My Top MVB Moments

"Everyone is necessarily the hero of their own story." - Kafka

I've watched and studied MVB since 2002, witnessing lots of success and occasional disappointment. Having watched twins 'matriculate' through the program for four years, avoiding "endowment effect" is impossible.

Many great moments occurred and we've gotten to watch many of them in person or taped. I won't pretend that I could reproduce the list or the order. 

1. State Championship run, 2012. The narrow loss to Newton North served as a catalyst before the playoff run. The team determined that it would not lose again. 

2. State Championship loss, 2005 to Medfield, 3-2. It wasn't Melrose's time and MVB wasn't "ready to win" it all. It had a murderer's row of opponents up to the sectional title - Central Catholic, Arlington Catholic, and North Andover. 

3. Beating Barnstable. Barnstable is the "name brand" of Massachusetts volleyball, closing in on twenty state titles. D1 superpower Barnstable serenaded Melrose in 2008 with "Mickey Mouse" in a show of supreme confidence and playful disrespect. MVBers were the Disney princesses in the 2009 rematch.

  

4. Sectional title 2021 at Billerica. Stunning, improbable comeback in a hostile road environment. 

5. Sectional title win 2003 at Andover versus AC. Melrose came in as a heavy underdog, the equivalent of the 2001-2002 Patriots versus "The Greatest Show on Turf." AC was 22-0 and had not lost a set all season with a pair of 6'2" middles. Melrose blended youth and experience, sweeping them 3-0 with a Denise Applegate topspin smash. 

6. Sectional title win over Duxbury in 2022. MVB captured another great win on the road against an undefeated "Dragon" team. MVB 2022 established itself as the "Third Dynasty" with consecutive sectional titles. 

7. Shutting out Westborough in 2012 on the road. Ralph Labella had the call as the future State Champions rode team play and an otherworldly libero performance from J-Mac to win.

 

8. 2005 playoff win over nemesis Central. This was a "home" win at Stoneham during the construction of the Middle School. Future D1 program Central would frustrate Melrose numerous times as a regional superpower drawing players from the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire. The match went to the full five and was a 'signature win' over a talented club. 

9. 2002 playoff win over Dracut. Melrose was on the ascent and won a marathon 3-2 home match. A "marathon within a marathon" the fifth set win was a Melrose 38-36 win in the era of 30 points to win and three set wins in the playoffs only. 

10. This is the "PUT YOUR NAME HERE" spot. MVB 2024 has the talent, experience, and coaching to make special happen. 

Lagniappe. Why would you NOT study the 2012 powerhouse?