Playoffs

Melrose hosts Wayland in the first round of the D2 North sectionals Saturday at 7:00 P.M.

MIAA.net D2N bracket (revised)

Wayland, from the Dual Country League, has only one common opponent with Melrose (Belmont) whom both teams defeated twice.

Game 20: Finishing Kick, Newton North 3 Melrose 1

Melrose went to Newton North with high hopes and left with high aspirations, on the short end of a 25-18, 19-25, 19-25, 13-25 defeat.

The box score tells the tale, with too much Newton North offense and not enough for Melrose.

The regular season concludes at 18-2 (as projected preseason) and the tournament seedings to follow soon.

Where Do You Belong?

In basketball, we have a saying, "you can never be better than you think you are." What matters most, then, is believing in yourself and playing to that level. When TEAMs do that, they define success.

Here's an excerpt from the Foreword to my e-book, "The Simple Guide to Girls' Basketball: The Game Is for the Players"

Today, Melrose finishes the regular season with a great opportunity for competition on the road against Newton North...great preparation for postseason play.

Season Finale Tomorrow at Newton North

Melrose finishes the regular season tomorrow at Division 1 powerhouse Newton North. The Tigers lost in the state finals last season to FIFTEEN time champion Barnstable.

The varsity game will start at 5:30 PM.

Yesterday, Melrose ended their Middlesex League schedule unbeaten with a three set win at Watertown.

Melrose - Wakefield Photoessay

Photos courtesy of Don Norris. Click image to see the full frame.

Freshmen journey to "block city"

Globe North Profile on Melrose Volleyball

Taylor Snow of the Boston Globe profiles Melrose volleyball.

 Offensive stats from most recent match against Wakefield

Middlesex League standings as Melrose has undisputed ML title.

Updated Boston Globe rankings. Liz Torres shows Melrose some love.

Chancellorsville

How do leaders make decisions? Are coaches (we) unbiased, driven by analytics/statistics or more intuitive/heuristic? Can we improve the process and ergo the outcome?

The question arises because we select players for a middle school team soon...and defining process matters in a selection involving emotion, meaning, relationships, and achievement. These elements correspond closely to HAPPINESS in psychology.

None of us live without bias. We can measure to a degree skill and athleticism, but to a lesser degree sum them to calculate potential absent an unmeasurable - commitment.

What does history teach us? At the 1863 battle of Chancellorsville in northern Virginia, Union general Joe Hooker faced Confederate general Robert E. Lee, with the Union army holding superior numerical and strategic positions. Simply, Hooker's forces should have won in a rout. But 'limited` by inferior numbers and information, Lee's troops won a critical battle of aggression. The battle went in unexpected fashion because of superior leadership.

Selecting middle schoolers requires projecting results with a woefully inadequate database. A few years ago, I lobbied hard for an athletic, unrefined player who became one of our most productive players. I recognize my heuristic bias (thin-slicing) with the Shaw-like (Pygmalion) vanity that we can 'coach up' that player. Regrettably, it isn't always so.

The battle isn't always to the strongest or the race to the swiftest, precisely because we cannot consistently measure the intangibles of players. Recently an observer remarked about a player in warmups and I commented that pregame efficiency doesn't translate necessarily into game performance. Conversely, while watching Mariano Rivera warm up in the bullpen one night with the Yankees leading 3-0, I saw him throw cutter after cutter on the 'black' of the plate, and knew the inevitable 1-2-3 result ahead.

The long-winded conclusion is that you must trust your process. A corrupt process produces flawed, dissatisfying results. We lack the beautifully screened auditions that allowed talent to shine increasing women's in philharmonic orchestras from 5 percent to fifty. But Melrose's volleyball process has identified and developed successful teams for over a decade. Would the architects claim perfection or infallibility? I strongly doubt it. But clear another space for a Middlesex League trophy...while the team works to continue improvement...through leadership and aggressiveness. Think Chancellorsville.

Positive Psychology

Something to ponder

Game 17: Senior Night, Devil of a Time, Melrose 3 Burlington 2

Pressed for time with a weekend wedding forthcoming. Melrose wins the Middlesex League championship, undefeated in ML play 14-0 with two games remaining.

Seniors, left to right Jill MacInnes, Cassidy Barbaro, Alyssa Abbott, Maave Moriarty, Annalisa DeBari. Photo courtesy of Don Norris.

Melrose wins 25-20, 22-25, 25-6, 24-26, 15-9.

To summarize, Melrose was a bit uneven in intensity, and Burlington was led by a fantastic effort by outside hitter Maya Russell, who must have had at least 25 kills.

Melrose had 9 kills in set 1, 9 in set 2, 12 in set 3, 12 in set 4, and 8 in set 5. Jill MacInnes had another spectacular game in the back row,

Unofficial kill totals:
Annalisa DeBari  10
Meri Lessing 15
Victoria Crovo 14
Marissa Cataldo 6

Senior Night Tomorrow

Melrose hosts their annual Senior Night tomorrow as Melrose hosts Burlington, recognizing the contributions and achievements of the senior class. Honorees will include:

• Alyssa Abbott
• Cassidy Barbaro
• Annalisa DeBari
• Jill MacInnes
• Maave Moriarty

Each has created a role for herself on the team and made this year's team successful, although without the fanfare of some previous teams. 

These young ladies have known only success on the volleyball court, including but not limited to:

• Division 2 State Championship (2012)
• Division 2 North Sectional Championships (2010-2012)
• Middlesex League Championships (2010-2012)
• Bay State Games participation (2013)
• 4 year combined record (21-3, 23-2, 26-1, 15-1) 85-7 

They have represented themselves, their team, their families, and Melrose with distinction for the past four years and deserve great credit for their leadership and success. 

Of course, a thoughtful approach led this inspirational group achievement. 

The festivities begin with the junior varsity game at 5:00, the ceremony to follow, and the varsity game around 6:30. Take the time to appreciate the great effort and celebrate the achievements of the seniors. 

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Bishop Fenwick 3  Central Catholic 2

Going, Going, Gomes

The Red Sox reach the World Series "going to the 'ship" with skill and grit. An article about Jonny Gomes contains the following:

"To be the clubhouse guy with the spark, you still have to perform. You can't just be a rodeo clown in the clubhouse and then go and strike out three or four times, or not run the bases hard. You've got to create an identity. You've got to create a culture. You've got to have accountability to what you stress or what you preach. You've got to do that and you can't take a day off from doing that."

The message is that everyone can have a role, but teams must pull in the same direction to achieve team goals. 

Numbers Game

The season flies by and the post-season approaches.

The Globe Top 20 is 'record' heavy and strength of schedule factors little into it. But it does look head-to-head and Barnstable beat NDA.

Maxpreps.com is strength of schedule heavy but doesn't represent head-to-head that much.

Division 2 North qualifiers in red

Division 2 North, probable qualifiers in red

Thinking About Thinking

Problem solving and decision making are not random. Most successful people and organizations are process-driven, but the success of the endeavor is not just about having a process but addressing your needs via strategic thinking, planning, and execution.

Melrose has had an excellent process and results, and this is designed to stimulate thought.

Michael Mauboussin thinks about thinking and process and discusses his evaluation process in a video.

For coaches, the major options involve style of play (including concurrent teaching and drills), personnel (lineup selection and combinations), and motivational choices. For example, before one basketball game, I asked players to sign a pledge that they would play their best defense possession by possession. They did, but this approach is a one-time deal.

My observation is that championship contenders need three strong hitting options, and therefore developing those options becomes a core strategy. For basketball, I believe you need two core ballhandling options, two core rebounders, and three major scorers. As coaches, we develop our central philosophy, emphasize what we believe to be important, get players to 'buy into' that, and close the feedback loop by quizzing players about what our identity and process is.

This process translates well into everyday life, school, business, professions, and avocations. And an enormous part of coaching is preparing young people for productive lives.

Melrose - Wilmington Photoessay : The Pony Express

Photographs courtesy of Don Norris. The quality of Don's "eye" has recently been magnificent. I think you'll agree. Click image to see entire frame.

One of Don's greatest shots...ever. Where's the ball?

Only the senior is allowed to smile. It's the rule. But you knew that.

Although this article on "Well-coached Teams" was written for basketball, most applies equally well to many sports.

The Pony Express

Height

Another brilliant shot.

fabulous super slow-mo video...note the run-up and hitting technique with the initial footwork, rear arm swing and launch, and then attack (especially evident at 2:00 and 3:15.

Game 16: "Old Vets and Young Guns" Melrose 3 Wilmington 0

There's more than one way to skin a cat, as the Wilmington Wildcats found out on their trip to the Middle School yesterday in a 25-12, 25-6, 25-19 win for Melrose. The victory moves Melrose to 15-1, 13-0 in the Middlesex League, once-again closing in on another Middlesex League title.

Championship volleyball teams rely on consistency - a consistent approach, communication and coordination, preparation, and relentless aggression. Melrose creeps closer to that goal, with week by week improvement. The Lady Raiders have been spearheaded by an experienced back row, but the young guns in the front row are getting there...

Melrose got off to a quick 5-1 lead, expanded it to 11-3 and was never headed in set one. They had only one service error, and got a bushel of kills, including five from junior Meri Lessing, three from freshman Victoria "V-Rex" Crovo, and a pair apiece from senior Annalisa DeBari and sophomore Marissa Cataldo.

Second set action was more of the same as Melrose led 4-1, 12-2, and 19-4 en route to a rout. Lessing hammered home another trio of kills, Crovo four, and setter Allie Nolan had three including several "twos" and a block. Freshman Cat Torpey, another part of the "Ivory-billed Woodpecker" freshman double block, administered her brand of anesthesia with a pair of late kills.

The third set was just more Reaganesque "there you go again" time, as Melrose led 4-1, 9-2, and 15-4. The highlight was an unofficial record-tying four kill run from Victoria who pounded home eight for the set but also showed her versatility with blocks and crafty tips among her career high fifteen kills. Meri got her usual double digit kills and Annalisa also added a pair.

Game notes: Melrose isn't the same team that came out of the chute in September as Friday's action marked the second consecutive outing with at least forty kills. Jill MacInnes, a legitimate candidate for All-State status at libero, delivered 33 digs, and played virtually error-free volleyball in the back row. Cassidy Barbaro had a pair of stunning 'gets' to save points on defense, and Maave Moriarty continued her quietly efficient play defensively and serving. Alyssa Abbott had another flawless day in the back row.

Melrose hosts "Senior Night" Wednesday against title hopeful Burlington. Celebrate the wonderful career of the seniors who've rung up three ML titles, three Division 2 North titles, two appearances in the State Championship, and one State title so far with more volleyball to be played.

"Don't look back, something might be gaining on you."

Melrose - Stoneham Photoessay (Group 2)

Courtesy of Don Norris. Click image to see full frame.

Melrose hosts Wilmington today with more hair-raising action at 4:00.

Sharing Thoughts on Team Culture

Melrose has enjoyed success through skill, communication, and culture. Here's an excellent article from Hoop Thoughts about culture, as expressed by Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.

 When it comes to evaluating others, most leaders fail to realize that it takes absolutely no talent to give effort; effort is the great equalizer.”  

Melrose - Stoneham Photoessay (First Group)

Courtesy of Don Norris. Click images to see the whole frame.