Playday Underway

 

Melrose hosted a volleyball playday with solid teams from AC, Masco, Lynnfield, Peabody, and Methuen. 

The most positive note was Sadie Jaggers return to action and at a new position, hitting outside. 

The backline defense remained intact with Grace Gentile, Maggie Turner, and Gigi Albuja doing the heavy lifting. Sabine Wenzel and Sofia Papatsoris managed the middle, and Manon Marchais and Sadie were the primary outside hitters. 

I watched the scrimmage assessing the following:

Attacking footwork/runup - Sadie transitioned well to the outside and Sofia showed quickness in middle attack. 

Contact point - maximal extension allows for higher contact and less susceptibility to blocking. In addition to the more experienced attackers, Abby Dennison stood out in this regard. 

Decision making - players mostly made good decisions. Coach Scott Celli emphasized "third ball has to go in" when a few 'get me over hits' soared either long or into the net. 

Solid teams avoid giving away points and make the plays that are available. At times the team struggled with downballs, including overhand attacks with unfavorable geometry with overhead attacks from low contact points. But they also made corrections. 

Several potent blocking combinations emerged including Sabine with setter Leah Fowke and Sadie with Sofia outside. 

Coach Celli continues to evaluate different combinations as he works to develop and assess depth, which is critical with a COVID overhang. Alex Homan has done a credible job at reserve setter. Emme Boyer, Ava Perrotti, Milana Noessel, and Anna Burns are all in the hunt for roles. 

With the home opener coming on 7 September, the team will continue to refine serving and serve receive to avoid giving away points.

Lagniappe. Downball hitting basics...