Your Volleyball Values*

*All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. This piece is adapted from my basketball blog. 

What are your volleyball values? What's your "why?" 

Choosing a framework shared by Don Meyer and Dick Bennett has character-building advantages. 

Consider the acronym PUSH-T ("push through"). 

Purpose 

Think of Ted Lasso's mission, "to make these young people the best version of themselves." Help them to develop a blueprint for personal success over the course of their lives. Leave them with examples of excellence. Prioritize the experience. 

Unity

Society often teaches an emphasis on the individual, "egocentric behavior." Coaches teach teamwork; the welfare of the team comes first. Jay Bilas's principle, "It's not your shot, it's our shot," reflects unity. It's the opposite of one of the "Deadly S's" - selfishness. 

Servant Leadership

What comes to mind first for you about servant leadership? I think "community." Community is a pyramid from top down - family, team, city, state, country. This conflicts with a player's concern with minutes, role, and recognition. Consider college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal, it's about selling to the individual not serving the team. 

Empathy for our "community" is another important part of service. 

Humility

Humility includes curiosity and openness, recognizing that we aren't all-knowing or all-powerful. It's General Hal Moore's principle that "there is always something more that we can do"...or learn. Perfection isn't possible, but when we chase perfection we can catch excellence. 

Thankfulness

Gratitude gives us perspective of "get to" not "have to." It makes us more coachable and expands appreciation for teammates. It promotes respect for the game, opponents and officials. It allows us to win with class and lose with grace. 

Values well-applied build character for both players and teams. 

Lagniappe. A "values" standard helps us overcome entitlement. 

Saban didn’t win 7 titles by accident.

He reminded his players every day:

Entitlement? Nothing.
Somebody owes you? Nothing.
Lose your discipline? Nothing.

NOTHING is more important than being your best.

That’s the standard. pic.twitter.com/KsOQdyqfVm

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) April 13, 2026