D2 Player of the Year - Lily Fitzgerald

Sister Act

Have you heard of the "Ration" sisters? 

There are the little sisters, INSPI and ASPI and the big sisters PREPA and PERSPI. 

PERSPIRATION

PREPARATION

ASPIRATION

INSPIRATION

Melrose Records*

*Via Coach Scott Celli (Click images to see the full frame)

I think game scoring changes occurred during the 2005 season, going from 30 point games (best of three) to 25 point games (best of five).

Team Achievements

Overall record since 2000 is 367-67, but since 2003, 327-42. 

Since 2000:

16 Middlesex League Championships
8 D2 North titles
1 State Championship

11 Middlesex League MVP's 

13 Boston Globe All-Scholastics

16 Boston Herald All-Scholastics

3 Boston Globe Division 2 Players of the Year (Brickley (2009), Bell (2012), Fitzgerald (2017)


15 MGVCA Division 2 State All-Stars

Do You Choose Excellence?

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

Model your process as the key to your outcome. I believe in the Spartak Model. 

Final Globe Volleyball Rankings*

The Boston Globe released their final volleyball rankings and Melrose finished exceptionally well at number four. Inexplicably, *Westborough isn't included. 

Congratulations. 

Culture Precedes Success

Cross post from my basketball blog, referencing #Zappos http://ronsenbasketball.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-player-experience.html

Grow Your Toolkit

Cross-posted. 

Focus.

Read and remember. 

Ask better questions.

"The difference between who we are today and who we will become in five years is the people we meet and the books we read." 

Reading allows us to have conversations with legendary figures of the past. 

Feast Photos

Images from last night's Volleyball Awards night, courtesy of Steve Karampalas. Click images to enlarge. 

Volleyball Breakup Dinner

Melrose Volleyball held its annual Awards Night at the Montvale Plaza. Coaches Celli, Schmitt, and O'Neill honored their teams after an excellent dinner. 

Freshmen received certificates and Chloe Orcutt received their MVP. 

The Junior varsity also received certificates. Two players earned special recognition, Amarea Shepard as Most Improved and Nora Sheehan as Most Valuable. 

Lily Fitzgerald presented an excellent video representing the program. 

Coach Scott Celli reviewed the varsity season, including a 24-3 record, tying for the most number of wins in the state. The team won the Middlesex League Freedom Division, their 14th title in 15 years, the D2 North championship (eight in fifteen years), and appeared as a Finalist for the fourth time in fifteen years. 

Coach noted that Jill Mercer, Saoirse Connolly, Lydia Lombardo, and Lily Fitzgerald all earned Middlesex League All-Star selection. He presented Lily as the ML MVP. Lily also earned Massachusetts Girls Volleyball Coaches Association All-State Honors and selection as Boston Herald All-Scholastic. Lily set a new Melrose single-season record for assists with 663 and finishes as Melrose's second All-time assist leader (after Brooke Bell) with 1832. 

Individual varsity awards: 

Top Server - Lydia, points scored on 72% of her serves. 
Top Defender - Saoirse
Most Improved - Erin Torpey
Unsung Hero - Emma Randolph
MVP - Lily Fitzgerald
Coaches' Award - Jill Mercer 

As always, Coach explained that future opportunity depends on performance, and that positions are open to those who rise to fill them. 

Coach Celli explained the captaincy selection process, including application, interview, and discussion with coaching staff, captains, the Athletic Director, and Guidance. The Captains selected for the 2018 season are: Nicole Abbott, Erin Torpey, and Emma Randolph. Nicole and Erin both had sisters in the program. 

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

The volleyball team, family, and friends gather tonight to celebrate an outstanding season. 

But "the magic is in the work." Success sits on the four-legged stool of size, athleticism, skill, and game experience. This season's team earned a reputation for hard work and competitiveness, and those calling cards garnered twenty-four wins. 

Tonight we will hear about individual and team accomplishments, praise for the outstanding senior leadership of Lily Fitzgerald, Saoirse Connolly, Jill Mercer, and Lydia Lombardo. And Coach Celli will reveal the opportunity afforded to new leadership. 

"This is not the end." 

Seek Wisdom and Become a Storyteller

Simon Sinek shares stories about life skills.



What makes you great may not be what you think. 

Go after what you want...as long as you don't disenfranchise others. 
You might be the problem. Ignaz Semmelweis conquers puerperal fever. 
Be willing to help your teammate. Navy SEALs say, "two is one and one is none." 
Learn to speak last. 
Be grateful for the styrofoam cup. 

Fire Up

"Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm." Trust the process and do the work. Find the buttons to push to drive yourself further, to become more. 

Find the fire. 

More on Your Craft

"The magic is in the work." The best teams have the most consistent players, playing the most consistent volleyball. You won't find short cuts where there are none. 

Here's a cross post from my basketball and leadership site. What is your tuna? 

Shokunin: What is Your Craft?

Of sports and sushi. 

Timeout for Melrose-Wakefield Football

Images courtesy of Steve Karampalas. Click images to enlarge.