Welcome Back, Gia Vlajkovic*

All opinions expressed in the blog are my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. Major assist from AI in creating this announcement. 

Gia Vlajkovic returns to Melrose this season as varsity assistant coach, bringing with her a player’s perspective shaped by adaptability, competitiveness, and team-first thinking.

Coach Ryan Schmitt remains on deployment sabbatical. 

Some players leave a mark on a program.
Some help define it.

Gia Vlajkovic did both.

Her career is a reminder that development isn’t always linear and that the best players are often the most willing to change.

As a junior, Gia was a setter.
As a senior, she moved to outside hitter.

Different position. Different demands. Same standard.

The result? Two sectional championships and a player who did what the team needed, when it mattered most. And individual recognition as All-State and Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic. She was one of a handful of players who achieved the "Triple Crown" and multiple sectional championships. 

That kind of flexibility doesn’t happen by accident.

It reflects:

• Trust in coaching
• Commitment to the team
• A willingness to embrace discomfort

In a sport that rewards specialization, Gia showed the value of versatility.

In a culture that emphasizes roles, she emphasized responsibility.

Now she returns in a different role. Not to relive her playing days. To invest in the next group.

Players will notice it quickly:

• She understands game speed
• She’s lived the adjustment period
• She knows what it takes to earn trust

And she knows that lineups aren’t given - they’re earned.

She exceeded the standard:

Do your job.
Stay ready.
Put the team first.

Gia lived it.

Now she’ll help teach it. Welcome back.

Create Evidence for Yourself

😳“CREATING EVIDENCE”😳

“You start with BELIEF, you stand on EVIDENCE. FACTS don't care about FEELINGS. When you get there, nobody cares HOW you got there, they care about how YOU can HELP!” (Former @NFL Linebacker Will Compton)

🎥 (via @JoshChambers) pic.twitter.com/LoYCICYIDR https://t.co/kF58fg3UQj

— Hoop Dreams Basketball 🏀🧠 (@hoopdreamsbball) April 16, 2026

(mild language)

Former NFL player addresses Notre Dame football players. He advises them:

• To create evidence for themselves
• Not to confuse facts with feelings ("I feel like I should play")
• Everyone is competing but not all competing the same

Build your evidence:

• One rep at a time
• One set at a time
• One film session at a time
• One practice at a time

Image created with ChatGPT Plus

Lagniappe. This is one of my favorite memories of MVB 25...from the road opener at Belmont. 

This doesn't capture the exact moment at Belmont, between sets. Three freshman girls in the back row were giggling like, freshman girls, despite trailing in the match. The best teams PLAY volleyball. Be joyful. 

MVB - This Is How It Works

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

Here's a quote from "Patriots Wire" about Mike Vrabel's coaching, via a division rival (Aaron Brewer): 

"He goes off how you work and what you put on tape. He's going off exactly what he's seeing. So you just got to respect him in that matter, cause It doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter how big you are, how strong you are, fast - it's all about what you can put on that tape and your mentality out there." 

There's no secret sauce, no hidden agenda, no "I didn't know that."

Coaches have several obligations:

• Put the team in a position to succeed
• Develop players to function in their system 
• Create sustainable competitive advantage

The best players make the team. 

Last season MVB finished with five sophomores and five freshmen in addition to upperclassmen. This is not a union job. There is no seniority system. 

Everyone gets opportunities. 

After tryouts, there are usually two scrimmages and the Play Day where everyone plays against six different opponents. There is often an adjustment period where players without varsity experience become accustomed to higher "game speed." 

Carpe diem (Latin for seize the day). 

Lineups aren't sent down on stone tablets. Some players will change positions, either attack or defense. Notably, Alyssa DiRaffaele moved from attack to libero in-season and helped her team get to the State Finals. Gia Vlajkovic moved from setter (junior) to outside hitter (senior) and helped her team win two Sectional Finals. Sadie Jaggers moved outside from middle for her senior season. 

Bottom Line

There’s no mystery here. Work hard. Be coachable. Care. Produce. 

No politics. No shortcuts.

Just work. Just film. Just truth.

This is how it works.

Lagniappe. MVB doesn't traffic in excuses. 

Rick Pitino said, "You're not allowed to give excuses because excuses are a sign of weakness. We give no excuses when we fail."

Most people think excuses protect them from failure.

But they're just lies you tell yourself on why something won't work. pic.twitter.com/3GXynibNKX

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 14, 2026

Directing Your Attack

Some learners benefit from visual aids to develop skills. Multiple factors go into your directional attack.  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nikita | Volleyball Training | Player Development (@vylovolleyball)

"Pound the Rock"

Every Spurs player reads the same story before stepping on the court.

They've been doing it for 25 years.

It's not about basketball.

It's about a guy who won't stop hitting a rock. pic.twitter.com/kfgkwjnq6a

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 13, 2026

You can't see "the little things" that fly under the radar. The squats, the pogos, the drop and tuck jumps, broad jumps, and bench presses don't produce immediate results.

The player who studies for an extra thirty minutes daily often outperforms the ones who don't. The player who does individual workouts or with a teammate pulls herself into the top ten percent.

As a freshman, Sabine Wenzel had one kill. Last season she had 369. There's a progression of "sweat equity." The player who keep grinding, keeps pounding the rock, growing technique and tactics while developing physical edges and resilience forces her way onto the floor. 

Kevin Eastman, former Celtics' assistant and author of Why the Best Are the Best, reads two hours a day. He explains that over 90 days, he gains 180 hours of education. That's a big edge over others. 

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban asks, "Are you investing your time or are you spending it?" 

Achievers keep pounding the rock because they know from experience that it takes what it takes. 

Lagniappe. Coaches like Scott Celli take inventory of your character and competence. Those show up every day. 

Jamie Dimon says by the time you walk into an interview, the verdict is already in before you sit down.

Their most important questions are answered by your energy:

• Are you honest?
• Do you work hard?
• Do you show up on time?
• Would your peers like you?
• Would you… pic.twitter.com/zT7LMSzL1e

— GeniusThinking (@GeniusGTX) April 12, 2026

Your Volleyball Values*

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

What are your volleyball values? What's your "why?" 

Choosing a framework shared by Don Meyer and Dick Bennett has character-building advantages. 

Consider the acronym PUSH-T ("push through"). 

Purpose 

Think of Ted Lasso's mission, "to make these young people the best version of themselves." Help them to develop a blueprint for personal success over the course of their lives. Leave them with examples of excellence. Prioritize the experience. 

Unity

Society often teaches an emphasis on the individual, "egocentric behavior." Coaches teach teamwork; the welfare of the team comes first. Jay Bilas's principle, "It's not your shot, it's our shot," reflects unity. It's the opposite of one of the "Deadly S's" - selfishness. 

Servant Leadership

What comes to mind first for you about servant leadership? I think "community." Community is a pyramid from top down - family, team, city, state, country. This conflicts with a player's concern with minutes, role, and recognition. Consider college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal, it's about selling to the individual not serving the team. 

Empathy for our "community" is another important part of service. 

Humility

Humility includes curiosity and openness, recognizing that we aren't all-knowing or all-powerful. It's General Hal Moore's principle that "there is always something more that we can do"...or learn. Perfection isn't possible, but when we chase perfection we can catch excellence. 

Thankfulness

Gratitude gives us perspective of "get to" not "have to." It makes us more coachable and expands appreciation for teammates. It promotes respect for the game, opponents and officials. It allows us to win with class and lose with grace. 

Values well-applied build character for both players and teams. 

Lagniappe. A "values" standard helps us overcome entitlement. 

Saban didn’t win 7 titles by accident.

He reminded his players every day:

Entitlement? Nothing.
Somebody owes you? Nothing.
Lose your discipline? Nothing.

NOTHING is more important than being your best.

That’s the standard. pic.twitter.com/KsOQdyqfVm

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) April 13, 2026

Volleyball - The Mental Game

 Image created by Chat GPT Plus

Pressure degrades performance. Managing it well reduces the decline. 

Performance has both physical and mental inputs. Some have used the analogy of the rider (the athlete), elephant (emotion), and the path (situation).

Psychology of Success

Coaches give it different names:

• The head game
• Performance under pressure
• The mental game 

Resilience Toolbox

Just as you have skills to attack, defend, or serve, work on filling your mental toolbox. Find what works for you to build the "COTE of armor" - confidence, optimism, tenacity, enthusiasm.

Here are a few examples: 

Activating energy (pre-game) - Pump up or chill with music 

Mindful mediation (long-term) - Reduce stress hormones, boost focus

Dot B (immediate) - stop and take a cleansing breath, refocus

Visualization (pre-game) - "highlight reel" builds confidence

Affirmations (immediate) - self-talk can include identity (this is who I am), performance (this is how I play), keywords ("now" or "I got this").

Quotes

“There is a simple technique for self-regulation called “affect labeling,” which simply means labeling feelings with words. When you label an emotion you are experiencing (for example, “I feel anger”), it somehow helps you manage that emotion.” - Search Inside Yourself

“People by and large become what they think about themselves.” - Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect

"The trick is to keep the naturally instinctive behaviors that help us and change the ones that hurt us." - Coaching the Mental Game

“But we now know that even small victories, or micro-successes—a productive conversation with your boss, or a positive phone call with a client, a compliment from a colleague or friend—can have the same impact. They stimulate the winner effect, causing the release of testosterone and dopamine, which in turn build confidence.” - Performing Under Pressure 

References

Search Inside Yourself (Chade-Meng Tan)

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect (Dr. Bob Rotella)

Coaching the Mental Game (H.A. Dorfman)

Performing Under Pressure (Weisenger and Pawliw-Fry)

Lagniappe. Doing what is frequent and doing it well separates the best. 

"Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do ordinary things better than anyone else.”
-Chuck Knoll

And the do it that way everyday. pic.twitter.com/bAKkXqgvgO

— Bob Starkey (@CoachBobStarkey) April 11, 2026

Libero and DS Physical Training - Emphasis on Power and Short-Area Quickness

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rett Larson ~ NoZombies (@rettasaurus)

Melrose had a "blended" back row last season after graduation of the 2025 stalwarts.

MVB 26 will have "strength in the back" with Captain Anna Burns and rising sophomores Danni DiGiorgio and Alisa Dautovic as strong candidates to backstop the back. Other players will battle to unseat them and earn time at the "designated server" spots. 

The competition is healthy - and honest. Six spots, more than a dozen players who belong in the conversation. “The best teams don’t just do more. They put ten pounds in a five-pound bag.”

Margin for Error

All opinions and errors expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of MVB or any City of Melrose institution. 

"Margin for error" reveals no early warning signs. 

Melrose played 74 sets this season. 8 were decided by 3 points, 7 decided by 2 points, meaning 15 were decided by 2-3 points. 

Subtracting the 22 sets played against the weaker teams in the Middlesex League leaves 52 sets, of which 15 (29 percent) were decided by 2-3 points. In other words, "critical points" decided over a quarter of sets played against "better" competition.

Raise your "sense of urgency" preparing for the season. Ambitions fulfilled mean more points won and fewer given away by 'correctable' actions. 

What does "correctable actions" mean?

• "Control what you can control." Elevate focus. 
• "Stop runs." That depends on focus. Momentum erases leads.
• "Hold serve." Be intentional finding seams and weaknesses.
• "Block steady." Anticipate and get hands on the ball. 

Don't concern yourself with correcting technique during matches. You won't find great hitters changing their stance in game or golfers working on their swing during the Masters. 

Lagniappe. Your preparation and process now manifest during the season and the postseason. "Process over prize." 

Rory McIlroy shares one of his favorite mantras and mindsets.

"One of the things that I love is focusing on the process over the prize."

"I would say to myself a lot: 'Process over prize. Process over prize. Process over prize.'"

"Just to take myself away from the outcome."… pic.twitter.com/JMGpH3cC0z

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 11, 2026

Multidimensional Player Evaluation

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

Every coach/evaluator uses different metrics to evaluate players. Overlap exists. Coach Scott Celli and I haven't discussed this and this piece is "theoretical." 

As a player, why should you care? 

Graphic created by ChatGPT plus

As you seek to meet and raise the standard, "control what you can control" - foundational skills, teamwork, and embracing your role. "Nothing will change unless you change." Excellence stands on principles. "Repetitions make reputations." 

First, a digression. In THe Undoing Project, Michael Lewis discusses the career and research of Behavioral Psychologists Danny Kahneman and Amos Tversky. He shares metrics used by some for the NBA draft - age at drafting, college attended, and college basketball performance. In other words, it's more than performance...it's performance in demanding situations.

Physical makeup

• "The race is not always to the swiftest or the battle to the strongest but it pays to bet that way." - Damon Runyan
• All things being equal, the bigger, faster, stronger player has an advantage.

Athleticism 

• Power, quickness, vertical jump, and conditioning leverage skill.
• Focused training allow you to raise all these elements. 

Skill 

• Skill blends vision, decision-making, and execution
• Controlled aggressiveness and consistency factor in. 
• There is no substitute for skill.

"Volleyball IQ"

• Learn what to do, how and when to do it. That's experience.
• In the interim, "experience is what you get when you don't get what you want."
• Coaching is correction so that you improve your decisions. 

Resilience (Mental Toughness) 

• Success follows both skill and will. 
• The best in their fields are relentless.
• Do not quit. 

Intangibles - Commitment, Effort, Leadership, Teamwork

• Intangibles reflect character. 
• Exceptional players lead with competitive character. 

Age

• Achievement = Performance x Time 
• Experience is not solely a function of age. Young players star earlier and accumulate experience younger. "This is not a union job."
• Advantage accrues to having players for more years. Some players become "late bloomers" and add substantial value in their final season. Anna Shoemaker was a prime example. 

Integrated Performance  

Make the sum greater than the individual parts. Every top player has skill, game understanding, athleticism, and resilience. They compound those into high performance. 

When your time comes, don't get ready, be ready. 

Lagniappe. "Boring before brilliance." 

💯 “Boring before brilliance.”

Paul Skenes details his routine

Young athletes want to constantly do something new or novel

Often avoiding routine, fundamentals & what works…

“Sometimes it’s what it takes in sports

The boring process, the boring fundamentals.”

LISTEN: pic.twitter.com/ThskMnetau

— Gerry DeFilippo (@Challenger_ST) April 9, 2026