This was "experimental" footage from 2010 (note Athena Ziavras) and the Super Sophs. They had not 'reached full power' at this point, although you can see the instincts and athleticism.
Note how Rachel Johnson (5), only a sophomore, understands to "press the block" over the net.
Dan Campbell on the difference between good vs. great vs. elite players in the NFL.
— Zach Brandon (@MVP_Mindset) August 20, 2026
“It's mindset. It's willpower...They really believe that the little things add up to the big things and nothing is too small. Everything matters.”
Talent can give you an opportunity, but an… pic.twitter.com/Smj1QEuFOP
NFL coach Dan Campbell revealed the not-so "secret sauce" of exceptional play.
Great players outthink and outcompete good players. Exceptional teams have the capacity to play "harder for longer."
Great players exert both skill and will.
Great players understand that no "small detail" gets overlooked.
When Coach Scott Celli and staff explain how they want attacks covered, it has to be done on time and done well every time.
When you practice serving, focus on getting the ball where you want it, how you want to deliver it.
Sometimes the difference between a championship and not is a finger touching the net.
Everything matters.
Let's look at what AI can deliver, after the human touch. From this perspective:
"Every match makes a statement of who MVB is and how you play. What matters is not whom you play, but how you play.
The volleyball season is short - a sprint not a marathon. Every season is unique, filled with challenges, opportunities, and surprises.
Competition against good teams like Reading - the quality that we expect to see in the postseason - is what makes the match fun.
Don't play for a coach, for the school, or the community. Play for the girls standing next to you, who know the shared vision, the sacrifice, and what it means to wear the Melrose jersey.
Be excited, not anxious, regardless of whether you're a four-year veteran or this is your first varsity game. Everyone here has played a lot of volleyball and now is your first chance to show whom you've become."
First, from Google Gemini:
"They call Reading the favorite. Good. Let them carry the weight of expectations while we go play volleyball. At its core, this game is beautifully simple: score points, prevent points. We do that today by executing our roles and aggressively hunting their weaknesses from the service line to the net. Everyone on this roster has a role to play and a contribution to make—let's seize that opportunity right now. Trust your teammates, play with genuine joy for one another, and let's quiet this gym. Ball out, Melrose on three!"
Second, from ChatGPT Plus:
Girls, tonight is not a test of whether we're good enough. It's an opportunity to show who we are.
Reading is a strong opponent. They're supposed to be one of the favorites. Good. The best way to learn about a team is to put it under pressure against another good team. We don't have to be perfect tonight. We don't have to win every rally. We don't have to make spectacular plays. We need to be Melrose Volleyball. We need to communicate early, loud, and often. We need to trust our training. We need to make the simple play, the next play, and then the next one after that.
Remember this: the first few points do not determine the match. If we win them, stay humble. If we lose them, stay confident. Great teams are not built on emotion. They are built on standards. Your body language is a billboard for your confidence and self-belief. Let Reading see a team that competes for every ball, supports every teammate, and never gets smaller when the moment gets bigger.
Play free. Play together. Play with courage. Trust your preparation. Trust each other. The scoreboard will take care of itself. Tonight is about proving that our habits travel, our standards travel, and our toughness travels. Let's go show them who Melrose Volleyball is.
Third, from Microsoft Copilot:
Melrose walks into Reading tonight with a simple truth: opening night doesn’t define a season, but it absolutely announces one. Reading is talented, disciplined, and one of the Middlesex League favorites — good. That’s exactly the kind of opponent you want when you’re ready to show who you are. You don’t match their reputation; you challenge it. You don’t worry about their strengths; you force them to worry about yours. Every serve, every transition, every long rally is a chance to say, “We’re here, and we’re not easing into anything.” Melrose volleyball has never been built on comfort. It’s been built on pressure, toughness, and the willingness to compete when the gym gets loud and the moment gets big.
So step onto that floor with purpose. Trust your training, trust each other, and trust the identity you’ve built point by point. Reading expects to dictate the match — don’t let them. Set the tone early, communicate relentlessly, and play with the kind of edge that makes opponents rethink their scouting report. Opening night is not about perfection; it’s about presence. It’s about showing that Melrose doesn’t wait to grow into a season. You start it. You own it. And you make sure the rest of the league knows that the road to the top still runs through you.
Three days until tryouts. Image created by ChatGPT Plus
Do. Not. Quit.
Melrose trails 17-18 in the fourth set, leading the match 2-1. The longest point of the match highlighted set-saving plays by Gia Vlajkovic and multiple from Sadie Jaggers and libero Emma Desmond.
Sometimes you need power and at others precision.
Elena Soukos separated herself with both athleticism and technique. She had elite extension with a high "contact point."
What does elite athleticism help?
Exceptional players bring the fight every match, every play.
"Keep your head cool and your heart warm."
The first reflects thinking. The second describes caring. You need both.
As volleyball tryouts approach, emotions rise. Players want to impress. They worry about making the team, earning a starting position, or proving themselves. Emotional energy isn't the enemy. Challenge yourself to direct that energy well.
The athletes who often stand out aren't those who never make mistakes. They're the ones whose decision-making remains steady after mistakes.
A warm heart remembers why you're part of MVB. Compete fiercely and encourage teammates.
Celebrate someone else's great play. MUDITA. "Your joy is my joy." Thank the coaches. Respect officials and opponents.
Play with joy. A warm heart understands that volleyball is a team sport. Coaches notice players who make others better - not only through skill, but through communication, energy, and trust.
Warm heart without a cool head becomes anxiety. Cool head without a warm heart makes a player aloof.
Top competitors find balance, competing with passion while playing under control with discipline.
Coaches don't just evaluate volleyball skills.
They're asking themselves questions like:
Talent gets you noticed but it isn't enough. Character often determines who earns trust. The cool head and warm heart help you make the plays that change games.
As you prepare for tryouts, remember control and fire.
Keep those two things consistently and you'll become the kind of player every coach needs on the court.
A cool head serves accountability, owning your choices and responding intelligently. A warm heart serves teamwork, contributing to force larger than yourself. When those qualities mix, athletes not only perform better, they foster teamwork and leadership.
Lagniappe. Character, Competence, and More
4 Key principles of influence pic.twitter.com/XU4vkOXuo0
— Always Keep Learning (@AlwaysKeepL) August 9, 2026
"Standing along the edge of the sea, a man catches sight of a young woman who appears to be engaged in a ritual dance. She stoops down, then straightens to her full height, casting her arm out in an arc. Drawing closer, he sees that the beach around her is littered with starfish, and she is throwing them one by one into the sea. He lightly mocks her, "there are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see, for miles up the beach. What difference can saving a few of them possibly make?" Smiling she bends down and once again tosses a starfish out over the water, saying serenely, "It certainly makes a difference to this one." - Rosalind and Benjamin Zander in The Art of Possibility
Maybe it's a warmup. Or a drill. Or film review. You have two choices - do it because it has to be done or attack it because it's there to make you and the team better.
Practice only makes a difference if you care enough to make a difference.
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization.
Every season is unique. Not often do young players, especially freshmen, get to wade in and test the waters. MVB 25 was unique including five frosh and five sophomores, figuratively thrown into the deep end of the pool.
Here's an overview of "the knowns." Often the "known unknowns" create positional battles.
Each gained from the experience.
We all have negative thoughts.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 18, 2026
They call it an ANT infestation.
The goal isn't to never have them - it's to catch them before they spread.
It starts with knowing what ANTs actually are. pic.twitter.com/uWh3gHho6h
Doc Rivers HOF speech: "When I was playing for the Knicks, Coach Pat Riley & I had the biggest argument in my entire playing career
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) August 16, 2026
"Jeff Van Gundy told me years later he was standing outside the door…thinking he may have to come in if he heard furniture moving
"Finally during… pic.twitter.com/Q1rtnoDxRX
Regardless of whether we're coaching younger players or advanced players, the goal is the same - adding value.
Naturally, the definition of 'value' changes. Professionals want tangibles - minutes, numbers, and a paycheck.
Younger players want a chance to play, to contribute, and to be recognized as having value - to be seen, heard, and respected.
Coaches notice more than skill and athleticism. They see your attitude, commitment, decision-making, effort, leadership, teamwork, and ability to "give the game what the game needs."
Take a moment to consider what your "MVB skill" is and how you intend to add value to the team this season, but also how you can contribute to the broader community over time.
Anthony Edwards said it perfectly:
— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) August 17, 2026
“Greatness is boring.”
It’s doing the same things over and over.
The reps.
The work.
The discipline.
The standard.
Especially on the days you don’t feel like doing it.
That’s where greatness is built.pic.twitter.com/XuGUeEtG3x
Self-motivation is a skill.
Summer reading...have you completed it? Probably some of you have...and certainly not all of you.
Few people have the will or 'constitution' to be dialed in every day.
Years ago the University of Minnesota (top 10 US team) traveled to Japan to face 'undersized' competition. They got smoked, annihilated. The Japanese coach explained his team practiced six hours a day, 363 days a year. They had a national holiday off. What about the other day? "I sick of them," he explained.
He encouraged Minnesota to play the top high school teams in the area. The coach was a bit offended, but took him up on the offer. They went 9-4 in sets. How you practice matters. It was different in Japan.
When you practice, have a plan. Don't serve to get it over the net...work on seams, short, sideline (maybe), or targeting the weak defender. Don't just "defend." Read the plays. Work to be 'earlier'.
Before you play, think about your attack footwork, your block footwork, your platform. Make boring better.
Make it exciting and worthwhile.
Tryouts seem like they’re far off, but they’re not. Bring the best version of yourself daily and leave an impression. How?
Be the Hardest Worker
No "false hustle." No coach tracks who wins warmup laps around the gym. Don't put pepper on your cereal. "Never cheat the drill." Don't work to work, work to improve to impact the game.
Be a Great Teammate
Teamwork is a choice. In a developmental setting, we gave out one award - The Teammate Award - voted on by the players. That represented their idea of who was the best teammate.
Be Coachable
Your coaches have a wealth of volleyball knowledge, experience, and success. Be a sponge and soak up everything you can. Then go home and think about the messages and how to apply them.
Make Plays
Volleyball is a meritocracy. You earn everything. Players make out the lineups from their performance. Everyone gets a chance and it's on you to take advantage and to make the team better.
Play purposefully
Do everything with intent - serving location, reading plays, executing footwork. Volleyball is a thinking person's game. Out-think your opponent and then outplay them.
Be an Athlete
Tentative play isn't successful play. Make your decision and let 'er rip.
Lagniappe. Leave the past in the past. Drop any baggage. Every season is new.
Lagniappe 2. Advice from a D1 libero.
Lagniappe 3. Six days until tryouts
Most coaches pick captains based on who is the most vocal.
— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) August 14, 2026
Research says the best captains look very different.
Sam Walker studied the greatest teams in sports history for The Captain Class and found 7 traits their elite captains consistently shared.
And some of them might… pic.twitter.com/4o3olU9aGx
Captains "support the mission." They do whatever it takes...in the big and the small tasks.
Seek "win-win" situations where both sides benefit.
What Win-Win Means
This isn't a novel concept. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], and loses or forfeits himself? - Luke 9:25.
Make no "Faustian bargains" of selling your soul, your integrity for short-term gain.
This applies to sport. Consider these examples:
There's no seniority system. You earn your spots.
Politics has no place in who makes the team or plays.
MVB can't recruit talent.
Being Different
"The quality and the quantity of your work is different from everyone." - Deputy Manager Oh in Misaeng The "newbie" came to the team without credentials, experience, or fanfare. All he did was to outwork and outperform all the other new employees.
The only way to become exceptional is to be different. More positive. More focused. More committed. Relentless.
It borders on obsessive. Make a difference.
Emotional self-regulation is a powerful tool. Add it to your others:
Don't allow yourself to be hurt by "the second arrow."
Don't take personally what others say because their comments often say more about them than they do about you. Some said, "Melrose's game is 'too simple'." Mature simplicity is powerful.
Don't allow emotion to put you in a "bad place" where you cannot perform at your best, decide best, or bring your best version.
In addition to your "identity statement" (this is who I am) and your "performance statement" (this is how I play), recognize and say your emotional state.
Nobody taught you how to actually speak. But a kindergarten teacher cracked the code on how to explain anything to anyone.
— Sharran Srivatsaa (@sharran) August 12, 2026
And it’s the same framework I use in every pitch deck, keynote, and presentation: pic.twitter.com/2HqU2cLRtB
Why are you here?
What do you hope to learn?
How will you learn?
Do this NOW.
Some of you visit at the suggestion of your coaches. The best reason is to extract value daily.
The introductory video shares a framework for your presentations. Use it along with the SUCCESS story acronym to present better;
S - Simple
U - Unexpected
C - Concrete (specific)
C - Credible (believable)
E - Emotional
Ss- Stories
Why?
You want to be seen, heard, and valued. Show out at tryouts. Every day is your opportunity to make an impression.
What?
Be a difference maker at tryouts. Have the "it" factor and the "wow" factor. Defenders read plays and get to balls. Hitters find ways to put the ball down. A few "ball strikers" cause the ball to make a different sound when they hit it...long-time fans know their names.
How?
Bring energy, a positive attitude, teamwork, and hard work. Focus, listen, and be coachable. A young player said that her biggest improvement is defense. There's an expression, "I'm from Missouri. Show me." (Missouri has the nickname of the Show Me state)
Now
Be yourself. Every one of you is special. Bring that to the court.
Lagniappe. The Italian national team used this as their walk-off music after a win.
All opinions expressed 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 with a major AI assist
With The Power of Negative Thinking, Bobby Knight went back to something older than any playbook, "via negativa," the negative way.
The Greeks and Romans had it right.
Define something by what it is not.
Strip away the unnecessary.
What remains is closer to the truth.
Classic example: Michelangelo was asked about sculpture and he said that his job was to take a block of marble and find the sculpture within.
Applied to volleyball:
Winning volleyball isn’t always about adding more.
It’s about removing what loses points - bad decisions, bad swings, bad platform skills.
Simple is hard.
Every rep should redirect toward winning.
Borrow Brian McCormick's line, “No lines, no laps, no lectures.”
Limit film:
Points are lost before they’re won. Remove low-value decisions:
Recall Jay Bilas's "Toughness" advice:
“It’s not your shot, it’s our shot.”
Translate it: It’s not your swing, it’s our swing.
Eliminate:
Decision clarity:
Defense improves faster by removing mistakes than adding schemes.
Use questions, not just answers.
Ask:
When you remove:
What’s left? Clean volleyball. Simple. MVB 12 style play that overwhelms with aggression and consistency.
Bottom Line
Think about it. What should be stripped from our lives and our volleyball? Excellence is often subtraction, not addition. Do less and do it better.
Give yourself grace. While working to improve your skills, strategy, physicality, and psychology, understand it won't be perfect.
"Chase perfection and catch excellence."
Here's a personal saying that works, "Don't beat yourself up; there will always be someone to do that for you."
Stay positive and "always do your best." That's all you can ask of yourself or anyone can ask of you. You cannot shape a positive life with a negative attitude.
Lagniappe. Practice activities (process) should impact performance. Warmup laps have a rationale - to transition muscles to a ready state. Running stadia (steps) increases aerobid fitness (endurance). Weight training and plyometrics increase power, quickness, and vertical jump.
When Ralph Labella and I watched the UCONN Women practice, the goal was to 'up our game'. It wasn't just about watching great players like Breanna Stewart. UCONN practice was carefully scripted, ran at a high tempo, and was always competitive - whether scrimmaging against men or free throw shooting (recorded percentages).
"Winners are trackers." - Darren Hardy in The Compound Effect
Be able to say, "We're doing this because ________ .
“If it doesn’t impact winning, I don’t want to talk about it,” Geno Auriemma
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) August 13, 2026
Your standards guide your choices.
Your choices shape your habits.
Your habits reveal your priorities. pic.twitter.com/b5OWwNXFa6
