Into the Danger Zone - Melrose Hosts Belmont Thursday

MVB 26 hosts a key ML12 match Thursday.  

Bite at the Apple*

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. *Some AI assist in this piece. 

You never know when, or whether, you will get another "bite at the apple."

Athletes sometimes presume another season, another tournament, another big match, another healthy year, another opportunity will come. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't.

Celebrated play assures nothing. Talent guarantees nothing. A great regular season doesn't mean a favorable ending. Favorites lose.  Underdogs surprise. Opportunity has an expiration date.

Players from championship teams sometimes speak years later about believing there would be another chance. It never came.

That's reason to relish the opportunity before you. Favorite or underdog doesn't matter much. When the ball goes up, you get your bite at the apple.

Study the Game

Preparation begins with understanding. First, understand yourself. "To thine own self be true."

What do we do well? Where are we vulnerable? Which rotations score? Which struggle? Can we pass the toughest server? Do we defend tips? What happens out-of-system?

Self-scouting requires honesty. Knowing yourself eliminates surprise.

Then study the opposition. "Know your enemy."

Where do they score? Who's their "go to" option? Who struggles in serve receive? Does the setter reveal direction? Does an outside hitter tip when pushed off the net? Can their middle close the block?

Information doesn't win. Applied advantage does.

Craft Winning Plays

Do what you do best.

Good passing creates choices. Quality serving reduces theirs. Put your strongest players in positions to succeed. 

Then attack weakness. Serve a vulnerable passer. Make a slow blocker move. Force an uncomfortable hitter to swing from an uncomfortable location. If the defense cheats, use the space emptied.

Sun Tzu's advice survives because it is simple:

Utilize strengths. Attack weaknesses. Fall in love with easy.

Avoid Losing Plays

Many matches aren't won. They're gifted.

Service errors. Free balls into the net. Poor communication. Overpasses. Bad decisions after good defensive plays.

Control what you can control.

Exceptional opponents will "get theirs." A great hitter will terminate balls. A great server may score an ace. Don't convert an earned point into four unearned ones.

And remember: Stops make runs.

When the other team scores three straight, somebody needs to make the ordinary play that stops four from becoming seven. 

Momentum doesn't always require brilliance. It requires competence.

Maximize Focus

Reading the game begins long before match point. It begins in practice. Watch the setter. Read the hitter's approach. Recognize a bad set. Anticipate the roll shot. Hear your teammate call "short."

Concentration --> Anticipation --> Reaction --> Execution.

Mindfulness, playing present, matters. The last rally is gone. The next one lies over the horizon. Play this ball.

Build Resilience

Big matches seldom unfold predictably. Errors happen. The official will miss something. An opponent will make a spectacular play.

Now what?

Resilience accepts adversity. It shrinks the distance between adversity and effective action.

Practice that way. Practice tired. Practice behind. Practice after mistakes. Create disadvantage and solve it.

Play harder for longer.

The team that handles adversity best often looks surprisingly ordinary doing it. Calmer, not drama. Just another point.

Seize the Day

Opportunity is strange. You spend months preparing for moments that may last seconds. And when those moments arrive, no assurances come with them. 

The promise is opportunity. Study. Prepare. Compete. Help each other. Endure.

Take your bite at the apple; nobody knows when the next one is coming.

Lagniappe. Make few promises; keep them. Everyone makes errors; own them. Value your teammates; help them. 

Playoff Bound Thoughts

Successful teams go into the postseason playing well. Name universal advice for or truths about solid teams:

1) Do well what you do a lot.

2) Do more of what works and less of what doesn't.

3) Don't beat yourself (limit mistakes). Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla says that every game there are 10-15 possessions that you want over. 

As a team, ask:

1) What are our strengths? That include people, strategy, and execution. Apply these relentlessly. 

2) What realistic improvements are on the table? Where can points be saved via improved attack or better defense?

3) What weaknesses can we lessen or hide? How can we turn "C or C+ into B" or "B" into A-? 

Lagniappe. Good coaches obsess over being better. They never think that they know it all or that they can't find another edge. 

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Quotable Quotes

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. This blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose institution. 

First, everyone at the game was asking for Ella and how she is doing. "Shout out to Ella!"

No, it's not a JEOPARDY category. Today, examine quotes from outstanding coaches from Pat Williams' classic, "The Ultimate Coaches' Career Manual." 

Williams extracts wisdom from coaches across sports, some contemporary and some historical. 

DEREK DOOLEY (University of Tennessee)

"Do they respect your level of competency to put them in a position to succeed? They must think that you know what you are doing at every step, and if they listen, they will succeed."

BEAR BRYANT (University of Alabama)

You can learn from anybody. I don't hire anybody who is not brighter than I am. If they're not smarter than me, I don't need them. Little things make the difference. 

JOHN STEARNS (Washington Nationals Minor League Manager)

Make sure your players clearly understand their roles. The two key rules are: play hard and be on time. 

PETE ROSE (Cincinnati Reds)

Constantly emphasize winning, practicing, and having fun while practicing. You have one set of rules, but each guy is to be treated differently based on his personality. 

GENE MAUCH (Philadelphia Phillies)

Focus on the fundamentals. Play the percentages. Over the long haul that will pay off. 

RAY KNIGHT (Cincinnati Reds)

You are judged on your ability to evaluate talent. This is a key part of your value to an organization. We tend to evaluate young players too quickly. You've got to be patient and always lean to the players' side. 

TERRY FRANCONA (Boston Red Sox)

Work hard. Put your players first. Have fun. 

JOHN MACKOVIC (University of Texas)

You must dream big dreams to be something special. If you do not set the standards and values for your team, someone else will. Never trade your integrity for a quick victory. 

JOHNNY MAJORS (University of Tennessee)

You are a teacher and must love to teach. Your team must be disciplined. Your players must hustle and never give up. 

JIM YOUNG (Purdue University)

Get away by yourself and spend some time thinking. Devote time to meditate on your plans and new ideas. 

THERESA GRENTZ (University of Illinois)

You want your players to be critical thinkers, to be able to solve problems, and express themselves. Never take advice about your team from someone who doesn't know you. 

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI (Duke University)

I would allow my assistants to give their input and be able to coach. It should not be a one-man operation. The best way to gain respect is to tell the players the truth. Look them in the eye and tell them, "This is the way it is." 

Lagniappe. Encourage a sense of urgency with the first ball kill drill.

 

Game 13: Melrose 3 Watertown 0

Melrose traveled to Watertown and emerged with a 25-17, 25-10, 25-17 win. The victory boosts the locals' record to 10-3 and automatically qualifies them for the postseason.

Watertown (ranked 19 in Division 3) was the most proficient club in their history with resilient defense, credible serving and a solid, athletic setter.

Melrose got off to a fast start in the match which forced Watertown to play uphill. Amelie Johnson had a strong first set with three or four kills as Melrose had excellent attack distribution.

Melrose dominated the second set with a strong performance from Sabrina McArt who soared for kills and blocks.

The final set showcased the varied skills of Elise Marchais who had at least half a dozen kills, blocks, and flummoxed Watertown from every angle. 

Overall, the performance classified as a team win with workmanlike performances across the board. 

Melrose Notes:

Watertown showed off their new gymnasium, which included an upstairs running track. 

Former Melrose middle Manon Marchais was in the crowd. 

Reading whitewashed Woburn 3-0 in Reading, dropping Woburn to 8-5. 

Winchester held serve blanking Belmont 3-0. 

As previously noted, the MIAA Power Rankings determine the ML12 tournament seedings. The home match Thursday against Belmont carries extra juice.  

Updated Rankings Are Out

The mist is lifting slowly... and new rankings are out. 

 

The Comeback Kid

Game day. Ella day. Ella "officially" launches her recovery from injury today. The junior quad-captain soldiered on, "all in" on MVB 26 - no whining, no complaining, no excuses.

Remember the Japanese saying, "Fall down seven times, get up eight." 

You might ask, why isn't it "get up seven?" The answer may be, that to fall you must first get on your feet. 

Think of Ella today. 

 

 

Difference Makers

“Almost” becomes dangerous when you start accepting it. You can recognize progress and still demand better. Learn from what went right. Take responsibility for what went wrong. Do the work to close the gap. Being close should fuel your preparation not become your excuse. 🎥 Kevin Sjuts

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) October 13, 2026

"What more can I do?"

Translate:

1. Yesterday lives in the rearview mirror.

2. Reflect on "what can I do today?" to impact my teammates and success.

3. Play "harder for longer" from the opening serve. Pound the rock. 

 

The Fly and the Bumble Bee

Misaeng informs many valuable lessons. 

Whom we meet impacts our lives. 

Manager Oh: "If you follow a fly, you'll probably walk into a bathroom. If you follow a bumble bee, you''ll probably walk in a flower garden."

Geu-rae: "That's why I'm walking in a flower garden." 

This serves as a metaphor for your "MVB experience." Become the bumble bee - positive, hard working, mission-driven, part of the team.

And give yourself grace when your performance isn't all you want it to be. That doesn't mean effort; it means results. Doing your best won't always equate to individual or team success.

Even exceptional players like your assistant coaches had off days. What separates them is the ability to bounce back, persist, and perform well on another day.

Become a "center of gravity" regardless of title. Leadership is demonstrated daily through behavior, not proclaimed by title. 

You need not be charismatic; work and communicate credibility of character and competence. Every successful team has players who may not be the leading scorer, the captain, or the most athletic player.

Yet teammates instinctively trust them. They communicate, prepare, maintain calm amidst chaos, and solve problems. Coaches call them "glue guys." 

They're bumble bees.

Lagniappe. Don't accept the challenge. Embrace it. 

Marcus Freeman said what most coaches won't.

"I'm not here to be your friend. I'm here to push you, challenge you, help you be successful."

Friendship feels good.
Coaching builds someone who can handle it.

You can be both. Just not at the same time.pic.twitter.com/KU8q13Vzby

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) August 11, 2026

 

 

 

  

Bonus Recipe - Easy Tikka Masala Sauce

Add variety to your diet without breaking the bank. 

For many recipes, an easy way tops the 'hard way'. Exploring other cuisines boosts your palate.

I made this "easy tikka masala sauce" in under thirty minutes:

Easy Tikka Masala Sauce

Note: Cook "mise en place" by having ingredients set out in advance so that you know you have everything. 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp tikka masala paste or spice blend
• 1 can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• 1 tsp salt, then adjust to taste
• Optional: pinch of sugar, cayenne, or garam masala

If using ground ginger (I did) use 1/4 teaspoon as this is concentrated.

I used 12 ounces of tomato sauce and six ounces of cream. Using coconut or almond milk produces a less creamy sauce. 

The "baseline" recipe is not spicy - Ellen does not like so much heat...I would add more to my portion...

Method

1. Sauté the onion in butter or oil over medium heat until soft, about 5–7 minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, and tikka masala paste/spice. Cook about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the cream or coconut milk. Simmer another 2–3 minutes.
5. Taste and adjust salt. Add a little sugar if the tomatoes are sharp, cayenne for heat, or garam masala for extra warmth.

This is excellent with chickpeas, chicken, paneer, rice, naan, or roasted vegetables. 

For chickpeas, just drain and rinse a can and simmer them in the finished sauce for about 5–10 minutes. We keep canned chickpeas on hand as an alternative protein source. 

For the easiest possible version, use a good jarred tikka masala paste (I bought online) rather than assembling individual spices. 

The recipe met our needs, served over rice. 

Four Words

Every team discovers its narrative. MVB 26 is different. 

No superstar, ball-dominant center of gravity carries the team. Everyone needs to carry their weight, "putting out the fire" as a team.

In the Patriots' locker room, a sign explains, "Win the identity battle." 

Communicate better.

Help each other.

Excel in your role.

Maximum focus. 

Next play. The last play is in the past.

Coach Ellis Lane said it this way, "Who are those guys?"

Urgency. Play with urgency. 

State Leaders

Via Maxpreps.com 

Kills

#51 Elise (107)

#71 Adriana (92)

Assists

#13  Sadie (287)

Digs 

#60 Anna (129)

The Coachable Athlete - Allistair McCaw and More

Director Werner Herzog shares a simple quote, "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." 

I read "Habits That Make A Champion" by Allistair McCaw and want to share this with you.

10 Traits of A Coachable Athlete: 

• You take responsibility for your progress 
• You are open-minded and curious 
• You continually want to improve 
• You listen and welcome feedback 
• You have humility 
• You have self-awareness 
• You are respectful of others 
• You are not afraid to try new things 
• You are grateful for the help 
• You are committed to your improvement

How can you use this daily? Before reading on, take a moment to study the list and ask how it applies. 

Coaches remember certain athletes for not only performance but for their "approach to the game." 

- Cecilia Kay (now a junior at St. Joseph's in Philadelphia) had a great process. She did foam rolling before practice, warmed up intentionally, starting in close, studied game video. She became a Globe and Herald Dream Team athlete. Prepare intentionally. 

- Sam Dewey missed all of her eighth grade season with injury. She came to almost every practice and game, with her notebook, studying the game. She recently graduated from Richmond and played in two NCAA tournaments for the Spiders. Study the game. 

- Zoe Overlan had the best eye contact of any middle schooler I have ever coached. Work on eye contact. 

- Naomi Breay was a little sixth grader who came up to me before tryouts and said, "Coach, I am really excited to be here." Be excited. 

- Lauren Joyce worked to implement any skill that we taught her. She was always the first at practice and the last to leave. She was awarded Austin Prep's highest honor, the Charles & Helen McLaughlin Medal for Leadership and Determination to Excel. I wrote a letter to our US Representative explaining why Lauren would become an exceptional Naval Officer if given a nomination to Annapolis. Lauren graduated from the Naval Academy. Show up every day. 

Lagniappe. Choose a few. They might change your life. 

1. Give people grace.

2. Learn to say, "I don't know" or "what does that mean?"

3. Get better at eye contact. 

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Much Too Early Tournament Reset

There are two weeks before the first ML12 in-season tournament. Teams 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12 will face off. 

The ML12 Top 6 by ML standings

The seedings for the in-season tournament will depend on the MIAA power rankings. Currently Winchester and Reading have virtual "mortal locks" on the one and two seeds. 

 The current power rankings of 3-6 are (as of Friday):

• Melrose 3.69 (beat AC Friday 0.43, 3-0)
• Burlington 3.66 (lost Friday to Lynn Classical 1.78, 3-2)
• Woburn 3.44 (beat Greater Lawrence Friday 2.11, 3-1)
• Belmont 3.33 (beat Conc-Carl Friday, 0.67, 3.1)

Both margin of victory/defeat and strength of schedule matter. 

Belmont has the hardest schedule, followed by Melrose, Woburn, and Burlington. 

Bottom line: 

• Lots of volleyball to be played
• Standings are bunched
• Anybody can still end up three to six 

"What matters most is how you play, not whom you play." 

Opinionated

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization.

Sports reflect society. Certain truths resonate. Here are a few:

1. Sport is meritocracy. 

The best quarterbacks play in the NFL. The teams are rewarded for winning, so owners won't be paying their grandchildren to play in the NFL, because they will lose, fans will leave, team value goes down, and the owner sells in disgrace. Of course, that never happens.

2. Sport rewards athleticism. 

Not all sports do. Curling, archery, and a few others don't require elite 'twitchiness'. Volleyball does. 

3. Across sports, four areas dominate:

• Skill (technique)
• Sport-specific IQ (tactics)
• Physicality (strength, quickness, conditioning)
• Psychology (resilience, mental toughness)

4. "The game honors toughness." 

Toughness is a skill. Many tough student-athletes inhabit MVB 26. How you do anything is how you do everything. All three seniors are National Honor Society members. That's toughness. Making the Honor Roll speaks to your toughness and time management. Commitment, discipline, and work ethic show toughness.

Tough players read the plays before they happen, hit the floor, press the block, serve aggressively, set the best option, win jousts, and stand in when volleyballs scream at them. 

5. "You can't walk off the island." (Baseball saying)

If you visited the Dominican Republic, you would see some exceptional resorts and areas with unimaginable poverty. For a few, professional baseball becomes a possible "way out," to escape poverty. You can't become a prospect by "walking off the island." You hit your way off the island.  

You care, you want to improve, to move up and get off of JV. Players who advance build their athleticism, their skill, their game understanding, and the ability to play faster and play with force.  "You have to hit your way off the island."

6.  Earn trust. Trust makes minutes. 

Everyone gets opportunity. Fewer earn trust, the coach wanting you on the floor in the big moments. Performance under game stress earns trust. 

 Lagniappe. Elite coaching is teaching. 

 

Moonlight

Sports inform truth. Some players radiate talent that resembles the sun - they create their own gravity and eyes struggle to withstand their glance. 

Other players, on good days, shine reflected light, sparkling like moonlight on peaceful seas. 

Image created with ChatGPT Plus

Amidst a universe with billions of suns, add value by reflecting their light. 

How? 

See the Game

Read plays sooner to get to the spot quicker. 

"Utilize strengths, attack weaknesses." - Sun Tzu

 Prepare with video; during the game, study opponents if you're on the sidelines.

Make Good Decisions

Do more of what works and less of what doesn't.

Be intentional; stick to the plan. 

Simplify. 

Execute 

Be aggressive in context (when appropriate). 

Play with force.

Focus; this play; consistency makes good not great. 

Sometimes your light makes someone's day.

Lagniappe. Trust your coaches; trust the process. 

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AC Stats

AC Stats 

Attacking

Marchais (10)

Santoriello (9)

Assists

Smith (20)

Digs

Smith (6)

Receives

Overlan (19)

Service Points

Dautovic (20)

Burns (15)

Melrose - AC Second Set Highlights

"Show, then tell." 

Another beautiful quick set, Sadie to Sabrina.  

Elise shares her skills with a smash from the middle. Double digit kills eclipses the century mark. 

Anna Burns served well with an ace here. 

More Marchais magic...Adriana to Sadie to Elise. 

"Form begets function." Elise scores again, "pressing the block" by getting over the net and extending into enemy airspace. 

Alisa pounds a painful point as the AC defender gets a volleyball burger. 

"Keep the ball up." Gen makes a spectacular dig off a rocket but AC got the last laugh on this point. 

Adriana bypasses the double block and earns a kill.

 

Lagniappe. Melrose faces a pivotal week with three matches (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday), which will bring the regular season to the three-quarter mark. 

No Distractions

Kelvin Sampson says the team has no distractions: “I think the last eight years, we’ve won about 240-something games. It’s because we have no distractions. We’re consistent. The one thing about this program is our consistency.” “I don’t recruit problems. I learned a long time ago — if you don’t want problems then don’t recruit them. It’s not an accident that we have great kids.” “If I don’t want to coach them, then that means I don’t mind coaching against them. And a lot of the guys we take, I don’t mind coaching against them. Check our record.”

— Top Tier Houston (@TopTierHouston) October 9, 2026

Decades ago, Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler said that if you don't get (recruit) a problem kid, he can beat you once a year. If you get him, he'll beat you every day. 

In Good to Great, Jim Collins said that you need the right people in the right seats on the bus.  

A basketball coach wrestled with solving a player's selfishness. During a practice scrimmage, he set up a play with the player throwing the ball inbounds. He then told all the players on the court to leave the floor. "Now play." 

Exceptional play demands exceptional practice. 

Exceptional play demands exceptional focus. 

Exceptional teamwork demands no distractions. 

'MasterClass' writers share the writing environment. They write in the same place, the same time of day, without distractions. The 'writer's eye' needs consistency. In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper called his place, "0,0,0" - his x,y,z coordinates. The fourth dimension is time.  

MVB culture stayed consistent over three decades:

• Teamwork
• Hard work 
• Commitment
• Standard of performance
• Shared sacrifice

Preparing, practicing, and playing consistently don't offer guarantees. They foster the best chance at success. Disallow distractions. 

Three Questions for Your Self-Development

Ask better questions to grow your writing game. Consider asking these three each week:

1. What have I failed at this week? If nothing, was it because of "Nothing ventured, nothing gained?"

2. What good question did I ask these week? (Even better, asked today)

3. How did I improve my writing this week? 

• Better sentences elevated my writing. Revision clarified vision. 
• Active verbs animated my writing.
• I wrote with the reader in mind - shaved syllables and avoided showing off.
• I trashed the boring stuff.
• Tools like alliteration or tricolon (series of three) enlivened my writing.
• I painted pictures or emotional messages. 
• The thesaurus sat beside me.  

Lagniappe. From Anne Lamott in Imperfect Birds, "she could see relationships between things, a scientific version of what James had - the noticing genes necessary to be a good writer."

"It's All for Nothing" (The Sunk Cost Fallacy)*

*Another in a series of posts about mental models and cognitive biases.

Life teaches lessons every day. The "Sunk Cost Fallacy" can keep us in the game, project, or investment despite everyone else seeing it's a loser. 

Imagine you're playing poker (Annie Betts was a WSOP champion). You've made an initial bet and raised. After the flop (five cards in), you realize that with three players continuing to bet and your dog of a hand, it's better to fold. Do you "throw good money after bad and stay in?" You don't. What's in the pot is "sunk cost," whether it's your ante or additional bets. What's gone is gone. 

In sports, watch how often teams stick with "bonus babies," high round draft choices, or expensive acquisitions (e.g. free agents), unwilling to "fold." Poor management stays consistent to a prior commitment that hasn't paid.

It's not 'local'. The Supersonic Transport (SST) Concorde was so famous it became shorthand: the “Concorde fallacy.” It stayed flying beyond any economic rationale to justify its cost and national 'prestige'. 

A research study from sports: "In the NFL, salary cap value represents a significant sunk cost to teams. We use the structure of the NFL draft to conduct a fuzzy regression discontinuity design. Optimal bandwidth local linear results suggest a 10% increase in salary cap value yields an additional 2.7 games started, for players selected near the cutoff between the first two rounds. Despite being no more productive, the first round selections receive a compensation premium, which leads to them starting significantly more games."

From AI: 

Across business, defense, and sports, the same mechanism repeats:

1. Big up-front commitment (money, prestige, draft capital, political capital)

2. Early signals of mismatch (market fit, threat environment, performance data)

3. Narrative defense (“we can’t waste what we’ve spent”)

4. Escalation (more time/resources)

5. Late-stage forced admission (shutdown/cancellation/trade/benching)

There's no "compensation premium" in high school sports. There's no NIL payout, no draft choice effect, and no 'seniority system' guaranteeing upperclassmen more playing time. 

Work hard, earn your opportunity, and be ready to perform. 

Lagniappe. Be humble, be coachable, stay hungry. "You can't be a good coach if your players don't let you." 

“A coach's greatest gift is a group of guys that want to be coached, want to be led."

(Via @coachajkings 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/DVwpvOqFdP

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) March 1, 2026

Back on Track with CAR-T Volleyball (Set 1 Highlights)

Stick with the game plan and execute. 

Know who you are with CAR-T. 

• Consistency
• Aggressiveness
• Resilience
• Toughness

Anna Burns and Gen Overlan split the libero duties, allowing each to excel in different roles. 

Alisa Dautovic was aggressive at the service line with her hard float and the offense got big contributions from Elise Marchais, Adriana Santoriello, and Amelie Johnson. 

Alisa delivers an ace to the corner of zone 5. 

Dani gets a service point as Adriana scores on a smash. 

Alisa and Adriana offer versatility of attack. Alisa scores off the pipe attack. 

Sabrina "Air" McArt disrupts AC with multiple blocks and Sadie Smith finishes the play at the net. 

Alisa shows her versatility again with an attack that covers a lot of enemy landscape. 

Sabrina and Sadie team up for a beautiful quick set. 

For most of the match, Melrose had full control of both the rhythm and the scoring.

Allen and Lamott share in Good Writing, "Show, then tell." Strong volleyball teams succeed with aggressive serving, attacking to score, and making defensive plays when available. 

The focus level was high as was the playmaking. 

The key will be sustainability of CAR-T.  

Game 12: Melrose 3 Arlington Catholic 0

Melrose hosted AC and walked away with a 25-12, 25-13, and 25-22 win.

The win boosts Melrose's record to 9-3.

Coach Scott Celli had the opportunity to play the whole roster and made some specialty changes in the lineup that solidified the defense.

Full report to follow.

Melrose gets back into action at Watertown on Tuesday.  

Just One Word

Define your destiny. Imagine that you can earn one word to describe your team play not just today, but for the rest of the season.

Restated, this word becomes your identity.

What do you choose?  

Updated Power Rankings - Melrose at #4

MIAA releases power rankings each Tuesday and Friday. Melrose drops to #4 as Barnstable has been on a "heater' lately.