Images courtesy of Jen Gentile. Click images to enlarge.
The best images speak for themselves.
"You own your paycheck." And your paycheck in high school sports is role, court time, and recognition. That's reality.
When you meet with Coach Scott Celli again, I guarantee you he reminds you that returning doesn't guarantee you anything.
Sports is a meritocracy and coaches put the players on the court or field whom they believe give them the best chance to succeed. It's not rec ball; winning matters.
How do you maintain your motivation? You own it. You say, "I want to improve." What's your plan to raise your game, your athleticism, your skill, your game knowledge and decision-making?
There is no "muscle memory." Your muscles respond to nerve input from your brain and peripheral nervous system. Practice lays down myelin, which coats nerve fibers and increases the speed and reproduction of given actions. Skills degrade without repetition.
Miami Heat basketball coach Erik Spoelstra informs us, "every team has a pecking order." A few players are the stars and the majority of us are role players. Excel in your role. Each season players ascend and seize opportunity. I won't name names because you all know which players became rotation players.
Injury, illness, eligibility, distraction, and positional need all factor into the equation. Melrose has reserve players each year who would start for at least three-quarters of the rest of Middlesex League teams. Sometimes it's just a numbers game.
The "Fourth Agreement" of Ruiz's The Four Agreements is "always do your best." Your best won't be the same every day. But your best effort, your best focus can be. And you never regret giving your best.
"All positions are open." You read it here first.
I've watched Melrose volleyball for about twenty years and seen the top teams, top players, thrills, and disappointments. Winning is hard, which is why winning matters. The proliferation of offseason play constantly improves the overall quality of play. As limiting as the pandemic was, it expanded the use of live-stream video, a welcome addition for many sports fans and families.
Each season coach Scott Celli and his staff hand out post-season awards. Some are statistically based, others use the eyeball test. Today's awards won't necessarily be those of the coaches and won't add to your resume or go on your "permanent record." Bill Murray sums it up in Caddyshack (video above).
First, here's a statistical review of attacking.
Hard losses fuel championship dreams. Winchester (13-0) brought back four players from the State Championship finals and had the juice to capture the Middlesex League title with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 sweep at Winchester.
Melrose (12-1) played well but Winchester's "A Game," replete with robust hitting and stingy defense, especially blocking, stymied Melrose's title hopes.
Melrose lost the Division 2 state championship final in 2011, serving as fuel for a return in 2012 with championship results.
Melrose constantly looked for solutions and ways to get its attack untracked, but the Sachems' consistent aggression thwarted efforts to score winners. And teams with title ambitions have to win points as champions seldom give them away.
Autumn Whelan had a big afternoon at libero, seldom a good sign when your defense leads the headlines. In their senior swan songs, Emily Hudson (11 kills) and Eva Haralabatos (25 assists) had solid good-byes.
Hudson and Elena Soukos had eleven kills apiece and Abby Hudson added a hard-earned six.
Melrose graduates four seniors, Hudson and Haralabatos, Grace Sanderson, and Sofia Centrella. They return ten of the fourteen member squad and six top of the rotation players including sophomores Chloe Gentile, Emma Desmond, and Gia Vlajkovic. The cupboard remains stocked.
Player development is the holy grail of sustained competitive advantage. Growing the triad of athleticism, skill, and decision-making separates the top teams. Coach Scott Celli remarked, "this group made tremendous progress as the season went on...fun team to coach."
Melrose will be back in September with more than a puncher's chance.
The Melrose Weekly shares a volleyball update about fourteen consecutive league titles.
Parenthetically, we broadcast the game which separated Melrose from winning the league title in 2006, positioned perfectly in the back corner of the gym, on the sideline.
During the fifth set, two balls went wide of the antenna (on the side of the lead official) and curved back to land in the court. Both were called in or Melrose might have won or not.
Memory check? I got the receipts.
Tony La Russa approached Red Sox manager Alex Cora saying, "I got two things for you," ideas on how to better the club. What advice would you share with a successful club, a struggling team, a veteran team, a young team, any team?
Successful team.
Struggling team.
Veteran team.
Young team.
Any team.
Video from MHS-TV on YouTube and captured from YouTubeTrimmer
High noon. Saturday. Two undefeated teams, Melrose and Winchester square off for Middlesex League bragging rights.
Both have winning traditions. Both have an abundance of postseason experience. Both have lost a single set this season.
Melrose (12-0) proved inhospitable for talented Lexington delivering a 25-17, 25-13, 25-15 knockout. The Lady Raiders informed as relentless an offensive attack as witnessed in twenty years of watching Melrose volleyball. Melrose should ice those right arms tonight in preparation for the Middlesex League finals Saturday at noon in Winchester (12-0).
Melrose showcased legions of attackers - outside, inside, and from the back row. Lexington was no weak sister as they didn't wilt despite the ferocity of the Melrose attack. I thought Lexington was the best team they had faced this season.
It's hard to single out individuals among such a display but Elena Soukos was immense from the outside and back row hitting, Emily Hudson and Chloe Gentile owned the net, and Abby Hudson maintained her vicious season-long outside hitting. That understates big hitting from Gia Vlajkovic, great setting from Eva Haralabatos and extreme ownership of the defense of Autumn Whelan and Emma Desmond. Only two of the whole are seniors, Emily and Eva.
"You can roll the dice 'til they call your bluff,
But you can't win until you're not afraid to lose" - Bon Jovi, "Just Older"Make every season a banner year. A former Lady Raider who played in thirty post-season games for Melrose described the post-season as her "favorite time of the year."
The top four seeds advanced to the ML12 semifinals on Thursday.
Kayla Wyland's Wakefield Warriors got a landmark win before falling to Lexington.
Lexington invades Melrose tomorrow.
Melrose (11-0) remained undefeated with a convincing 25-10, 25-12, 25-11 sweep over the Belmont Marauders.
Melrose advances to the ML12 semifinal Thursday night against Lexington, who defeated Wakefield 3-1 in the other quarterfinal.
Video from MHS-TV YouTube.com feed via YouTubeTrimmer.com
Melrose (10-0) hosts Belmont (6-5) in a quarterfinal match today at 6 P.M. Because of the pandemic scheduling, the teams had no common opponents during the regular season. Belmont beat Watertown 3-0 in the play-in game yesterday.
Melrose hosts Belmont at 6 PM today looking to advance to the semifinals of the ML12 postseason tournament. Getting off to a faster start will be one of their goals.
Kayla Wyland's Wakefield club advanced to the quarterfinals with a five set win over Reading. Wakefield travels to Lexington tomorrow.
Wakefield wins set 5 18-16. What an absolutely unbelievable volleyball match from both Reading and Wakefield! @Ml12Athletics this is what playoffs are about congrats to both teams. @WMHS_Warriors @BostonHeraldHS pic.twitter.com/aC5As5zmi6
— Wakefield Item Sports (@Wakeitemsports) April 20, 2021
The ML12 hasn't published the official brackets for the postseason volleyball tournament. These are the matchups and the "presumptive" brackets. Click to enlarge and see the whole brackets.
It would be great if they published the official brackets...
Melrose ran the regular season table with a Patriots Day 25-22, 25-16, 25-16 win over Burlington (8-2).
Melrose fell behind 11-20 in the first set, refusing to fold and closing with a 14-2 run.
The win catapults Melrose into a quarterfinal matchup tomorrow against Belmont in the Middlesex League playoffs.
Elena Soukos led Melrose with a fourteen-strong lioness' share of kills.
Girls volleyball tournament all set to go.
— Middlesex League 12 Athletics (@Ml12Athletics) April 18, 2021
Monday - First round
Stoneham @ Arlington 4pm
Belmont @ Watertown 9am
Woburn @ Wilmington 12 noon
Reading @ Wakefield 6:30pm#LETSGO
Melrose won the State Volleyball Championship in 2012 with no weaknesses. They had elite setting (Brooke Bell), three dynamite hitters in the post-season (Sarah McGowan, Rachel Johnson, Jen Cain), the Great Wall (Kayla Wyland and Johnson), back row brilliance (Jill MacInnes, Amanda Commito, Allie Nolan), a dynamite designated server (Cassidy Barbaro) and the athletic excellence of Analisa Di Bari.
Four players (Bell, McGowan in 2012, MacInnes in 2013, Nolan in 2014) from that team eventually earned All-State recognition. And Jen Cain played high level college volleyball at Merrimack.
McGowan along with Hannah Brickley were Melrose's best "tip attack" specialists. The Wyland-Johnson blocking was elite. Almost nothing hit the floor against the back row. There's a lot for young players to study. (Pro tip: watch highlights on slow-motion playback).
And like Bill Belichick, Coach Scott Celli liked the southpaw servers.
Highlights "trimmed" from the WCAT YouTube feed.
Get off to a fast start. Dig! Set! Spike!
Wakefield's mission was beating Melrose volleyball this year. Unleashing a furious attack, Melrose had none of it, sweeping the Warriors 25-10, 25-19, 25-13. Melrose (9-0) hosts Burlington Monday at 1 P.M. and Wakefield ends the regular season 6-4.
Melrose played championship level volleyball for much of the match.
The Lady Raiders delivered bomb after bomb from a cavalcade of merciless hitters. The attack came early and often from both sides, Elena Soukos and Abby Hudson on the strong side, Gia Vlajkovic and others from the opposite, and a mix of blocks, quick sets, and power hitting from Chloe Gentile, Emily Hudson, and Grace Sanderson from the middle. Aggression, relentlessness, and ferocity spoke volumes.
The score didn't reflect the skill or the effort from Kayla Wyland's Wakefield squad, who played well. For example, Melrose took an early 9-2 lead in the second set, Wakefield fought back to trail 11-9, and a Scott Celli timeout led to another relentless Melrose rally.
Eva Haralabatos was outstanding at setter and Autumn Whelan conjured visions of All-State libero Jill MacInness, now a Wakefield assistant. It was a total team effort.
Lady Raider Notes: Wakefield's improvement this year was notable with excellent defense and setting. They have risen well into the first division of the Middlesex League.
Melrose has much to look forward to with a panoply of young hitters. Twenty years of watching Melrose volleyball tell me that Abby Hudson and Gia Vlajkovic are both in the top three of greatest improvement over one season.
The Four Agreements is one of Tom Brady's favorite books. And the fourth agreement, "Always Do You Best" encapsulates the others and simplifies our tasks. It works for family, work, school, and sports.
This is a dense summary of the fourth agreement. Enjoy.
Melrose travels to Wakefield (6-3) tomorrow for a high noon rematch with the Warriors. Melrose (8-0) clinches a share of the Middlesex League Freedom Division with another victory.
Wakefield has made a strong turnaround under the tutelage of former Lady Raider Kayla Wyland.
Lady Raider Notes:
Images courtesy of Jen Gentile. Click to enlarge.
Melrose celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday. Congratulations to seniors Sofia Centrella, Grace Sanderson, Eva Haralabatos, and Emily Hudson and their families.
Former Patriots coach Bill Parcells said, "confidence comes from proven success." And Melrose should be confident based upon the Division 2 North attack statistics.
