Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Melrose - Winchester Photographs

Images courtesy of Jen Gentile. Click images to enlarge. 

The best images speak for themselves. 




Coaches like Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma film the bench. "Sports don't build character; they reveal character." You can tell a lot about a team by watching the sidelines. 






Monday, April 26, 2021

What's Certain in Life? Death, Taxes, and Competition for All Positions

"You own your paycheck." And your paycheck in high school sports is role, court time, and recognition. That's reality. 

When you meet with Coach Scott Celli again, I guarantee you he reminds you that returning doesn't guarantee you anything.

Sports is a meritocracy and coaches put the players on the court or field whom they believe give them the best chance to succeed. It's not rec ball; winning matters.

How do you maintain your motivation? You own it. You say, "I want to improve." What's your plan to raise your game, your athleticism, your skill, your game knowledge and decision-making? 

There is no "muscle memory." Your muscles respond to nerve input from your brain and peripheral nervous system. Practice lays down myelin, which coats nerve fibers and increases the speed and reproduction of given actions. Skills degrade without repetition.

Miami Heat basketball coach Erik Spoelstra informs us, "every team has a pecking order." A few players are the stars and the majority of us are role players. Excel in your role. Each season players ascend and seize opportunity. I won't name names because you all know which players became rotation players. 

Injury, illness, eligibility, distraction, and positional need all factor into the equation. Melrose has reserve players each year who would start for at least three-quarters of the rest of Middlesex League teams. Sometimes it's just a numbers game. 

The "Fourth Agreement" of Ruiz's The Four Agreements is "always do your best." Your best won't be the same every day. But your best effort, your best focus can be. And you never regret giving your best. 

"All positions are open." You read it here first. 

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Post-Season Awards, One Observer's View

I've watched Melrose volleyball for about twenty years and seen the top teams, top players, thrills, and disappointments. Winning is hard, which is why winning matters. The proliferation of offseason play constantly improves the overall quality of play. As limiting as the pandemic was, it expanded the use of live-stream video, a welcome addition for many sports fans and families. 

Each season coach Scott Celli and his staff hand out post-season awards. Some are statistically based, others use the eyeball test. Today's awards won't necessarily be those of the coaches and won't add to your resume or go on your "permanent record." Bill Murray sums it up in Caddyshack (video above). 

First, here's a statistical review of attacking. 


Attacking is critical because excellent teams win points and need more than defense to come from behind.

Most improved. "Player development is the Holy Grail." Everyone improves during the season, but offseason gains often translate to high impact. Recipient: Abby Hudson, who became an impact outside hitter. 

Rookie of the Year. ROY doesn't necessarily go to a freshman but to the first year player with potential and production. Recipient: Gia Vlajkovic. She has the best approach to the ball that I've seen in years and potential to become a dynamite outside hitter. 

Unsung hero. UH goes to the player with an essential contribution yet not a headline grabber. She was in the top five of the state in assists/set. Maybe it should be Unsung Hara... Eva Haralabatos. 

Backstopper. The Backstopper is the top back row player. Back row players don't have to be tall, just athletic, great decision makers, strong passers, and dirt dogs. Autumn Whelan gets the nod. 

MVP. The MVP often is a jack-of-all-trades with skills as an attacker, blocker, passer, server and defender. Sometimes there is a clear choice, sometimes not. Co-winners: Emily Hudson and Elena Soukos. 






















Saturday, April 24, 2021

Middlesex League Championship: Winchester 3 Melrose 0

 


Hard losses fuel championship dreams. Winchester (13-0) brought back four players from the State Championship finals and had the juice to capture the Middlesex League title with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 sweep at Winchester.

Melrose (12-1) played well but Winchester's "A Game," replete with robust hitting and stingy defense, especially blocking, stymied Melrose's title hopes. 

Melrose lost the Division 2 state championship final in 2011, serving as fuel for a return in 2012 with championship results. 

Melrose constantly looked for solutions and ways to get its attack untracked, but the Sachems' consistent aggression thwarted efforts to score winners. And teams with title ambitions have to win points as champions seldom give them away. 

Autumn Whelan had a big afternoon at libero, seldom a good sign when your defense leads the headlines. In their senior swan songs, Emily Hudson (11 kills) and Eva Haralabatos (25 assists) had solid good-byes. 

Hudson and Elena Soukos had eleven kills apiece and Abby Hudson added a hard-earned six.

Lady Raider Notes: It was not a dispiriting loss as overall Melrose demonstrated many high caliber skills, particularly on the defensive end as Winchester kept punching. 

Melrose graduates four seniors, Hudson and Haralabatos, Grace Sanderson, and Sofia Centrella. They return ten of the fourteen member squad and six top of the rotation players including sophomores Chloe Gentile, Emma Desmond, and Gia Vlajkovic. The cupboard remains stocked. 

Player development is the holy grail of sustained competitive advantage. Growing the triad of athleticism, skill, and decision-making separates the top teams. Coach Scott Celli remarked, "this group made tremendous progress as the season went on...fun team to coach." 

Melrose will be back in September with more than a puncher's chance. 

"Melrose Weekly" Friday Updates

The Melrose Weekly shares a volleyball update about fourteen consecutive league titles. 

Parenthetically, we broadcast the game which separated Melrose from winning the league title in 2006, positioned perfectly in the back corner of the gym, on the sideline. 

During the fifth set, two balls went wide of the antenna (on the side of the lead official) and curved back to land in the court. Both were called in or Melrose might have won or not. 

Memory check? I got the receipts



"I Got Two Things for You," A Brilliant Strategy

 Tony La Russa approached Red Sox manager Alex Cora saying, "I got two things for you," ideas on how to better the club. What advice would you share with a successful club, a struggling team, a veteran team, a young team, any team?

Successful team.

  • "Don't become complacent. Stick with what made you successful."
  • "Player development is the cornerstone of success." It's our job to improve player "hardware" (athleticism) and "software" (skill and decision-making). Overinvest in development. 

Struggling team.

  • "Earn the right to believe in yourself." Outwork leads to outperformance.
  • "Focus on doing well the few things that you do most." 

Veteran team.

  • "Never leave the fundamentals." We don't return to basics.
  • "Put winning ahead of personal agendas." 

Young team. 



  • "Be detail-oriented." Give and get feedback to assure everyone is closer to being on the same page. It's asymptotic (above). We never get to 100%. Departure from detail is costly. Not knowing your assignment, not covering your player, not blocking out, not communicating on defense are critical errors. 
  • "Good teams learn to apply and withstand pressure." 

 Any team. 

  • Two or three possessions separate winners from losers. "Be here now." 
  • Pressure degrades performance. Be excited about what you do. Excitement leads to greatness. Anxiety degrades performance. 
Lagniappe (something extra). 

"Do you believe in what you do? Every day? It turns out that belief happens to be a brilliant strategy.” - Seth Godin, in Tribes




In Search of a Baker's Dozen

High noon. Saturday. Two undefeated teams, Melrose and Winchester square off for Middlesex League bragging rights. 

Both have winning traditions. Both have an abundance of postseason experience. Both have lost a single set this season. 


Both have outstanding setters among the Massachusetts leaders. 


Both have multiple hitters among the Middlesex League leaders. 10 of the top 16 play for either Melrose or Winchester. 

Expect a battle. 














Thursday, April 22, 2021

Game 12: Under Pressure, Melrose 3 Lexington 0

Melrose (12-0) proved inhospitable for talented Lexington delivering a 25-17, 25-13, 25-15 knockout. The Lady Raiders informed as relentless an offensive attack as witnessed in twenty years of watching Melrose volleyball. Melrose should ice those right arms tonight in preparation for the Middlesex League finals Saturday at noon in Winchester (12-0). 

Melrose showcased legions of attackers - outside, inside, and from the back row. Lexington was no weak sister as they didn't wilt despite the ferocity of the Melrose attack. I thought Lexington was the best team they had faced this season. 

It's hard to single out individuals among such a display but Elena Soukos was immense from the outside and back row hitting, Emily Hudson and Chloe Gentile owned the net, and Abby Hudson maintained her vicious season-long outside hitting. That understates big hitting from Gia Vlajkovic, great setting from Eva Haralabatos and extreme ownership of the defense of Autumn Whelan and Emma Desmond. Only two of the whole are seniors, Emily and Eva. 

The One Game Season

"You can roll the dice 'til they call your bluff,

But you can't win until you're not afraid to lose" - Bon Jovi, "Just Older"

Make every season a banner year. A former Lady Raider who played in thirty post-season games for Melrose described the post-season as her "favorite time of the year." 


This "old" banner needs updating. 

Success follows aggressiveness, consistency, and playing to win. 


"Playing to win" informs a consistent theme. Trailing Burlington 20-11 in the first set on Monday, Melrose fought back to win fourteen of the next sixteen points to win the set. 

Tonight Melrose plays a one game season hosting Lexington. 














Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Bracketology, Updated

The top four seeds advanced to the ML12 semifinals on Thursday. 


John Fleming's Winchester club gets some deserved love in The Boston Globe

Kayla Wyland's Wakefield Warriors got a landmark win before falling to Lexington.

Lexington invades Melrose tomorrow. 



Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Game 11: Playoffs, "Quarter Pounder" Melrose 3 Belmont 0

Melrose (11-0) remained undefeated with a convincing 25-10, 25-12, 25-11 sweep over the Belmont Marauders.

Melrose advances to the ML12 semifinal Thursday night against Lexington, who defeated Wakefield 3-1 in the other quarterfinal. 

Video from MHS-TV YouTube.com feed via YouTubeTrimmer.com 


Melrose dominated from the opening serve (above), which Emily Hudson finished at the net. 



The WPI-bound senior ruled the net with size, athleticism, and skill.



Sophomore Chloe Gentile stopped this Marauder attack cold. 



Meanwhile, Junior Elena Soukos had her full bag of tricks on display - net play (above), serving, defense, outside attacking, back row hitting. 



Above Elena gets a back row winner off an assist from Autumn Whelan. 



But the star of the final frame was Junior Outside Hitter Abby Hudson with a series of kills like the one above. 

Lady Raider Notes: Scoreboard (below) from BostonGlobe.com. 

It was all 'chalk' for the ML12 quarters with top seeds Winchester and Melrose winning as well as two seeds Lexington and Burlington.

Swampscott High coach Ryan Celli offered that this was the "most dominant playoff game performance" he had seen from a Melrose team. 










Melrose Versus Belmont Game Preview

Melrose (10-0) hosts Belmont (6-5) in a quarterfinal match today at 6 P.M. Because of the pandemic scheduling, the teams had no common opponents during the regular season. Belmont beat Watertown 3-0 in the play-in game yesterday. 


Maxpreps.com statistics show three hitters with at least 1.5 kills per set, led by Middle Hitter Katherine Bai. 


Bai opens the Marauders match against Arlington with a kill from the middle. 

She also led off as their first server. 



Strengths: They served well (in the sample size seen) and libero play was mostly solid. 



Possible vulnerabilities: they scored many of their points on Arlington errors rather than generating a high percentage of winners. Their defense could wilt against a high pressure attack. 

With the first "crossover" match of the season, Melrose has the opportunity to view competition from the Liberty Division. 

ML12 Volleyball Quarterfinals Today

Melrose hosts Belmont at 6 PM today looking to advance to the semifinals of the ML12 postseason tournament. Getting off to a faster start will be one of their goals. 


Every season has unique opportunities and challenges. The 2021 Fall 2 took advantage of their experience and youth to capture another Division championship. (Image courtesy Jen Gentile) 


Stay in the game with the MHS-TV livestream. 

Monday, April 19, 2021

Wakefield Outlasts Reading in 5 Sets, 18-16

Kayla Wyland's Wakefield club advanced to the quarterfinals with a five set win over Reading. Wakefield travels to Lexington tomorrow. 

Bracketology (Unofficial)

The ML12 hasn't published the official brackets for the postseason volleyball tournament. These are the matchups and the "presumptive" brackets. Click to enlarge and see the whole brackets. 


Woburn is a "top 8" team but the lowest overall seed and technically in the Liberty (large) division. 

The top seeds "should" be on either side of the brackets as should the second seeds. 

Follow Middlesex League 12 Athletics @Ml12Athletics  

It would be great if they published the official brackets... 

Game 10: Perfect 10, Melrose 3 Burlington 0

Melrose ran the regular season table with a Patriots Day 25-22, 25-16, 25-16 win over Burlington (8-2). 

Melrose fell behind 11-20 in the first set, refusing to fold and closing with a 14-2 run. 

The win catapults Melrose into a quarterfinal matchup tomorrow against  Belmont in the Middlesex League playoffs. 

Elena Soukos led Melrose with a fourteen-strong lioness' share of kills. 


Video from the MHS-TV YouTube.com feed with YouTubeTrimmer. 


Elena delivered from both sides including this Eva Haralabatos (29 assists) backset into a right-sided kill. 



Burlington showed exceptional first set defense but couldn't stop this Chloe Gentile attack. 


Abby Hudson committed to this attack late in set one, delivering a critical winner to tie the set at 22. 


"Form begets function." Watch the beautiful run-up of Gia Vlajkovic as she wipes the block. 


Don't sleep on the defense. Emma Desmond serves and gets back into the play to fight off a pair of attacks, followed by Autumn Whelan digging a kill and Eva making another saving play. 

Coach Scott Celli praised the team's poise in playing from behind. Strong clubs find ways to overcome adversity that will come during the postseason. 

Patriots Day Monday Matinee (1 PM) for Melrose Volleyball Hosting Burlington

Melrose (9-0) hosts Burlington (8-1) Monday at 1 P.M. in a tuneup for both clubs. Both host first round games in the Middlesex League 12 Postseason Tournament starting Tuesday. 



MHS-TV on YouTube broadcasts. 

Looking Forward by Looking Backward (Melrose - Canton 2012)

Melrose won the State Volleyball Championship in 2012 with no weaknesses. They had elite setting (Brooke Bell), three dynamite hitters in the post-season (Sarah McGowan, Rachel Johnson, Jen Cain), the Great Wall (Kayla Wyland and Johnson), back row brilliance (Jill MacInnes, Amanda Commito, Allie Nolan), a dynamite designated server (Cassidy Barbaro) and the athletic excellence of Analisa Di Bari. 

Four players (Bell, McGowan in 2012, MacInnes in 2013, Nolan in 2014) from that team eventually earned All-State recognition. And Jen Cain played high level college volleyball at Merrimack. 

McGowan along with Hannah Brickley were Melrose's best "tip attack" specialists. The Wyland-Johnson blocking was elite. Almost nothing hit the floor against the back row. There's a lot for young players to study. (Pro tip: watch highlights on slow-motion playback). 

And like Bill Belichick, Coach Scott Celli liked the southpaw servers. 


They beat Canton in straight sets and arguably Canton was the best team they faced in the postseason. It's worth studying their aggression, consistency, and integrated play. 

Bonus: Check out the pancake dig by Di Bari

Selected Highlights - Melrose Tops Wakefield

Highlights "trimmed" from the WCAT YouTube feed. 

Get off to a fast start. Dig! Set! Spike!


Abby Hudson with a great serve-receive pass to Eva Haralabatos who sets Elena Soukos for the kill. 

Blocking is critical to excellent defense. 



Emily Hudson uses length and timing as a formidable blocker. 

A great team point with Elena digging a blast, Autumn Whelan with a diving dig and a finish from Gia Vlajkovic with a cut shot. 



Melrose entered the season with defensive question marks. They have the receipts now. 

Outstanding hitters have no conscience. Abby Hudson fired in eleven kills. When players get blocked, sometimes they get tentative. 



Abby "wipes the block" with a blast from the strong side. 

Melrose varies the attack. 



Chloe Gentile masters the "quick set" to score. 

Melrose always has players battling on the joust. 



Emily controls the initial net play and finishes the point. 

 

Game 9: Furious Attack Leads Melrose to Clinch at Least Title Tie, Sweep Wakefield 3-0

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
- Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charge of the Light Brigage

Wakefield's mission was beating Melrose volleyball this year. Unleashing a furious attack, Melrose had none of it, sweeping the Warriors 25-10, 25-19, 25-13. Melrose (9-0) hosts Burlington Monday at 1 P.M. and Wakefield ends the regular season 6-4. 

Melrose played championship level volleyball for much of the match. 

The Lady Raiders delivered bomb after bomb from a cavalcade of merciless hitters. The attack came early and often from both sides, Elena Soukos and Abby Hudson on the strong side, Gia Vlajkovic and others from the opposite, and a mix of blocks, quick sets, and power hitting from Chloe Gentile, Emily Hudson, and Grace Sanderson from the middle. Aggression, relentlessness, and ferocity spoke volumes. 

The score didn't reflect the skill or the effort from Kayla Wyland's Wakefield squad, who played well. For example, Melrose took an early 9-2 lead in the second set, Wakefield fought back to trail 11-9, and a Scott Celli timeout led to another relentless Melrose rally. 

Eva Haralabatos was outstanding at setter and Autumn Whelan conjured visions of All-State libero Jill MacInness, now a Wakefield assistant. It was a total team effort. 

Lady Raider Notes: Wakefield's improvement this year was notable with excellent defense and setting. They have risen well into the first division of the Middlesex League.

Melrose has much to look forward to with a panoply of young hitters. Twenty years of watching Melrose volleyball tell me that Abby Hudson and Gia Vlajkovic are both in the top three of greatest improvement over one season. 

The Fourth Agreement, Playing and Living Without Regret, "I Did My Best"

The Four Agreements is one of Tom Brady's favorite books. And the fourth agreement, "Always Do You Best" encapsulates the others and simplifies our tasks. It works for family, work, school, and sports. 

This is a dense summary of the fourth agreement. Enjoy. 

Friday, April 16, 2021

Down the Home Stretch, At Wakefield Tomorrow

Melrose travels to Wakefield (6-3) tomorrow for a high noon rematch with the Warriors. Melrose (8-0) clinches a share of the Middlesex League Freedom Division with another victory.

Wakefield has made a strong turnaround under the tutelage of former Lady Raider Kayla Wyland. 

Lady Raider Notes


Maxpreps.com Division 2 North ratings based on winning percentage and strength of schedule. 

Melrose hosts Burlington Monday at 1 P.M. in a Patriots Day rematch. 













Thursday, April 15, 2021

Picture Perfect - Senior Night

Images courtesy of Jen Gentile. Click to enlarge. 

Melrose celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday. Congratulations to seniors Sofia Centrella, Grace Sanderson, Eva Haralabatos, and Emily Hudson and their families. 








Wednesday, April 14, 2021

"Confidence Comes from Proven Success"

Former Patriots coach Bill Parcells said, "confidence comes from proven success." And Melrose should be confident based upon the Division 2 North attack statistics. 


Melrose has six hitters (including four underclassmen) among the top thirteen in D2 North in kills/set (data from Maxpreps.com). 
















 

Attackers and Setter Eva Haralabatos Put Up Big Numbers

Melrose had a big day attacking with 53 kills, despite strong Wakefield defense. Four attackers had at least 10 kills. 


Chloe Gentile had her best game (that I've seen) of the season and Eva Haralabatos was excellent setting the hitters, racking up 38 assists. Eva is 6th in Massachusetts with 8.4 assists/set. 

The setter is the quarterback of the offense. 


Attacking

#Athlete NameSPKK/SKill %AttEHit %
Team Totals45313.3



Abby Hudson (Jr)3103.3
Autumn Whelan (Jr)300.0.0
Chloe Gentile (So)3134.3
Elena Soukos (Jr)3144.7
Emily Hudson (Sr)3103.3
Emma Desmond (So)200.0.0
Eva Haralabatos (Sr)300.0.0
Gia Vlajkovic (So)351.7
Grace Sanderson (Sr)111.0
Sofia Centrella (Sr)