Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Epic Win Reviewed

Jeff Mate' provided me with the Central Catholic-Melrose game tape and to paraphrase Yogi Berra, "sometimes you can see a lot by just watching."


  • First, the team expended enormous effort with too numerous to count diving efforts and digs. Catch the game on MMTV as Ralph Labella does a remarkable job capturing the excitement. 
  • Melrose had over 50 kills for the match. 
  • Melrose had a big crowd on hand for the contest. The crowd enthusiasm also helped inspire the team. 
  • Not mentioned in my brief summary yesterday were contributions from Jill MacInnes who made some outstanding digs in the pivotal game three comeback. 
  • Melrose rallied back from 23-13 and 24-16 against a strong team. Down 24-16, if each point sorted independently (50-50), winning eight consecutive points would be a 1:256 proposition. Realistically, against a strong Division I team, the odds were probably worse.
  • Sarah McGowan's power offense and high attack efficiency deserve recognition. She is playing at an all-scholastic/all-state level. Her blocking has improved dramatically this season. 
  • Brooke Bell continues to pile up assists, ranking among the top setters in Massachusetts. She, too merits strong consideration for All-Scholastic and All-State honors. Melrose has had teammates on the All-State team twice - Karen and Paula Sen in 2005 and Hannah Brickley and Colleen Hanscom in 2009. 
  • Melrose's back row play was excellent with a lot of outstanding digs by Alyssa DiRaffaele, Amanda Commito, Jen Cain, and Jill MacInnes. 
  • Jill Slabacheski had critical kills at the end of both games three and four.
  • You can only call it a total team effort.  
  • But best of all, see these scholar-athletes represent Melrose with distinction and enthusiasm. It's terrific to see the smiles on their faces as they experience success. 
The players' faces radiate excitement in the huddle with Melrose leading 24-21 in set 4.


The moment of victory as the ball has just hit the floor and Melrose players sense victory. Click to see the big picture. 

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