Melrose approaches full strength with the imminent return of Caroline Higonenq.
It's been a lot of "shadow volley" and more recently full practice.
The playoffs are coming. It's getting real.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
The MVB Brand
What's the MVB brand? MVB thrives off culture. "Team First." Just as Director Ron Howard says, "the director is the keeper of the story," so Coach Scott Celli has been "the keeper of the culture." Culture is not fungible. It varies from program to program.
It starts with teamwork.
MVB spreads joy.
MVB captures the imagination of little girls who aspire to be part of something big.
Scout Team - Scituate
Scituate (12-8) faces South High Wednesday with the winner traveling to Melrose Friday.
Here's video from the Scituate match with Quincy.
"The Game Honors Toughness"
“You build confidence by doing really hard things over & over - cause that’s your intent - that’s your focus - your job is your focus.”
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) October 29, 2023
(Via @Jammer2233 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/AnG7oPH0Ne
Getting the hard serve up and playable, attacking a weaker defender with your serve, winning at the net are all hard. Nobody wins championships with easy.
Your parents may work overtime, nights, and weekends. Is that easy for them? Of course not. They sacrifice to make your life better. "The game honors toughness."
Monday, October 30, 2023
Statistical Leaders - Middlesex League
ML12 Leaders (via Maxpreps.com)
Sadie Jaggers finished 2nd, Sabine Wenzel 3rd, and Sofia Papatsoris 11th
Leah Fowke finished second in assists.
Grace Gentile finished sixth in digs.
Bracketology
The MIAA Division 2 brackets are out. Melrose gets a first round bye while teams are assigned "play-in" games.
Melrose has a challenging road to the sectional finals but everything starts with the Round of 32 which starts later this week.
Earning More Playing Time
Everyone wants to play. Everyone wants to contribute. Everyone wants to add value and feel valued.
Playing Time is EARNED.
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) October 22, 2023
But how can athletes EARN playing time?
Here are 10 ways.
[THREAD] 🧵
Read through the thread.
Coaches see everything.
"Make everyone around you better."
"Do the dirty work." Show high effort at all time.
"Everything you do matters."
"Be coachable." When the coaches instruct, listen and change.
"Impact the success of the team." Be a difference maker.
Hardware in Store
After the regular season, the ML12 coaches elect the All-Star and All-Conference (ML12 Top Six) squads.
All-Stars
Leah Fowke
Grace Gentile
Sadie Jaggers
Sabine Wenzel
All-Conference
Leah Fowke
Sadie Jaggers
Congratulations.
Preparing for the Offseason
File ideas away for the offseason. A few players have such extreme athleticism they don't have to worry about 'training'. Bo Jackson said he only did pushups and situps. As a high school senior, someone suggested he go to the Alabama decathlon events. He showed up, not knowing the events, and set the state record.
The rest of us must train to develop "athletic explosiveness." Few athletes do. It's time-consuming and gym memberships cost money. The Melrose Athletic Department had (has?) an offseason workout program available.
Some young women are self-conscious about developing more muscles and working out in a facility with boys. I have no suggestions.
Two recent former MVB athletes who could "jump out of the gym" - Elena Soukos and Gia Vlajkovic. Two current with 'big air' are Sadie Jaggers and Sabine Wenzel.
Your offseason program ideally addresses:
- Skill
- Strategy (learning the game)
- Physicality (Athleticism)
- Psychology (Resilience)
Here's a manageable workout from Threads.
Post by @jaredemanueleView on Threads
Sunday, October 29, 2023
On Themes
Why do you want this? Why is the postseason important to you? What are you prepared to sacrifice to achieve your goal?
In a MasterClass, campaign strategist David Axelrod discusses 'mistakes' and criticism that are inevitable.
As an example, he uses the 2007 campaign, where the team spent 87 days in Iowa. Why? Because if they don't win Iowa, they have no shot to win the White House.
So my theme is "Iowa," because if you don't win the Round of 32 game, you turn in your uniform. Focus on what's immediately in front of you, not one day beyond.
In the early Tom Cruise film Risky Business, after a lengthy car chase, he crows, "Porsche, there is no substitute." Remember that in sports, "fundamental skill, there is no substitute." Hall of Fame basketball coach Bobby Knight says, "basketball is a game of mistakes." The team that commits fewer mistakes usually wins. It's similar in volleyball. Making routine plays regularly outweighs making spectacular plays.
So often it gets down to consistent serve, serve receive, and attack. Platform skills don't go out of style.
Lagniappe.
Volleyball Toughness
Group reading is part of MVB. Many of you read Jay Bilas's Toughness.
Tough players come ready to play every day. They show up on time, fired up, ready to go at practice and during games. They never cheat the drill. Tough players translate attitude into action.
Toughness isn't trash talk, chest thumping, or flashing derogatory gestures. Toughness makes the needed play at the necessary time.
Tough players communicate. Tough players encourage teammates. Tough players lead and inspire.
Tough players make good decisions. They attack when possible and pull back when attack is a low percentage play. They 'pull off' serves and attacks that are going out.
On offense, they put the ball down. On defense, they keep the ball up.
Tough players are relentless. The play in the moment. They never let up. They never quit.
Toughness doesn't guarantee wins. It commands respect. One of the toughest players Melrose ever had was Victoria Crovo. She wasn't fortunate enough to win a sectional title, despite being a three-year captain.
"The game honors toughness."
Are You Prepared to Scratch and Claw?
Post by @adamgrantView on Threads
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. Don't blame anyone else as this is not official opinion of anyone or anything else in Melrose.
As a former coach, I'm proud of the people former players become more than their athletic resume. Restated, the person matters more than the player.
The great young women that came through the program became great because of their and their families' commitment and sacrifice, exponentially more than any coaching.
I won't name names because that discredits so many in favor of the few.
Winners do more. Here's the Anson Dorrance quote (again) about Mia Hamm, working out, alone, unnoticed.
Lagniappe. Are you prepared to scratch and claw?
Teammates
You never know what you'll find in your home. These 'flash cards' ask questions for dinner time conversations.
Catch people in the act of doing something right. Years ago a girls middle school team lost ; one player tried to take accountability. "It's my fault. I was terrible." A great teammate gave her a hug, saying, "we win together and we lose together."
Great teammates communicate.
Great teammates put the team first.
Great teammates teach newcomers that culture is a sustainable competitive advantage.
Great teammates look out for one another.
Great teammates build each other up.
Great teammates are positive.
Great teammates share.
Great teammates help each other improve.
Great teammates find a workout partner to make both better.
Great teammates work hard to challenge each other to perform well.
Great teammates do not 'bigfoot' underclassmen.
Choose to be a great teammate.
Lagniappe. Coach Jiri prioritizes skill training at all times. The 2012 State Championship team lost the final game of the regular season to Newton North. That didn't hold them back.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Set Points
Melrose had a lot of great setters. Setting also relies on the efficiency of teammates, the consistency and accuracy and power of hitters. If you want to be great, surround yourself with good people.
I thought I'd show a few highlights for illustration.
Lily Fitzgerald was All-State in 2017. Her sets look effortless.
Brooke Bell is the Melrose career leader in assists. She did a lot of things better than others. Here are 2011 highlights, before the team was at its full power in 2012.
She was the best Melrose player I've seen at attacking the deep corners.
She was an elite defender.
She had great teammates. Here, Melrose turns an elite "dig, set, spike" through great passing and finishing.
She excelled at timely and deceptive "setter dumps."
Leah Fowke has some qualities that most excellent Melrose setters didn't. She has length that affords her great potential as blocker and attacker. She has a higher velocity serve than most. She sends the 'shoot' set across well.
Calculator Madness and Bracketology
Melrose finishes the season with a +32 set differential in twenty games, meaning AVG MARGIN of 1.60.
The loss to Newton North (OPRAT 4.9353) should bring Melrose to 38.8769 ÷ 20 = 1.9438 OPRAT and a total of 3.5438.
Duxbury beat Pembroke 3-0. That raises their AVG MARGIN to 2.2 and their OPRAT is 1.5239. That sums to 3.7239.
Dartmouth lost to Case 3-2 in their final. That drops their AVGMARGIN to 1.8 and their OPRAT finishes at 1.5099, totaling 3.3099,dropping them to eighth below Oliver Ames.
Final standings (5-8)
5. Duxbury 3.7239
6. Melrose 3.5439
7. Oliver Ames 3.3691
8. Dartmouth 3.3099
Canton drops marginally and should finish at #3.
Melrose should face #27 in the round of 32, Scituate or Westwood.
Analytics - First Set Breakdown
Analytics are more than statistics. They assess where points arise. For example, in basketball, Dean Oliver researched what separates winning with his "Four Factors" in Basketball on Paper.
SCORE, PROTECT, CRASH, ATTACK reflected shooting percentage, turnovers, rebounding, and getting to the free throw line.
In our middle school program we found that reporting TEAM shooting percentage and turnovers (the first two imperatives), that we raised our shooting percentage and reduced turnovers. Players responded to the data by making better decisions.
Newton North won the first set last night 25-17. Points can arise via positive actions of either team (aces, kills, blocks) or negative actions (e.g. net violations, attack errors, receive errors, 'campfires', etc.).
Here's my first set breakdown with 'benefit of the doubt' scoring. For example, with a sturdy block and a 'four' call, I gave Melrose the benefit of the doubt for possibly preventing the attack from crossing the tape.
Melrose 17 points - 8 positive plays, 9 Newton North errors
Newton North 25 points - 12 positive plays, 13 Melrose errors
Melrose ratio of 8 positive plays to 13 errors
Newton North ratio of 12 positive plays to 9 errors
These don't reflect the number of 'attacks' each team got. I don't have a hard number but I'd guess North got two to three times the number of 'dig, set, spike' classic attacks.
Friday, October 27, 2023
"Red Teaming"
Red Teaming is similar to a premortem examination. Assess your and your opponents strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to succeed. Sounds simple?
Complexity arises for many reasons including cognitive biases. Seeing ourselves through a reality lens is tough. For example, in the wake of "enhanced interrogations" during Iraq, the CIA conducted an investigation. But their investigators lacked the expertise to assess the problem and were not given the information needed to analyze it.
Outsiders need independence and insiders need objectivity.
For example, one could develop a report card for a team or a player, grading A-B-C-D-F-incomplete. Here's a partial list.
Serve receive
Middle blocking
Outside double blocking
Middle attack
Outside attack
Back row attack
Digging (including decision-making on playing a ball)
Setting
In addition to grading, apply reasons for the grade and suggestions for change or improvement.
Melrose had over 1500 serve attempts this season and had an error percentage of 13%. What is the ace percentage? I don't know.
Duxbury had a serving percentage of 93% this season (errors 7%) and an ace percentage of 15%. That's greater than 2:1 positive.
Westborough had a serving percentage of 86% (errors 14%) and an ace percentage of 16%. That's greater than 1:1 positive.
If those stats are correct, they outperform all these college volleyball teams.
Not that my grade matters, I'd give Melrose a 'C' for serving because of the high number of errors, relative to what I suspect are aces.
The coaches will examine possible gains during the small break before the postseason. I'd guess the top three might include serve receive, serve, and outside double block.
Lagniappe.
Melrose - Newton North Stats
To win against excellent teams, underdogs must make plays and limit mistakes.
Melrose didn't generate much offense with only 21 kills. With a paucity of kills, Leah Fowke had 13 assists.
Serving percentage was about the season average with 86 percent. It's important to push that up.
There were relatively equal serve receive statistics. The totals need to be higher.
Game 20: Newton North 3 Melrose 0
Facing MIAA top-ranked Newton North on the road, Melrose fell in three sets - 17-25, 15-25, 18-25.
The loss drops Melrose to 17-3 finishing the regular season. Postseason pairings release Monday afternoon.
Word 'on the street' is that Melrose put together a good effort, playing more crisply, but Newton North had too much.
Melrose ends the regular season knowing that they faced the top seeds in Divisions 1 and 2 and the number 2 seed (Frontier) in Division 4.
Preliminary rounds usually start Tuesday and Round of 32 games tip off on next Thursday and Friday. This allows Melrose to self-scout, scout others, and allow players 'nicked up' to recover.
Number 6?
Number 6?
Melrose faces Newton North and Duxbury will sweep Pembroke. In all likelihood that will lock in the Dragons at #5 and Melrose at #6. We'll see.
In other news, the MIAA is turning cartwheels as the Essex District Court denied Bishop Fenwick's request for injunction against their playoff ban.
Thursday, October 26, 2023
ONE TIME
Tonight's game is streaming at this site.
In 1973, a 19-3 D1 basketball underdog faced top seeded St. John's Prep, 22-0, in Boston Garden in the Tournament. The Prep averaged 90 points a game. It's superstar was a future Boston Celtics draft choice. I'm told that five players on that Prep team played D1 college basketball. But that ONE TIME, the team from Wakefield beat them 47-41. I remember because I was on the court.
You can do this.
Underdog Doesn't Mean "No Shot"
Underdog wins litter the graveyards of self-proclaimed champions.
In 1980, the US Olympic Hockey Team defeated the mighty Soviet Union team at Lake Placid. Nobody game them a shot.
The Patriots 2002 victory over the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf epitomized the underdog story.
Melrose faced 22-0 Arlington Catholic in the 2003 sectional volleyball finals. AC had not lost a set during the season and had a pair of 6'2" middle hitters. Melrose the Underdog? Yes. Final? Melrose 3 AC 0.
Barnstable, THE program of volleyball domination came to Melrose in 2009 after having swept Melrose in 2008. Melrose the Underdog? Yes. Final? Melrose 3 Barnstable 0.
When confronted by an underdog situation, remember the "COTE of Arms" of Weisinger and Pawliw-Fry.
- Confidence - you can only be as good as you believe.
- Optimism - anything is possible.
- Tenacity - never give up.
- Enthusiasm - enjoy the moment; be excited not nervous.
If you don't believe you have a chance at Newton North, why get on the bus? Know that you will face strong serves and must block aggressively against a power hitting team. Do your job.
Lagniappe. Play better.
Statistical Leaders - State
All opinions expressed are solely my own. Don't blame anyone else for errors, omissions, or 'bad takes'.
Maxpreps.com tracks the state statistical leaders. There are team history tabs that allow readers to go back as far as 2006.
Statistic provide 'tangible' evidence of production. They're objective...not subject to "in my opinion."
Players contribute in many ways so it's not all about statistics. But off we go:
Assists:
Leah FOWKE - ninth
Kills:
Sadie JAGGERS - tenth
Digs:
Grace Gentile - twenty-first
Brackets Monday
Stop refreshing your browsers...
From The Boston Herald:
"The tournament bracket release dates for the fall sports were announced. Football pairings will be made public this Sunday, followed by volleyball on Monday, field hockey on Tuesday and boys/girls soccer on Wednesday. According to Clark, pairings should be out by 1 p.m. and they are final."
This also makes the contentious MIAA-Bishop Fenwick injunction filing timely over the next few days.
Passing Fancy, Leah Fowke Passes 500 Assists
Leah Fowke eclipsed 500 assists this season, a milestone hard to achieve. I don't have the full lists as Ruth Breen had over 600 last year.
Here's the list from 2021.
Of course, there are still matches to be played.
Not included in the numbers are Leah's capabilities serving, defending, blocking, and attacking. A lot of great players on these lists.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Message, Moments, Memories and More
A season is the sum total of wins and losses. Ridiculous. That's saying that if you're not number one at everything - relationships, school, work - that you're a bum.
Director Ron Howard says, "The director is the keeper of the story." And so has Coach Scott Celli been the steward of the program, the culture, the continued success over three decades.
Message. You don't win 'campaigns' without a coherent message. If every day you have a new slogan, you're going nowhere. What's your message? Teams need consistent 'missions'. Melrose's has always been going for the top. Anywhere. Anybody. Anytime.
Moments. Every season and to a degree each game, distills to key moments. An epic film has three to seven great scenes.
Bring your best to those moments.
Memories. Coaches take players where they cannot go alone. And players define their destiny through their commitment in preparation and resilience in big moments. Make memories.
Melrose-Stoneham stats. The game didn't lend itself to big numbers.
Sadie Jaggers led with seventeen kills with a high attack efficiency.
Leah Fowke had 24 assists.
The team served at just over 90 percent.
Game 19: Melrose 3 Stoneham 0
Melrose completed the ML12 season with a 25-9, 25-8, 25-7 shutout at neighboring Stoneham. The win raises Melrose to 17-2.
Stoneham has a new school under construction and their JV team looks as though they have potential.
About the only downside was Melrose allowing Stoneham to score off errors. Unofficially, the Spartans generated one point on their own in the first set and two points in the second.
The usual suspects were the leaders with a strong hitting night for Sadie Jaggers, solid setting from Leah Fowke, and solid serve receive and passing from Grace Gentile. Maggie Turner had a big service run in set one and Gigi Albuja played well in the back.
Sabine Wenzel and Sofia Papatsoris both were solid in the middle without an abundance of attacks and Manon Marchais was good on the right side.
Melrose wraps the regular season at Newton North Friday, hoping to avoid being Tiger chow.
Imposter?
Post by @adamgrantView on Threads
Seek balance. Confidence lies not at an extreme but between arrogance and doubt.
The most powerful words coaches tell players are, "I believe in you." When others believe in your ability and potential, you should, too.
Rankings and Why It Matters
Finish top eight and if you win the first then you get a second home playoff game.
The top four get a third home playoff game.
For example, in the first round of qualifiers, 1 plays 32, 2 plays 31 and so on. As currently seeded, Melrose at 7 would face number 26. The seedings are going to change.
Hopkinton lost 3-1 to Barnstable yesterday. They'll drop a little in AVG MARGIN and gain some in OPP RATING.
Dartmouth beat Duxbury 3-2. They'll drop a little in AVG MARGIN and gain a little in OPP RATING. Likely - no change.
North Quincy faces Marshfield (0-15) today. Marshfield has a negative OP RATING so a 3-0 win is offset.
Not saying Melrose is locked into #7 but later in the season it's highly unlikely they have a chance at 1-5.
Play hard, play together, have fun and build momentum headed into the postseason.
Prehab
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Three More Things - Principles
Pick up tips along your life path. The 1970's Baltimore Orioles had a great manager, Earl Weaver and a terrific pitching coach, Ray Miller. Miller oversaw a pitching staff that had four twenty-game winners. This year's Red Sox had one win twelve and another ten.
Miller had three core principles:
1) Work fast.
2) Throw strikes.
3) Change speeds.
What has that got to do with volleyball?
1) Be efficient. Are you investing or spending time? Focus on what's necessary to contribute to the team and impact winning.
2) Execute. It's not enough to make the team. Improve daily and seize your opportunity when the chance arrives.
3) Be versatile. Maybe you're the designated server. You still have to cover an area defensively. If you're a blocker, add more hitting and passing skills.
Lagniappe. Mamba mentality. Stay aggressive and confident.
Wednesday at Stoneham
Melrose travels to neighbor Stoneham today to finish ML12 regular season play. This represents an opportunity for everyone to show their development in both individual and team play.
Some will ask why girls participating in sports matters. Here's why.
An excerpt:
- "As little as four hours of exercise a week may reduce a teenage girl’s risk of breast cancer by up to 60%; breast cancer is a disease that afflicts one out of every eight American women. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1994)
- Forty percent of women over the age of 50 suffers from osteoporosis (brittle bones). (Osteoporosis, 1996) None of us should want our daughters to repeat the experiences of generations of women—our mothers and grandmothers—who were not permitted to play sports or encouraged to participate in weight-bearing exercises that are necessary to establishing bone mass.
- Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression."
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