Game 3: Melrose 3 Belmont 1

Melrose kicked off its Middlesex League home schedule with a 16-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-8 win over Belmont to raise its record to 2-1. 

If Melrose Volleyball had a metaphorical Mount Rushmore performance, then Gia Vlajkovic might be sandblasting it with over twenty kills in a high energy performance.

The opening frame saw the visiting Marauders raise their Jolly Roger before a stunned Melrose crowd. They executed and Melrose struggled with service miscues and other unforced errors. 

Melrose launched a ferocious counterattack in the second set, leading 11-1 before Belmont went Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar making it a contest until Melrose held serve to capture the second set. Unofficially, Gia had six kills in both first and second set. 

Set three saw more distributed leadership with Chloe Gentile coming alive from the outside in the sweltering MVMMS Gym. In the first half of the third set she had a least four kills. And gradually, the defense spearheaded by Emma Desmond, Ruth Breen, and Grace Gentile in a relief role began to assert itself. Sadie Jaggers had several dominant service runs. 

By the fourth set, Melrose had taken the wind from the sails of the Bucs, and it was Belmont's turn to make errors of commission and/or fatigue. Melrose ran off an easy set win with the bench cleared at the end with positive energy and sets for sophomore Caroline Higonenq.  

Analysis: Michael Useem wrote a wonderful book, The Leadership Moment, examining times when leaders stood tall under pressure. In the introduction, he suggests four questions:

• What went well?
• What went poorly? 
• What can we do differently next time? 
• What are the enduring lessons? 

1. The comeback from a disastrous first set deserves mention as an exercise in resilience. 

2. The slow start cannot become habitual as teams dig holes they cannot recover. Slow starts give opponents hope and enough talent plus belief can produce miracles. 

3. Was the team mentally ready to be their best selves after a dominant win over Woburn? Was this a "trap game" in the offing? 

4. Never take any opponent lightly. Melrose came in with a 19-0 career slate versus Belmont as tracked on the Maxpreps site. Volleyball rewards aggressiveness and consistency and Melrose brought neither to the early match.

Melrose notes: Melrose's JV earned a 2-1 victory. The JV squad is loaded with talented athletes, size, and energy as they look to carve out futures in Melrose.