"You feel it. Now make us feel it." - Cellist Yo-Yo Ma
Daughter Paula (MHS volleyball 2002-2005) said, "the playoffs are my favorite time of the year." During four seasons, she and her sister Karen played in fifteen volleyball playoff games. It is and it's not the same game.
Come ready to play, ready for the excitement, and the joy of being on the floor with your teammates one more time.
Dr. Fergus Connolly breaks down team sports into four components - structure, ball movement, player movement, and the resulting space and timing of the attack or defense. Be ready to compete, to communicate, and to execute each possession.
The best players and the best teams are the most consistent. They don't allow a service error or a shanked ball to bleed into the next play. That play is over. "Next play." Make a positive play. Be here now.
The top athletes across sports translate focus into that next play. "Make us feel it."
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Teddy Roosevelt
"Star" players get minutes, sets, and recognition. But some players add value while flying under the radar.
The "opposite" position doesn't carry "glamor" as opportunities come mostly off blocks and occasional back sets.
On the 2012 State Championship team, southpaw Kayla Wyland formed part of the best blocking duo in Melrose history with Rachel Johnson ("The Great Wall") and accumulated 97 kills. Matching that production would be tough.
But Ava Burns has 53 kills and a 92% serve percentage this season, as well as bringing positive energy to the floor. Hard work, toughness, and energy giving are skills. And with the playoffs upon us, Melrose needs both the positive structure and emotion she brings.
As of 1:00 AM, Melrose is in fifth trailing by 0.009 points.
Melrose's Middlesex League opponent Winchester lost 3-2 today at Barnstable. It is unclear how much that could raise Melrose's 'strength of schedule' (Opponent Value).
A first round fourth seed would match up against the twenty-ninth (currently Danvers). A fifth seed would host Amherst-Pelham.
It's possible that there would be "play in" games at the bottom of the rankings.
The advantage of a top four seed is three potential home games.
"I finally got to the end of the dictionary. Turns out the ZEBRA did it." - Steven Wright
Melrose reached the end of the regular season with an upset by Burlington, exploratory surgery versus Wilmington, and a Lazarus act against Central Catholic.
Teams succeed at the intersection of senior leadership, ably provided by Elena Soukos, Autumn Whelan, Abby Hudson, and Ava Burns, and sustainable contribution from young players.
Freedom Division MVP Elena Soukos' contribution can't be overstated as she is a surefire All-State and consensus All-Scholastic player. But the next three leaders in kills - Chloe Gentile, Gia Vlajkovic, and sophomore Sadie Jaggers - are all underclassmen. Jaggers is also one of the top sophomore blockers in Melrose history.
Serve receive is critical and again two underclassmen - Ava McSorley and Gia - are on the list, with others such Emma Desmond and sophomore Grace Gentile likely to move up the list in the postseason.
The top three assist leaders - Emma, Gia, and Ruth Breen - are all juniors.
And there have been years when freshmen, notably Hannah Brickley and Victoria Crovo, have been among the top players on the roster.
That doesn't diminish pivotal play from seniors. Last night Elena delivered 21 kills and Abby 11, Autumn had 20 serve receives, and Ava went 20/20 on serves. It just illustrates the impact on sustainability from juniors, sophomores, and sometimes freshmen.
And opportunity follows "dynamic production." When you are productive, your role expands.
Last night against Central, five players had at least five kills and Melrose needed the enormous contributions of Elena and Abby.
The fifth set begins at 1:39:20 and at 1:39:35 junior Chloe Gentile deflects a winner in a crafty, athletic play.
At 1:40:36 Chloe wipes the block on a quick set to put Melrose up 4-0.
She follows that up at 1:41:19 crushing an overpass.
And at 1:43:29 Sadie smashes the short set for a winner to put Melrose up 7-3 amidst some service struggles.
Sustainable success requires contributions from across the whole roster. The ability to show up and practice hard, amidst little or no playing role and recognition, makes the "game rotation players" better. Being a great "practice player" who sharpens defenders with hard serves may not earn accolades, just wins.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Not since the state championship final against Westborough have Melrose fans witnessed as dramatic a turnaround win. Fortunately, this time around Melrose (18-2) rallied to defeat Central Catholic (4-14) 22-25, 18-25, 25-9, 25-9, 15-6.
Melrose and Central have a long history of battles both regular and postseason. The 2005 State Finalist had to go to five sets in the postseason to subdue Central. As a Division 2 power Central topped Melrose twice in Sectional Finals in Andover.
For the first two sets, Melrose struggled with the triad of vision, decisions, and execution. But they embraced the Bill Parcells mantra, "confidence comes from proven success" assuming control while determined to win points not just score points.
The stars regained their mojo as their All-Star quartet of Elena Soukos, Chloe Gentile, Gia Vlajkovic, and Autumn Whelan, along with fellow senior Captain Abby Hudson began racking up kills.
The harsh reality of postseason volleyball is that winners force the action with high volume kills. The postseason punishes lack of aggression and tentative decisions.
Sophomore Grace Gentile added stability in a reserve role and opposite Ava Burns's serves proved hard for Central to handle.
MHS-TV YouTube video replay with the fifth set starting at about 1:39:17.
Melrose hosts Division 1 challenger Central Catholic Friday at the MVMMS. Central looks to hold their playoff position (#30 in the MIAA D1 rankings).
Meanwhile, Melrose (17-2) looks to hold a top four seeding in Division 2, which could guarantee three home games if the team mounts a postseason win streak.
As of 10/28/21 Melrose is seeded third in the Massachusetts Maxpreps.com rankings.
Elena Soukos remains in the seven spot in kills/set in Massachusetts.
Eleven time National Championship coach Geno Auriemma shares his approach in the workplace.
Lagniappe (something extra)
"Don't give anybody a reason to say BUT..."
Melrose notes: Defensive specialist Genevieve Albuja earned varsity promotion with a strong JV season. She's another answer to "Sister Act" trivia as sister Claire is a former Melrose player.
"Dream Team" coach Chuck Daly reminded his assistants to focus on what's important - preparation, teamwork, and execution. Sideshows surrounding the most famous athletes in the world (Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, etc.) were just that, sideshows. Never let sideshows become distractions.
What matters to coaches is focus, preparation, effort, execution, and accountability. Patriots Coach Bill Belichick distills that to "do your job."
As a sports parent (former) and long-time basketball coach, I use a term, "The Prime Directive." The Prime Directive is that every parent wants what is best for his or her child above those of other players or what is best for the team. If one won't advocate for their child, who will?
I'll share an example. When my daughters were sophomores playing high school basketball, one got extra playing time because of an illness/injury to a senior teammate. In a key game against their principal rival, she scored sixteen points including eight for eight on free throws in a few point win. The next game, she played two minutes. Sometimes, that's the way it goes. We won't always agree with coaching decisions.
Among the thousands of basketball coaches on a private basketball site, one reminds coaches, "although you are A coach, you are not THE coach" of your child's team.
But the coach has accountability for the team above the individual players. In Coach John Wooden's annual letter to players, he emphasized that players would not always agree with his decisions but that he would always do what he believed was in the best interest of the team.
At volleyball games, I sometimes get asked, "which player are you here to see?" I honestly answer, "all of them."
The 2021 version of Melrose volleyball has one of the most talented rosters since the state championship team of 2012. But talent alone doesn't assure success. Their ability to play hard, play smart, and play together with resilience during adversity will define their legacy.
ML Roundup:
Winchester escaped Lexington.
Arlington shutout Reading
Wakefield nipped Burlington
Woburn held off Belmont
The most recent MIAA rankings suggest that the only ML team that will not qualify for the postseason is Watertown. For example, Stoneham is 17th in D4, Wilmington is 21st in D3, and Lexington is 23 in D1. Watertown is 34 in D3. The overall strength of the Middlesex League is raising team rankings through opponents' value.
Melrose (17-2) traveled to Wilmington and emerged with a 25-9, 25-9, 25-19 victory. The win completes the Middlesex League Freedom Division schedule with Melrose finishing 15-1 in league play. They finish the regular season home Friday against Central Catholic.
Coach Scott Celli shuffled the lineup for today's game. Lineup changes are nothing new. In 2002 with Melrose at 8-6, Paula Sen came up from JV to play opposite and Melrose won six of the last seven. As I recall, in 2010, Melrose moved Alyssa DiRaffaele from the front row to libero, triggering a run to its fifth Division 2 North sectional championship.
The goal each season is to win the final game on a Saturday in late November. Time will tell whether today's moves Melrose further in that direction.
Coach Celli teaches a "MasterClass" in high school volleyball excellence. He shares "performance-focused, feedback-rich" caring and instruction.
But it all depends on the skill, the will, and the resilience of players.
The latest MasterClass in the MasterClass.com series is YoYo Ma's class, "Music and Connection." He won't teach anyone to play like he can, because nobody can. But his only agenda is excellence.
As a basketball coach, I remind players that the best players make everyone around them better. There's an old story of a selfish player who wouldn't pass the ball. The coach placed him off the court to throw the ball into play. He then told everyone else to leave the court and told the player, "Now play." We depend on our teammates and play best when we serve them.
James Kerr wrote the brilliant leadership book Legacythe story of the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby organization.
Although many points are deserving, here are three that stand out:
1. Follow the spearhead.
Geese fly in an efficient pattern to reduce the work of the group by reducing wind resistance, taking turns at the lead. For the best results, everyone participates. Excellence is the only agenda, working toward a common goal.
Jen Cain (10) and Sarah McGowan helped lead Melrose to a 2012 championship.
2. "Sweep the sheds." Everyone has a responsibility for taking care of the shed (locker room) both physically and metaphorically. When we don't care about and for each other, organizational culture suffers.
3. "Leave the jersey in a better place." You have the obligation to build upon what others have built for you. And others that follow you will feel the same responsibility.
“It is the identity of the of the team that matters — not so much what the All Blacks do, but who they are, what they stand for, and why they exist.”
Lagniappe (something extra):
During a late season Saturday game in 2005 at D1 powerhouse Andover, setter Amanda Hallett broke a shoelace. Reserve Taylor Pearson came in cold off the bench and helped win six of seven points in a hard-fought five set win. Are you ready to execute at a high level if your number gets called?
Lagniappe 2. Twenty-win seasons aren't easy but happened more often than not since 2003.
Strength of schedule hasn't been taken into account for postseason play. Teams that played weak opponents got rewarded with high seeds and home games.
As the Middlesex League has become more competitive, ML teams earned higher rankings. Losing to good teams hurts little while beating 'cupcakes' does nothing for you.
The latest Maxpreps results (a relative proxy for the MIAA ratings) are out.
Nobody likes to lose, especially when a loss ends your season. Yesterday's disappointing defeat not only doesn't define the season, it creates opportunity to extend it.
Dr. Fergus Connolly shares his perspective on the use of data, which is to identify the problems that need addressing. "The only way to identify the problem is to look at the game to really diagnose what went right, what went wrong. And then go and say, ‘What data do we need to solve this problem?’”
Four key questions arise after a game (from Michael Useem, The Leadership Moment)
What went right?
What went wrong?
How can we do better?
What are the enduring lessons?
As a casual observer of the sport, I remember the mantra, "dig, set, spike." And our opponent's desire to short circuit that process...
1. How can Melrose generate more successful attacks?
2. What factors lead to more blocks of attacks?
3. What leads to more successful opponent attacks?
And I know that the coaching staff will develop solutions...before the playoffs.
The lion stays focused and doesn't chase the bone.
Melrose hosted Burlington and got served a large dose of humble pie, losing 25-11, 25-19, 23-25, 19-25, and 9-15. The loss drops Melrose to 16-2 and Burlington ups its record to 13-4.
Burlington extended a winning streak to six and the loss stops the Melrose win streak at eight. Both will be strong contenders in the Division 2 postseason.
Ironically Melrose played exceptional ball in the first set with complementary offense, defense, and service. It was among the best sets I have seen a Melrose team play, highlighted by some powerful hits from Gia Vlajkovic.
Melrose continued to play well in the second set with Chloe Gentile dominating at the net, playing one of her best overall games.
The third set was highly competitive with Melrose have chances but featured sloppiness by both teams. Burlington finished strong and deserved to win.
But the roof collapsed in the fourth set, Melrose trailing 17-6 before mounting a comeback late.
The tiebreaker set saw Burlington get off to a quick 8-1 lead after Melrose captured the opening point. A few Elena Soukos kills made the set closer but Melrose struggled defensively and committed three service errors in the final stanza.
It looks as though eight Middlesex League teams are likely qualifiers for postseason play. Lexington and Belmont face the bubble and tough closing schedules.
Five of the clubs - Melrose, Burlington, Woburn, Reading, and Wakefield slot into Division 2. Melrose, Burlington, and Reading have been in the hot zone with winning streaks. Stoneham was ranked twenty on the last MIAA Division 4 rankings because of their strength of schedule and would quality as top 32.
Frontier Recap. Melrose showed resilience to close out extra points in the second set and recover from an early 2-7 deficit. Melrose had good scoring distribution after the fourteen kills put up by Elena Soukos.
Senior opposite hitter Ava Burns continues to come on strong, her progress reminiscent of middle hitter Rachel Johnson who was a key cog in the postseason state championship run.
Key Highlights: Pick up the action late in the second set (trimmed from MHS-TV YouTube feed)
Melrose trails 23-22 and fights off a pair of set points. Sophomore Sadie Jaggers executes a pair of key plays off a quick set and a double block to help secure the win.
Postseason ambitions: I contend that teams need a minimum of three dynamic hitters to go deep into the playoffs. Melrose has at least five and a sixth when Abby Hudson is recovered.
Coming Attractions:
Melrose enters the final week of the regular season looking to secure a high seed in the statewide tournament. Burlington invades the MVMMS gym Monday with a 12-4 record.
