The Alpha

"Thia: “On Earth… there’s a predator known as the wolf. It’s a powerful creature. They hunt in packs. They’re very loyal. The leader of the pack is the alpha, known as the most dominant.”

Dek: “Wolf. This alpha must be a great killer. I will hunt it too.”

Thia: “No. The alpha isn’t the wolf who kills the most. The alpha is actually the one who best protects the pack.”" - from Predator Badlands

The analogy is real in Dek's "origin story." The Alpha Female is the emotional and social anchor of the pack, respected and dominant. Her role is vital as leader and decision-maker.

Wolf social hierarchy evolved to support this truth, "the strength of the wolf is the pack." 

Not everyone wants to assume the challenges and responsibilities of leadership. 

Lead the pack at home and in the community.

Lead the pack in school.

Lead the pack on the court.

Be the one who best protects the pack.

73 Days Until Tryouts

The opportunity is real.

There is no “established lineup.” Everyone has a chance to become a contributor.

The preseason practices, scrimmages, and Play Day will define the Opening Day lineups. 

There are almost a “dozen deep” players who have legitimate hopes of earning roles.

- Take care of yourself physically and mentally.

- Be on time, ready to go.

- Be a great teammate.

- “Support each other” - Your joy is my joy.

- Be positive.

- Bring the best version of yourself daily.

Coach John Wooden summed it up, “Make every day your masterpiece.”

Winning Words*

*Adapted from my basketball blog.

Quotes alone don't win games. Embrace principles embedded within quotes. Here are some of my favorites:

1. "Invert, always invert." - Carl Jacobi 

What's the opposite and what are the likely consequences of the opposite? How would you want people to describe our team? Smart (vs low VBIQ), tough (vs soft), together (vs selfish). 

2. "Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson

Teamwork is a force multiplier. Exceptional teams usually exceed the sum of the individual parts. Sharers make those around them better. 

3. "The game honors toughness." - Paul Patterson (popularized by Brad Stevens)

Jay Bilas's book Toughness is a must read for every serious coach and player. It's excellent for "team reading." 

4. "Prove them wrong." - Kobe Bryant

Naysayers always have reasons "not to believe." Too small. Too slow. Too young. Too inexperienced. 

5. "Excellent teams play harder for longer." - Dave Smart

Smart is aptly named, an under-the-radar coach who is among the best in the sport. Playing harder for longer manifests resilience. 

6. "Shot selection is the quickest path to improvement." 

Believe in Newell's legendary mandate, "Get more and better attacks than our opponent." It's the meaning behind Doc Rivers' "shot turnovers" and the first priority of analytics effective field goal percentage. "Me, too" or "My turn" shots are unacceptable. 

7. "Fouls negate hustle." - Anonymous

Hustle can make something out of a negative. Fouls create the highest points per possession chances - free throws. Bad teams play bad individual and team defense, often leading to fouls. Service errors are much like fouls. 

8. Just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot." - Bob Knight

Contribution doesn't equate to "box score hero." The best teams get the ball to the best shooters for the most shots from their spots. Players can contribute with defense, digs communication, screening, blocks, and more.

9. "Drag a teammate into the top ten percent." - Urban Meyer

Working out with a teammate improves two players, enhances communication, teamwork, and creates competition. Meyer require top ten percenters to bring someone from the "middle class" (the 80 percent) to work out. 

10. "I believe in you." - Anonymous 

When your coach tells you, "I believe in you," they convey a powerful message. A woman was walking into a CIA meeting to give a presentation and her boss asked her, "Do you know more about this than anyone else here?" She said, "Yes." He instructed her, "Act like it." We own our belief. 

Lagniappe. Learn every day.  You don't need expensive equipment to jump rope, do calf raises, pogos, tuck jumps, bounds, single leg squats, or serial broad jumps. You do need desire and commitment. 

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What do Coach Scott Celli and Santa Claus have in common (besides five letter words and the same initials)? They both know who's been naughty or nice over the summer. 

 

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Scoring While Undersized (Watch and Study)

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"All things are relative." Relative to MVB 25, Melrose will have an undersized attack.

The video shows a player who uses versatility to her advantage, blending technique (skills) with tactics (strategy). 

The MVB 26 attackers who embrace and maximize these techniques have the opportunity for breakthrough performances. 

Character Synergies, Venn Diagrams, and Conflict

Kirby Smart shares the two things he looks for in everyone who joins Georgia.

"The threat for us is complacency. The first thing you have to do is acknowledge that it's a threat. If you acknowledge it - that's the first step towards stomping it out."

Then he revealed what… pic.twitter.com/zipuFLPEh3

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 12, 2026

Overlapping values between players and coaches creates synergy. 

A Venn diagram is a visual tool that uses overlapping circles to show relationships between different groups or ideas. The overlapping areas represent similarities or shared characteristics, while the separate sections show differences. It helps simplify comparison, classification, and problem-solving by making connections easy to see.

Diagram created with ChatGPT Plus

Areas of convergence matter more than differences as long as none of the differences are "deal breakers."

Ricky Williams was a talented running back who found marijuana use helpful for both physical recovery and anxiety. The NFL didn't see it that way. Williams said that if he had pain, he was told "take Percocet" and he wasn't interested in hard drugs. His career was short.

Coaches uniformly will have concerns about:

• Work ethic
• Accountability
• Attention to detail 
• Teamwork 
• Being "part of the program"

Almost every player is concerned with:

• Individual success
• Minutes
• Role
• Recognition
• How the team functions

When the player understands what the coach wants, she has a far better chance to prepare, perform, and persist if she can adapt her wants to the coach's.

If a player's vision of "competitive character" doesn't align with the coaching staff, then problems are going to arise. That's where openness and communication matter. 

Conflict can be destructive or productive and most people have one of four conflict styles: Amanda Ripley is a vital share from her MasterClass...realizing that overlap is normal. 

We develop these styles young. 

Avoiders often agree or walk away. Ignoring toxicity doesn't fix anything. "Sometimes exposure is the only good treatment." Most people, bottom line, want to be heard and understood. 

Mediators look for common ground. They sense problems and seek to defuse it. But we can cede our feelings to others to our detriment. 

Fighters want to battle. "Let's go." That's seldom a solution and power imbalances exist. "Social justice warriors" don't alway win even if their positions are just. Fighting and bullying can overlap. They're often fact-based but not necessarily persuasive. 

Conflict entrepreneurs are dangerous, needy, often manipulators who live for it. They often have allies and are addicted to revenge. They don't see themselves as toxic. Compliance is a loss. Becoming them, "fighting fire with fire" doesn't work...getting into the mud. Ripley recommends 1) distancing, 2) trying to understand real wants, and 3) redirecting some of their energy when possible. They tend to be litigious. 

Navigating our role on a team either as a head coach, assistant, or player matters. Touching the wrong nerves can hurt our cause. Try to figure out who we are and who we're working with/against.

I say that it's easier to have "Batman and Robin" than "Batman and Batman." Harmful conflict in families, workplaces, or teams never results in good outcomes. Think divorce, or Donald Sterling and the Clippers...

The most reliable predictors for high conflict are either contempt or disgust. Anger is not the characteristic issue. 

Within dysfunctional conflict, destroyer number one is humiliating the 'opponent'. 

Be able to ask, "Help me understand how everyone is feeling so that we can work on it." We have to understand that our behavior impacts others even if we think we're "in the right." 

Healthy conflict can be stressful but creates knowledge of other perspectives and potential for solutions. Anyone who has been around sports for decades has their examples of "over the top" conflict which can't be shared. 

Summary: 

1) Recognize that both coaching staff and players have different values and desires. Learn them through communication. 

2) Conflict is inevitable

3) Work to have healthy not dysfunctional conflict 

4) Learn the "trigger points" that can set people off 

5) Prioritize solutions over "winning" conflicts  

Lagniappe. The middle blockers are vital. Study and learn the role and excel. 

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Learning the Ropes

When training young players, spend less time obsessing over skill development and more time building habits.

Skills matter.

But discipline, effort, focus, accountability, resilience, and consistency are what allow those skills to develop over time.

The best youth coaches… pic.twitter.com/gdQFASMLHP

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) June 9, 2026

Some of what separates varsity players and elite players is professionalism. 

• Learn to take care of yourself.
• Learn to prepare and practice. 
• Learn to bring intensity while under self-control.
• Learn to cope with failure and success. 

Lagniappe. Make the role great. 

🚀 The only career advice you need:

The actor Glen Powell auditioned to play Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick.

When the role was given to Miles Teller, Powell was devastated. He was offered a smaller role, but declined.

Tom Cruise summoned Powell to his house and asked him:

“What… pic.twitter.com/3PvUrEvLRC

— Kevin Dahlstrom (@Camp4) June 7, 2026

"STAR" Performance

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation..." - Henry David Thoreau

Need more? A job applicant was frustrated. High GPA, lots of interviews and no offers. He asked another applicant (who got the job) for help.

He explained his approach to being a "STAR." 

S = situation 

Do you 'want' this job or do you 'need' it? What do you bring to the situation that others may not? 

T = task

What role do you expect to fill? Explain why your skill set fits the task at hand. 

A = action

Describe what you've done - the steps you took, decisions you made, and how you approached the problem in a previous role. Don't read your resume. Connect. 

R = result

What your actions achieved - your impact that directly improved your team's results. 

"Every day is showtime." Show up on time, prepared, enthusiastic ("fired up, ready to go").

1. What is your MVB skill? 

2. How are you earning lineup "trust?"

3. What are you doing TODAY to improve? 

Earning trust is everything. 

Lagniappe. Great plays are the tip of the iceberg. Making routine plays well consistently separates the best players. The possible... 

Unreal Volleyball Saves!! pic.twitter.com/OKqSgr0C3R

— ꧁♛𝓑𝓵✯𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼♛꧂ (@heyitsmeCarolyn) June 9, 2026

Lagniappe 2. More... 

 

Delivering Messages as a Player and as a Coach

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Find stuff you can 'take to the bank'. A couple are in the video:

1. Coaches want players they can trust to put on the floor. 

2. Passing means playing. Who is the best passer on the team? Or maybe you want to choose among two or three. Do they play a lot? 

3. Be a "dog." It's the context where you have pride in being a dog, a grinder, a player who gets after it. 

Win Soft Skills*

All opinions in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. **Adapted from my basketball blog. 

"Seeing is believing." What if unmeasurable gains, compounded growth, are the secret? Soft skills make tough people. 

“True strength isn’t always something you see on the outside.” - Dune Prophecy 

Inspiration

• Underdog stories
• Success despite impairment
• Great teaching 
• The power of persistence

Thoroughness

Do the job well. In "Toughness" Jay Bilas shares a story about being asked to change out the contact paper in his sister's vanity. He did a poor job and his father had to redo it - after a long day at work. His father said nothing. Bilas felt shamed and learned attention to detail. 

Don't cut corners. Don't skip steps. "Pound the rock." Nothing will show up until the rock breaks. 

Sleep

Shakespeare described, "Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care." 

Sleep "cleans our brains," consolidates memory, and results in proven better athletic performance. Seek eight hours minimum. 

Habit Formation 

James Clear writes in Atomic Habits that our habits are "votes for the type of person we wish to become." This restates, "How you do anything is how you do everything." Winning habits could include reading (e.g. Kevin Eastman, NBA Champion assistant coach), mindfulness (Search Inside Yourself), gratitude (The Jar of Awesome), and many more. 

Positivity

Nobody ever crafted a positive life from a negative attitude. Be "The Positive Dog"

• Enhanced Resilience and Better Pressure Management
• Broadened Perspective for Problem-Solving
• Elevated Performance and Productivity
• A Contagious Culture that Elevates the Whole Team
• Increased Longevity and Personal Well-Being

Patience

Coach Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" has values of faith and patience flanking the top of the pyramid. Don't be seduced by the myth of overnight success. "Be fiercely patient with how long it takes for those compounding daily actions to turn into substantial returns."

Reading

Nobody sees the effort of study invested away from the arena. When my daughters were in a high school, a future D1 coach told me, "they really know how to play." Have the will to embrace Pete Newell's mandate for coaches, "Help players see the game." 

When someone asks, "What are you reading today?," have an answer.

• "True Blue" by David Baldacci
• "Albert Einstein" by Walter Isaacson

Work Ethic

Anson Dorrance saw Mia Hamm training alone in a park on his drive to work. He shared that in his book, "The Vision of a Champion." 

I used to hand out a "mini poster" of this to players. 

Service

Serve your family. Serve your teammates. Serve the community. In an era of the "Me Generation," make others better. Serve by sharing, by leading, by encouraging, by 'rethinking', and by giving credit. 

Craft your plan and succeed.

Lagniappe. Improve your defense. 

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Bonus Post - Lemon Squares

Here's a tangy treat from the 1950s or 1960s. It has a sweet baked crust and tart poured topping. The recipe came via Betty Crocker and Reddit.

I got lots of love for Betty Crocker's Cookbook! 

LEMON SQUARES

1 cup Gold Medal Flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees (Moderate). Measure flour by dipping method (page 5) or by sifting. Blend flour, butter, and confectioners' sugar thoroughly. Press evenly in square pan, 8x8x2 inches. Bake 20 minutes. Beat rest of ingredients together. Pour over crust and bake 20 to 25 minutes more. Do not overbake! (The filling puffs during baking but flattens when cooled). Makes 16 squares. 

Earning More Time

Get more minutes. You should want to play more. Because you've built skill, boosted your volleyball IQ, raised your athleticism, and done the mental work, you want ROI - return on investment.

Link shared tips:

• Communicate
• Ask for more practice reps to show your commitment. 

Other tactics

• Mentoring. What do you need to work on?
• Athleticism. Athleticism stands out. Not easy among athletes...
• Attitude. Bring energy, focus, and resilience.

Points to Ponder

• Players set the rotation...coaches fill out the card. 
• Bring the "wow" factor. Catch "Coach's eyes."
• The only constant in life is change. 

Lagniappe. Everyone should know how to bump, pass, and set. Scoring "out of system" matters. 

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Apply a Quality, Value, Growth Matrix to MVB

Borrowing from finance, apply a Quality, Value, and Growth (QVG) filter to volleyball. Translate financial metrics into athletic performance metrics.

To analyze a team, player development, or a specific match, the QVG discipline acts as a crisp editorial lens. It focuses past outcomes on the program structure.

The Volleyball QVG Matrix Defined

• Quality: System Execution & Discipline

Examine: Serve-receive passing accuracy (scaled 0-3), out-of-system hitting efficiency, and unforced error rates (e.g. service errors, net touches). A high-quality team doesn't beat itself. 

 

• Value: Roster Efficiency & "Power"

The Skinny: Who maximize their touches or rotation adjustments that earn high point differentials? This is about finding impact contributors who aren't necessarily the flashiest - like a defensive specialist who locks down the back row or a middle blocker who alters an opponent's attack geometry. 

 

• Growth (The Trajectory): Development Curve & Adaptability.

Examine: In-season improvement, young talent stepping up or the team’s in game adjustments their from Set 1 to Set 4.

Headline Idea: Searching for "7s": A Portfolio Review of the Melrose Rotation

The philosophy. Championship volleyball isn’t built on having one flashy "10" hitter paired with a "4" in receive rating or a "3" in service errors. Develop a robust rotation with steady "7s" across the board.

Be specific.

1. The Quality Pillar: System Discipline

Evaluate the current rotation.

Example: "Looking at our recent matches, our ball control is hovering right at a 7.5/10. We stay in-system, allowing our setters to run a diverse offense. The unforced error rate in our serving game has dropped. We don't give away cheap points to opponents with miscommunication or bad receives.

 2. The Value Pillar: Roster Depth and Efficiency

Highlight the high-efficiency, maximum-return elements.

Examples: "If you want pure value (7/10), look at our middle transition game. We aren't just relying on heavy swings; our hitters are finding the deep corners and capitalizing on broken plays. Furthermore, our defensive standard is giving us transition opportunities we didn't always have last season."

 3. The Growth Pillar: Player Development

Assess the trajectory of the team and specific underclassmen.

Examples: "We score a 7.5/10 on raw growth, which is exactly where you want to be mid-season. We aren't erratic and unpredictable group. The younger varsity roster spots are more than depth, and the team's pressure response shows a maturing volleyball IQ."

The Takeaway: Summary

Like a great investment portfolio, a championship volleyball team doesn't need to chase high-risk and volatility. A lineup with disciplined, valuable, improving "7s" is what mounts a margin of safety on the court and wins matches in the competitive cauldron.

The Connection

This framework provides fans with an analytical toolkit. Watch the game like a coach, focusing on efficiency, consistency , and in-season trajectory. 

Lagniappe. MVB goes as far as the serve-receive. 

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