Making the Jump

Making the jump from middle school or junior varsity volleyball has several major elements. 

1) Skill development. Skill requires repetitions in the words of Anders Ericsson "deliberate practice." It is perishable, "use it or lose it."

"They wanted to make a point about the power of education. The Polgárs homeschooled their three daughters, and as part of their education the girls started playing chess with their parents at a very young age. Their systematic training and daily practice paid off. By 2000, all three daughters had been ranked in the top ten female players in the world. The youngest, Judit, had become a grand master at age 15, breaking the previous record for the youngest person to earn that title, held by Bobby Fischer, by a month."

2) Experience. "Play a lot." Experience lifts athleticism of teammates, opponents, and pace of play. Success at the JV level helps but requires more quality and quantity. 

3) Confidence. "Confidence comes from proven success." One advantage varsity callups enjoy is both practice experience and live repetitions in games. 

Here's part of the playoff Sweet 16 box score. 

Freshmen Sadie Smith and Elise Marchais shared experience and entered the scoresheet against Longmeadow. 

Coach Scott Celli has plenty of confidence in players returning from MVB '24 and optimism about young players competing to be part of MVB '25. "Always reloading, never rebuilding."

Lagniappe. Repost. Attack with power.