division 1 honorable mention Byron Center in the championship match of BC’s tournament two weeks ago. It’s been an excellent rebound off last season’s sub-.500 finish.
Otsego (20-10-5) The Bulldogs also lost more than they won a year ago but have bounced back nicely even while taking on several of then best from the west side of the state as well. A 5-0-1 run through the Portage Northern Invitational on Sept. 20 served some notice – it included a win over Plymouth Christian Academy – and Otsego came off a 0-1-2 weekend at the Battle Creek Lakeview mini tournament (facing three Division 1 opponents) with a five-set win over Vicksburg last Thursday.
DIVISION 3
Calumet (13-9-1) The Copper Kings are again part of a strong set of Upper Peninsula contenders, coming off a run to the Regional Finals a year ago, and they’ve already shown this season what they can do downstate as well. Calumet opened with a win over current Division 3 honorable mention McBain at the Cadillac Invitational and went 3-2-1 at the Division 3-4 Showdown two weeks ago most notably defeating Division 4 No. 2 Ubly. Four of the team’s losses have come to Wisconsin opponents, and a fifth came to Division 4 No. 8 Hancock – with the rematch set for Oct. 28.
Manton (23-9-0) The Rangers are holding steady among honorable mentions in Division 3 as they’ve won nine straight matches with a 6-0 run at the Lake City Invitational over the weekend followed by a 3-1 comeback win Tuesday over No. 10 Beal City. With a little bit of help from the Aggies against top-ranked Roscommon, Manton might still have a chance at a title share in the Highland Conference – and then will almost surely see No. 4 Kingsley for the third time this fall, in District play. Two losses to the Stags are among five total defeats to opponents getting votes in state polls this week.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (16-6-2) The Cougars moved into the Division 4 top 10 three weeks ago and sit No. 5 this week after defeating Erie Mason coming off tough losses to Division 3 No. 7 Hanover-Horton and Ottawa Lake Whiteford. Lenawee Christian has a nice set of wins over Division 2 opponents including from a 4-2 run at the Eaton Rapids Tournament where the two defeats actually came to Division 4 No. 2 Ubly and No. 4 Battle Creek St. Philip. The Cougars will play next month for a potential fifth-straight District title and also have won their Regionals three of the last four seasons.
St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (16-4-3) The Titans have played some of their toughest competition of the season over the last two weeks – losing twice to Division 2 Buchanan and once to Division 1 St. Joseph – but that’s sure to pay off once the postseason rolls around, and Michigan Lutheran also defeated Buchanan in the championship match at the Bridgman Invitational on Sept. 20. The only other loss came early to another solid Division 2 team in South Haven.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Wednesday – Farmington Hills Mercy (15-2-0) vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian (29-2-0) at Oakland University – the Division 1 No. 3 Marlins and No. 4 Mustangs will meet for the second time this season, this time for the Catholic High School League Bishop Tournament championship.
Wednesday – Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (18-2-1) at Milan (12-4-0) – Miland joined the Division 2 honorable mentions this week and defeated honorable mention Flat Rock on Monday on the way to facing the Division 3 No. 2 Kestrels (18-2-1) in Huron League play.
Thursday – Tecumseh quad – Battle Creek Lakeview (26-5-5) and Clinton (20-3-1) are among those scheduled to play at Division 2 No. 7 Tecumseh (30-1-0).
Saturday – Beast of the East at Trinity Health Sports Center in Livonia – The lineup is loaded with four top 10-ranked teams and three honorable mentions spread across six pools.
Saturday – Karen Abbott Memorial Invitational at Hanover-Horton – The Division 3 No. 7 Comets (21-1-1) host Division 2 honorable mention Parma Western (23-6-1) among others.
PHOTO East Grand Rapids (left) and Forest Hills Northern players meet at the net during a match Sept. 23. (Photo by MI Sports Photo.)