'Tis better to win ugly, than lose pretty, no matter what a coach might say in the heat of battle. You win as a team, lose as a team, and struggle as a team. And yesterday, in the sweltering heat in the Middle School Gym, Melrose won the war but lost a battle, defeating the Stoneham Spartans 3-1. The win moves Melrose to 6-0, 5-0 in the Middlesex League, as the team prepares for some big upcoming matches.
Game analysis: Life is about making adjustments, as changes occur during work ("school is children's work"), relationships, and how we cope with those changes. Those in the Viktor Frankl camp ("Man's Search for Meaning") might call that suffering.
History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. Sports reflects a microcosm of life, and the challenges of evolution. One knowledgeable long-time observer called yesterday's game "the worst I've seen Melrose play in years." For the city of Melrose, it has been a tumultuous week, and how we deal with the aftershocks determines who we are.
During yesterday's contest, Stoneham, well-coached by Andrew Viselli (who has a previous state title pelt on his horse), made the better adjustments early defensively, but Melrose adapted and overcame with a few tricks of their own. Stoneham's height bothered Melrose as they blocked numerous Lady Raider slams and they rotated their defense forward to take away dinks and dunks. Coach Viselli also favors use of the outside attack with the short ball (a.k.a. short set, one-ball) from the middle, which although wasn't consistent, bothered Melrose at times. Reading used Viselli's methods in 2004 to take a match from the 2004 Division 2 North champion team.
Elite volleyball teams sometimes use the short ball to compensate for a lack of height.
About thirty seconds into this video, there's a great example of a short spike.
Set 1. Melrose dominated game one, leading 7-0 and 15-3 en route to a 25-9 rout. Uncharacteristically, the team had three service errors, but double digit kills and spread the offense around with three kills for Athena and a pair apiece for Alyssa, Rachel, and Jill. So far so good.
Set 2. Melrose again gets off to a fast start, leading 10-1, but gradually the momentum begins to ebb. Stoneham closes to 10-6 before a five point Melrose run temporarily restores order. But the team is playing tentatively, and from 15-6, only outscores Stoneham 10-8 to take the second stanza. The offense is stale, unofficially recording only five kills, three by Athena.
Set 3. Melrose again takes the early lead, 4-1, but has only one kill. Stoneham fights back, tieing the game at 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13, before going on their own spree to lead 17-13. Clearly, the coaching staff is frustrated, but making adjustments to try to reinvigorate the offense. Melrose closes to 16-18 and 19-20, before knotting the game at 21. From an 18-14 deficit, the Lady Raiders get eight kills in nine points including three more from Athena and a pair from Jill, cutting the 24-21 deficit to 24-23. Nevertheless, they can't seal the deal as an outside spike goes into the net and Stoneham hands Melrose their first set loss of the season.
Set 4. Reminiscent of Blackstone Valley in the state semifinals in 2005, a disappointing third set loss triggers a revival in game 4. The team simply restores order and the new sheriff in town, Athena Ziavras locks up the contest with a brilliant display of varied kills (6), ably abetted by sophomore Rachel Johnson who delivers five. Melrose has a remarkable 16 kills in the game , riding an 11-2 run (most of which occur with Brooke Bell serving) to a 25-11 victory. Stoneham never gets closer than seven points after that. Identifying the holes in the anything but porous Stoneham defense and exploiting them made the difference down the stretch.
Fans and coaches might ask themselves, which is the 'real' Melrose volleyball version 2010. I would simply say that young teams experience growing pains which manifest in different ways. Yesterday's action demonstrated the pitfalls of 1) momentary passivity and 2) inadequate communication, both eminently correctable. Coaches want their teams to reflect their personality, and Coach Scott Celli teams ordinarily show toughness, teamwork, and energy.
The momentum shift that Stoneham achieved reflects credit on their players and coaching staff. Melrose was able to right the ship and seal the deal in the end. We trade in results, not excuses.
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