All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Melrose launched the 2024 volleyball season with a 25-23, 26-24, 10-25, 19-25, 15-5 agonizing five set Middlesex League win over Belmont. The victory avenged an opening-game road loss to the Marauders last season.
The preseason offered a change from 2023 struggles at either end of service, which returned in the first set with nine service errors. Melrose had enough fortitude to close the set with a win after being knotted at 23.
The second set was similarly close before Melrose fought off a set point, trailing 23-24 before a heroic finish.
First, junior Emme Boyer finessed a winner down the line, followed by a Sabine Wenzel smash, and a Gg Albuja ace.
Belmont dominated the third and fourth sets as the air inexplicably left the Melrose balloon. Coach Scott Celli made some well-timed adjustments with limited effect.
Fans asked what they thought Coach Celli would do to open the tiebreaker. "He'll go with the starting lineup, which he thought was the best" initial group coming out of seven preseason complete or partial tilts. And that's exactly what happened. Melrose got out well, led 8-3 at the break and played with renewed confidence and effectiveness to close out the match.
MVB Notes: Dickens aside, broad generalizations are premature. Belmont deserves credit for excellent defensive play and resilience after the first two set defeats.
The match proved again the power of runs in volleyball as Belmont used them to great advantage in set three and four.
Melrose has a pair of practices to clean up a number of areas before a Saturday left coast trip to Frontier.
Everyone has to play better both individually and in coordination.
Lagniappe. Be strong. Be difficult. Be special.
— Barbara Hershey🌺 (@BarbaraHershey8) September 1, 2024
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