Play the Schedule*

*A blog for Melrose fans, players, and families.

Melrose hosted Watertown today, which hasn't won a game, let alone a match, all season. "Facts are such stubborn things." Despite active coaching and plenty of enthusiasm, Melrose completed their Middlesex League schedule with a 25-6, 25-2, 25-11 win, moving to 16-2.

Should we be endlessly 'politically correct', give everyone a trophy, and say "good job"? Is that honest or hypocritical? "You did a great job; sorry we gave you a beat down. Have a nice day."

Having played, officiated, and coached sports for about fifty years, I have strong opinions about sportsmanship. Some people talk a good game, and then act entirely differently. You don't steal bases up 10 runs in the ninth inning, or take three pointers and full court press up twenty in the final minute. Blown calls in blowouts don't warrant tar and feathers, if they don't impact player safety.

Today, Coach Celli substituted liberally (starters played less than half the game), and had his shortest player, Cassidy Barbaro, in the front row during the final game. Aside from banning spiking, he couldn't have done more to limit the carnage. Ultimately, if you want to get respect, you must earn it.

Melrose held 12-3 and 24-5 leads in the process of the first set rout. Unofficially, Melrose had only six kills, with the visitors struggling with serve receive and defense. Melrose provided three points of the Watertown five with service errors.

Melrose scored the first fifteen points of set two. It wasn't through brilliant play, as Melrose had three kills during that span. Watertown got their first point of the set on a Melrose attack error, and their second and last on a Melrose service error.

Game three saw Melrose's younger players scuffle to a 10-11 deficit on sluggish play with a lot of attack errors. A Celli timeout at 10 apiece was followed by a 15-1 closeout

Game analysis: Play the schedule. Today's victory sealed a co-championship of the Middlesex League for Melrose and Reading. Congratulations to both.

Massachusetts high school volleyball may have the greatest disparity between the top and lower tier teams of any sport. That might exclude high school hockey where recruiting and the Super 8 format effectively create artificial and partial separation (literally) of church and state. All players are not created equal in height, athleticism, skill, experience and coaching. Good coaching, effort, and enthusiasm are not synonymous with results. And that showed today.

Brittany Adelman got her longest outing of the year coming off injury...and Amanda Commito got a huge ovation as she returned from surgery to make her first appearance of the year.