Morley Stanwood volleyball coach Robin Kozuch has passed the 500-win mark and is now eligible for the Michigan Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Kozuch gives credit to her players and to to her assistant coach, Matt Kozuch, who also happens to be her husband, for the enormous success she’s enjoyed at Morley Stanwood. That sucess includes leading the Mohawks to Class C state titles in 2007 and 2011.
“We could not be this far without her,” said Mohawk sophomore Mikayla Carey. “She’s a great teacher. She’s great with kids.”
Carey is among the players who is confident that Kozuch could have a third state title team. “I feel we could go all the way,” Carey said. “You have to have fun, but you have to play smart volleyball.”
The Mohawks are expected to contend for the Central State Activities Association title.
“There’s a lot of tough teams in our league, and we obviously have a big fat target on our backs this year for winning it for a few years in a row,” Kozuch said. “I tell the girls that every team is going to come out and want to take that win from us.”
Kozuch is confident her team is up to handling the pressure of being defending state champs. “They don’t lose sight that every team would like to take that win from them,” she said. “White Cloud is ranked sixth in the state. They’ll be a good team. Chippewa Hills has some good athletes.”
For the first time in eight seasons, Kozuch won’t have one of her nieces on the team. Ashley Huntey starred for the 2007 state championship squad and went on to enjoy a stellar career at Ferris State University. Ashley’s younger sister, Alexis Huntey, was an all-stater for the volleyball squad that won the 2011 state title and is now playing at George Washington University. But Kozuch is more than ready to take on the challenges of the post-Huntey era.
“It’s a new challenge for me. I was lucky to have [my nieces] for eight years,” Kozuch said. “But it’s a little different look at the game. We have to use some more strategy. We can’t be all about power. We’re trying to switch the game up a little bit this year. We’re not as big as we’ve been in the past. We’re working on a faster game.”
Kozuch admits getting to the 500-win mark has a special ring to it.
“It’s an honor to have been lucky enough to have been able to coach teams and have been successful,” Kozuch said. “The girls have put a lot of hard work in it and my husband Matt, my assistant, puts in a lot of extra time. I wouldn’t be able to do that myself. He puts in probably more time than I have in coaching those role-player type of kids that make us successful.
“I get to be lucky enough to look at the strategy of the game itself, and he’s done a nice job of developing the players.”