Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Deep End of the Pool

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. 

Every season is unique. Not often do young players, especially freshmen, get to wade in and test the waters. MVB 25 was unique including five frosh and five sophomores, figuratively thrown into the deep end of the pool.

Here's an overview of "the knowns." Often the "known unknowns" create positional battles. 

Each gained from the experience.

  • Adriana Santoriello ('29) compiled 133 kills.
  • Danni DiGiorgio ('29) had 160 digs, 201 receives, 237 service points and over 96 percent serving percentage
  • Alisa Dautovic ('29) had 95 digs, 229 receives, and 191 service points
  • Sadie Smith ('28) had 110 digs, 100 service points and 555 assists in earning All-Star status
  • Elise Marchais ('28) had 91 kills 
  • Ella Friedlaender ('28) had 66 kills 
Every year there is transition. Kills, blocks, digs, receives, service points, and leadership need to be replaced or augmented. 

The mythical depth chart is cloudy at best with only returning players listed. 


Setter 

Sadie Smith had an exceptional sophomore season and Leila Kiggundu has recovered from a season ending injury. In addition to setting skills she has a dynamic serve to compete for "designated server" status if the middle hitters can't hold that spot. 

Middles

Elise Marchais returns with the most experience. She gets "hands on" the ball and potentially has the ability to compete for an OH slot. 

Sabrina McArt is one of the most athletic players on the team and had a solid offseason for SMASH. Will 2026 be her year?

Maggie Shoemaker has experience and length and has also functioned as the designated server. Definitely an option as a starter. 

The junior varsity had several capable middles. Will one of them rise up to challenge incumbents? 

Outside

Alisa Dautovic is a "flex" player capable of playing "all six." She is one of the top returning passers.

Adriana Santoriello had one of the best freshman seasons in MVB history. She could be in the mix as an "all six" player and is a multisport athlete who was a softball All-Star as a freshman with five homeruns. 

Defensive Specialists

This is projected as a strength of the team with libero Anna Burns having an exceptional postseason game against Hingham and senior leadership.

Danni DiGiorgio was a top defender and server as a freshman and will only be better.

Gen Overlan arrived with midseason promotion and was a solid defender and passer looking to earn a starting spot. 

Kayla Ton was promoted late in the season and will also compete for a designated server spot.

Alisa Dautovic is a strong passer and a "Flex" contender for defensive slots. 

Right Side

Ella Friedlaender is another powerful athlete who has the ability to attack from off the net. She could also be "flexed" to outside hitter depending on the needs of the team. 

Amelie Johnson brings length and blocking instincts to the game. The lanky lefty reminds me of a young Rachel Johnson and time will tell what her future is. 

Each of these young women has the character and competence to compete and earn roles on the team. It is the deepest group of players that MVB has returned. And this doesn't account for JV players who look to step up and 'kick down the door'. 

Last year youth "swam" in the deep end. This year, they'll have the opportunity to race. 

Lagniappe. Every person contends with a firehose (over 6,000) of daily thoughts. Those best able to avoid negative thoughts can emerge as winners. 


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