Melrose marching in place with no games since prior rankings. Canton had a couple of losses and has recently drifted down.
It's still early to be too invested in Bracketology.
News, notes, commentary, and volleyball education
Melrose marching in place with no games since prior rankings. Canton had a couple of losses and has recently drifted down.
It's still early to be too invested in Bracketology.
"When he won coach of the month, and I was like, 'hey, congratulations.' And he just looked at me and said 'nobody cares.'"
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 14, 2024
Celtics guard Derrick White on his favorite Joe Mazzulla quote 😂
(via @NoaDalzellNBA)pic.twitter.com/eqKCD5bgez
Melrose travels to Burlington Tuesday in a clash of the top two teams in the Middlesex Freedom Division.
How do you play your best? Make it about the moment, like Joe Mazzulla.
That reminds me of a psychological test where they ask you to name as many animals as possible in a minute. If you start with 'chinchilla' then I'm thinking you know the questions. And in volleyball it's good to know the questions.
Lagniappe.
Michael Jordan said, "You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) October 14, 2024
"Excellence isn't a one-week or one-year ideal. It's a constant."
Excerpt from his book Driven From Within. pic.twitter.com/q5sl2xDjp5
Benefit from the experience and cultures of other exemplary teams. Here's the latest on a culture update from the Boston Celtics.
There is a new Banner (not Banner 18) in the middle of all the championship banners. It reads:
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) October 11, 2024
Humility
Mindset
Togetherness
Toughness
Passion
Compete
Those are the principles Joe Mazzulla said he wants the #Celtics identity to be built on. pic.twitter.com/BZXmMuu1ve
Programs run with their beliefs, attitudes, and values.
The Boston Celtics are clearly emphasizing a set of core values that go beyond just basketball skills. Each of these values—Humility, Mindset, Togetherness, Toughness, Passion, and Compete—reflects a cultural framework that promotes growth, accountability, and team-first thinking.
Gold from Saban. Leadership 101.
— Kevin DeShazo (@KevinDeShazo) October 5, 2024
Transformational > Transactional.
In my opinion, in this NIL era, it matters more than ever.pic.twitter.com/GzSqmNreqZ
"Negative experiences without teaching kills morale." - Saban
The longer your involvement in sports, the larger the number of highest high and lowest low outcomes. Unavoidable.
The majority of the time, the worst experiences didn't occur because of effort and execution. Most often they came about from lack of focus and lack of resilience.
Coaches expend vast amounts of time teaching technique, tactics, and physicality, when the pitfalls often relate to mental toughness. Pro and Olympic athletes universally have sport psychology and mindfulness training which increase focus. Exceptional players have exceptional mental approaches.
Lagniappe. Search Inside Yourself... mindfulness is easy and the results are real. I read the book three times.
"God doesn't limp." - Gregory House in House*
Here's how the ML12 teams stand as of 10/13, by MIAA power rankings, playoff eligible in bold.
Division 1
In sports, adopting this philosophy helps athletes manage stress and anxiety, avoiding wasted energy on external distractions. It’s about accepting uncertainty while committing fully to your own performance. For example, a volleyball player can’t control whether the ball hits the net on a serve, but they can control their reaction—reset, refocus, and prepare for the next point. This builds mental toughness and allows athletes to stay composed under pressure.
By focusing only on what they can control, athletes enhance their focus and performance. They learn to embrace setbacks as opportunities for growth, rather than feeling defeated by things beyond their influence. This mental shift not only improves outcomes but also leads to a greater sense of fulfillment in sports and beyond. It aligns well with Stoic wisdom, promoting discipline, perseverance, and emotional balance in the face of challenges.
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own.
“Most of our athletes today don’t practice to be great and don’t practice to be dominant; they practice to practice.
— Coach's Diary (@ACoachsDiary) December 23, 2022
They practice just to get through practice.
I practiced to be the best ever.”
- @DeionSanders
DISCUSSION QUESTION
👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/EopuFXeu0S
Don't practice because there's practice. Huh?
You want the designated server spot or the opposite spot? Practice to win that spot, to block better and get backset attack winners. Underclassman? Fight to win more than a roster spot, but a position.
You want to beat Burlington, Billerica, Canton, Duxbury, Westborough. What's your plan? Practice the individual and team skills necessary to defend the best outside hitters, pipe attacks, hard serves.
In 1970, USC and Alabama agreed to a home and home series in football. USC, with an integrated team, went to Alabama and savaged the Crimson Tide. Alabama fans, the state of Alabama demanded integration, not because they believed it was right, because they wanted to win football games. Alabama integrated the team, closed practice to everyone outside the team, implemented the 'wishbone offense' and won the return contest in LA. They practiced, not to practice, but to be great.
Sport transforms society.
Distill the game to its essence.
Master the core concepts of volleyball.
1) Put the ball down on offense.
2) Keep the ball up on defense.
On offense
Bobby Hurley on shot selection 🗣 🗣
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) October 7, 2024
“This is basketball, not figure skating. You don’t get extra points for the degree of difficulty” pic.twitter.com/0mMH3laGrr
"Putting the ball down" comes in three flavors:
1) Attacks
2) Blocks
3) Service
Some players have the power or size to hit through or over double and triple blocks. Others (like Sarah McGowan) had both power and finesse to have a portfolio of shots - e.g. tips and cut shots to hit around blocks.
If you're a reserve or JV player with a dream, figure out how to put the ball down or keep the ball up.
Be effective and efficient.
“Basketball is a simple game…The best coaches are the simple coaches! The guys who screw it up the most are the ones trying to be the smartest guy in the room. Don’t try to be the smartest guy in the room, be the toughest guy in the room, the hardest working.”
— JIM BOONE 🏀 (@CoachJimBoone) October 9, 2024
~ Kelvin Sampson pic.twitter.com/T7mCWwgCVo
Simplicity means to be "good at what you do a lot." It also means to "do more of what's working and less of what's not." The game tells you what's working and you have to listen to it.
Listen to your coaches and "Beginner's Mind."
To quote zen master Shunryo Suzuki, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”
What does that mean? To compete against the top teams with high scoring attackers (generally outside hitters), you need to be on top of your blocking game. Not just offense propelled State Finalists to their destiny. 2012 had Rachel Johnson and Kayla Wyland. 2005 had Paula Sen and Jen Cohane. The top blocking pair for 2024 (in my opinion) is Sabine Wenzel and Leah Fowke. Each blocking pair (strong and opposite side) has to challenge itself to excel. If your blocks are getting tooled, why? Are you reading the play and getting there or are you 'ball watching'? Is your outside hand at the pins angled in to direct the ball back into the court?
Challenge yourself to be great. Don't obsess about slaying the White Whale; become the White Whale.
Summary:
Lagniappe. Version 3, best imitation Jiffy cornbread recipe (best to date)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Dry ingredients: combine
Joe Mazzulla is such a legend.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) October 10, 2024
Jayson Tatum has the privilege of dealing with unfair criticism.
Love the message. pic.twitter.com/IpaxZUPZCI
Understand the privilege of playing on a good team with high ambitions. You can play on many teams without having those opportunities.
"Pressure is a privilege."
There's an analogous maxim, "nobody backs up over a skunk."
Lagniappe. What leadership skills do you need to work on?
John Maxwell said, "Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) October 8, 2024
Leadership means doing more.
It means leading from where the other person is, not from where you are.
5 Characteristics of Great Leaders: pic.twitter.com/hpMjdDln7a
It's easy to think, "I don't have to lead now. I'm an underclassman." Almost every freshman who ever played with MVB became an eventual leader, not only on MVB. Develop your leadership skills from the beginning. Find ways to impact winning. You are not along for the ride.
Many of the same qualities of great coaches belong to great players. Learn from them.
We don't have to know a person for them to be a mentor. Jack Clark, Cal Rugby coach, is a mentor. How? Clark shares extraordinary understanding of sport and coaching.
Here are notes from the first half of a podcast (the meat starts at about five minutes):
Clark began rugby coaching in 1982. "I felt like an apprentice."
He brought in more experienced coaches, "you don't know what you don't know." Many coaches are not ready. Playing is not the same as coaching.
As a young boy, he wanted to learn more about players and coaches. George Plympton was a model, "a look behind the curtain."
Mike White was his football coach at Cal. Clark felt that rugby blended football and basketball. "Rugby was a more free-flowing sport"
"You've got to be able to make decisions with the ball in your hands." Everyone has the ball sometime.
"Make informed decisions."
"Everyone has to do their share of the dirty work."
"All skills, all players..." a correlation to life.
Sport is not family, which is supposed to be unconditional love. You should care about one another, empathy and kindness...high performance teams are highly conditional. "Those conditions help this organization operate and succeed."
"Everyone is putting everything they have into it."
"I've had the most wonderful coaches...qualities worth emulating"
Coaching priorities, "willingness to tell you when your best could be better." Ask yourself, "am I at my peak performance?"
"Happy to be coached..."
"They understood my strengths."
"Learn...the mentality of an individual...build playing the game based on their strengths...building a blueprint...based on what they do well." Make lists of what the player does well.
"70-30 percent" maintaining strengths, working on weaknesses
"I shouldn't draw a paycheck unless I can develop players..."
Too much emphasis on weaknesses results in less confident players...
"Program and train optimism." (the host, Dr. Michael Gervais)
Identity - "I don't want to put people in boxes...influence people to be their best self...help people get from where they are to where they want to be..."
"We're always chasing...a level of play...that's going to be difficult."
"What did we do well? I want that collaborative discussion...what do we have to work on?"
"Identify what we can do well..." team buys into that deeply. The team understands performance...
(Gervais questionaire): 1) What went well? 2) What do we have to work on?"
Lagniappe. Control.
A Champions mindset! pic.twitter.com/lXj3mdv3Nw
— Jim Shapiro (@jimshapiro) October 6, 2024
Lagniappe 2. Great teammates.
The most important contribution a player can make in their career is being a great teammate. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly…. The wins and the losses. The ultimate respect is earned by those who continually put what’s best for team first. Look at championship winning… pic.twitter.com/OgxF8JeLfN
— Trent Mongero (@CoachMongero) October 6, 2024
Children filled the stands, overseeing the sea of red and white. Melrose prepared to battle its neighbor Wakefield in volleyball combat. The wind whips at the top of the mountain.
Banners decorate the wall with Melrose displaying 22 league titles, 10 sectional titles and one state championship in the past 24 seasons.
Wakefield fans filled their section with dreams of banners in the future. The Wakefield players didn’t disappoint, showing athleticism, enthusiasm, and toughness.
The event showed the continuum of MVB - state champions from 2012 (Rachel Johnson, Wakefield coach Kayla Wyland, Sydney Doherty), MVB 24’ and youngsters whose future is the future of Melrose volleyball.
Before the game, players celebrate tradition as they emerge through a tunnel of humanity to warm up. Wakefield warmups resemble those of Melrose as Coach Wyland is the fruit of the Coach Scott Celli coaching tree.
I dismiss warmups because hitting against air differs from hitting live against the trees in the forest. That reminds me about ‘dueling’. “How do you shoot with a pistol aimed at your heart?”
Some call Melrose, “vanilla.” MVB rarely uses ‘pipe attacks’, shoots, and backsets to opposites. Not a problem. “Do well what you do a lot” and “do more of what you do well and less of what you do not.”
*This piece was experimental, in response to a MasterClass challenge from author Salman Rushdie to write a piece of 200-300 words, painting a picture without adjectives. Stress active verbs and nouns. Not saying it is a success. It's tough.
Post by @adamgrantView on Threads
We benefit from having both generalists, birds who see the big picture, and specialists, frogs who see the granular details. Benefit from both head coaches' who put the puzzle together and specialists such as position player development and strength and conditioning.
It's more convenient to use examples than to recognize the benefits of both. On the 2012 Championship team, Cassidy Barbaro had a valuable role as a designated server. Elite servers help "win points" directly. And 'generalists' like Jen Cain did it all, attacking, defending, serving. Both add value.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." It's easier to stake out extreme positions in many domains than to recognize the value of different people in varied situations.
Lagniappe. What do float serves do?
Melrose made several spectacular defensive plays in the third set versus Wakefield, plays that defined the third set win.
First, Gg Albuja makes a one-armed diving effort off camera and Leah Fowke keeps it alive. Melrose wins the point.
Only the most exceptional athletes convert these plays.
During tonight's match versus Wakefield, Leah Fowke added 30 assists to eclipse 1,000 for her career.
She's a paragon of consistency, the straw that stirs the drink.
Amidst a playoff atmosphere, "Youth Night" and contentious back-and-forth delays over officiating, Melrose captured a 25-20, 25-18, 25-21 win. The win brings Melrose to 12-2. Wakefield falls to 9-5.
Nobody says "BeanTown" in Boston. But it was SabineTown tonight with a masterful performance in the middle to spark the victory.
It wasn't a cakewalk. Wakefield has excellent coaching, solid size, and had a large group of enthusiastic fans. Melrose had key inputs from multiple players.
Dan Hurley said, “We have this culture of playing incredibly hard. We never lose because of our effort.”
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) October 10, 2024
Culture is:
1. What you allow.
2. What you emphasize.
3. Every day.
If you emphasize and demand hard work every day, you get it.
Culture Wins.pic.twitter.com/YoiBDSpADT
NBA Coach Doc Rivers said that his parents taught him, "never allow yourself to be a victim." Think about that.
Run your race.
Melrose hosts Wakefield, a major competitor in the Freedom Division, who arrive looking for a win that would make their season. Wakefield is 9-4 with a program on the rise.
Melrose looks to build momentum coming down the home stretch. Coach Scott Celli and his staff will look for the lineup that gives MVB the best chance at a deep playoff run.
Lagniappe. "Put skin in the game." Serve and receive competition...
Melrose had a momentous statistical night as Leah Fowke cracked the 1,000 assist mark.
Attacks:
Sabine Wenzel added 15 atop the 19 she had Tuesday night. Carol Higonenq posted eight and Emme Boyer and Sofia Papatsoris both netted seven.
Serving:
Melrose had a creditable 92% serving percentage. Alex Homan (14) and Adele Akland (10) also put up double figures service points.
Digs, Receiving:
Maggie Turner had 17 digs, 19 receives and Carol had ten of each.
A force in her own right, Sheryl Sandberg wrote the introduction to Adam Grant's Originals.
Her words reflect her commitment to quality. Women's sports prove the value of both quality and equality.
It's appropriate to ask whether one person makes a difference on the cusp of "Youth Night." Every one of the 18 All-State players from Melrose was once an elementary or middle schooler with no volleyball exposure. In 2002, Marianne Foley and Amanda Labella convinced twin sisters to choose volleyball over swimming. That helped lead to the "First Dynasty" of sectional titles 2003-2005. You've seen the picture of Stephanie Crovo who went from child to champion on the 2012 Titlist.
MVB captured girls' attention and later their hearts. Volleyball migrated from the 'other sport' for many to become primary. MVB stars come in all sizes from economy to extra tall. Some start painfully quiet and become squawk boxes. A few impact the sport as freshmen like Victoria Crovo. Others become key figures on a sectional champion as a senior as Ruth Breen did. No cookie cutter path defines MVB.
Tomorrow a few young Melrose girls may succumb to MVB magnetism on the drive to destiny. Make the day special.
Witchita State Head Coach Paul Mills talks about having personal pride on everything you do
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) October 9, 2024
pic.twitter.com/hgW4HO5XFG
Jackie Robinson "broke the color line" in baseball. Robinson took a fierce pride in his performance during a Hall of Fame career. He understood his historic effect on others. "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Team sports reward individual excellence within team play.
At a funeral, a speaker eulogized his supervisor who oversaw home construction and repair work. "Do our projects as though we personally signed the work." Great advice!
Put your signature on your play.
"There are somebody jobs, & there are everybody jobs. Everybody has to play with effort and energy. Sometimes young players get hung up on whether they are scoring points or not. We got to let them know there is another way.”
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) October 9, 2024
(Via @thewinningdiff1 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/Nkq6UlhO1k
Great video that many players never see and never understand. Players have many ways to impact teams, impact winning. Sometimes it might be as "simple" as playing hard at practice, being enthusiastic on the sidelines, and being ready even when a call might not come.
Understand some of the thinking behind the MIAA Power Rankings.
Melrose clocks in at #10 in the D2 rankings. Power rankings (PR) reflect "margin of victory" and "strength of schedule."
Historically, the PR have had high predictive value of tournament success, although Melrose has bucked that trend in the past with upsets.
Why PR anyway? Teams with great records (e.g. undefeated) in less competitive leagues would get high seeds and get knocked out in the first round by .500 teams from better leagues. The MIAA looked for another methodology and it's largely proven accurate.
Melrose has the second lowest strength of schedule (SOS) in the D2 top ten. The issue is that the bottom of the Freedom Division (Stoneham, Wilmington, Watertown) is particularly weak this season and the six games against those teams is going to anchor Melrose's SOS in the lower tier of the competitors despite playing Winchester, Lexington, Burlington (twice), Wakefield (twice), Frontier, Westborough, Duxbury, and Newton North. "It is what it is."
Presuming Melrose stays in the #10-12 slot (likely) it means the "Round of 32" home game would matchup the #23-21 opponent. For example, at #10, they'd face #23 Marblehead. If a #10 seed advances, they travel to #7 (Hopkinton) over fifty miles away. I gave a talk there once. It's a hike.
In addition to the top 32, teams with winning records below #32 also qualify. As of today, that's another eight, who would enter a preliminary round against #25-#32.
Melrose notes: Melrose has a two-game edge in the Freedom Division standing heading down the stretch. A Freedom Division title would extend the MVB title run to 18 consecutive years. The streak was interrupted in 2006 with a final game loss at Reading with a pair of game deciding fifth set calls that went against MVB. We were broadcasting from a perch at the intersection of the back end and side lines in perfect position to see balls sail wide of the antenna and land in the deep corner. FWIW.
Deep playoff runs require three dynamic hitters, players with the skill, size, and athleticism to deliver 10-15 kills consistently. The return of Sofia Papatsoris and strong play of Emme Boyer give Melrose a chance to have that in addition to Sabine Wenzel and Carol Higonenq who are Melrose's "Big Two."
Leah Fowke is the MVB model of consistency. Last season she averaged 7.6 assists per set. This season, even with the graduation of her major target, Sadie Jaggers, she continues to average 7.6 assists per set.