"Pleased but not Satisfied"

Phrases stick with us. Coach Ellis Lane told us the same things again and again. Wisdom endures. 

"Sacrifice."

Team first. We over me. Your choices affect the whole team. 

All of you and your families invest time, energy, and money to be part of MVB. Sacrifice is a choice. Hard work is a choice. We control little in life - attitude, choices, effort. Some sacrifices don't show. J-Mac's mom said that Jill was covered with bruises from diving on the court. 

Jill MacInnes - All-State, Globe and Herald All-Scholastic

Sacrifice guarantees nothing, although as Kahlil Gibran said, "It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." 

"The ball is gold."

Gold is precious. You don't give away your gold. Coach meant "take care of the basketball." Teams give away games with bad reads, poor hitting decisions, and loss of focus that shows up in physical or mental mistakes. Warren Buffett said that if you keep all your eggs in one basket, watch that basket carefully. 

"I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." 

Be an "ambitious giver." When you give more, you get more. Coach reminded us that an individual win mattered but less than the big picture. Bring the best version of yourself every day...and do it over the following day.

Lagniappe. Study great players. EDIRx5. Explain. Demonstrate. Imitate. Repeat five times.  

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Cutting Bored - Another Writing Lesson

"The sentences you write are in flux. You go over them, trimming, revising, and auditioning words, until you arrive at the sentence you were after all along." - Anne Lamott in Good Writing

Writing differs from volleyball. The "short game," tips and rolls, owns a place in your toolbox.

"In point of fact" becomes "in fact." "Put a finger on it" suffers compared with "point out." Having written much, I abused readers often.

Lamott's husband, Neal Allen shares: "A new dawn" becomes "Dawn." "Tax haven of the rich becomes "tax haven." "Bedridden in a hospital" becomes "hospitalized." 

Soccer or rugby enthusiasts say, "Into touch." Volleyball says, "Out." 

In baseball, a player leading the league in average, homers, and runs batted in becomes "Triple Crown winner." For MVB, All-State, Globe and Herald All-Scholastic (Gia), becomes "Triple Crown winner." 

The threepeat of sectional championships from 2003-2005 becomes "The First Dynasty" and the fourpeat from 2009-2012 the Second Dynasty, the Second outshining the First. 

Winning big carries an enduring luster. Legendary hoop coach Don Meyer saw a disconnect in that "most parents would rather see their son be All-State than see the team win States." Each of the Second Dynasty years had great players (e.g. Hannah Brickley, Athena Ziavras, Brooke Bell, and Sarah McGowan). The 2012 team gets more ink for a State Title. 

Remember what Abraham Lincoln wrote, "I apologize for having written such a long letter because I did not have the time to write a shorter one."

Lagniappe. Be seen, be heard, and make a difference. 

Lagniappe 2. Sometimes being there for someone means "being there." 

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Textbook Volleyball Highlight

Go to the link; next to Newburyport is WATCH REPLAY

At 1:50:15, Newburyport serves into the "pass, set, hit." 

1. Anna Burns delivers the serve receive pass

2. Sadie Smith sets the "quick set" or "short set"

3. Sabrina McArt hammers a perfectly timed winner 

Stats - Melrose vs Newburyport

Link 

Kills 

Elise (17), Adriana (9), Sabrina (6), Lorena (5)

Assists

Sadie (32)

Service points 

Dani (23)

Digs:

Anna (11)

Receptions:

Anna (23), Dani (12), Adriana (10)

Kudos to Ella Friedlaender assisting the coaching staff with statistics

Maxpreps.com updated rankings

A Greek Concept - "Arete"*

*Some AI assist

After a pleasing win, the best advice stays unchanged - "Chop wood; carry water." Remain grounded to the process. 

The Greek aretē applies - translated as excellence, virtue, or fulfilling obligations well. 

Screenwriter David Mamet’s points out: you cannot award yourself reputation or recognition. Those depend on others. 

Control the quality of your work - commitment, discipline, integrity. In Greek ethical thought, aretē is less about praise than excellence.

A neighboring concept belongs, too: kleos, meaning glory or renown. It means the reputation others give you. 

Aretē = what you do.

Kleos = what others say you did.

Mamet’s MasterClass returns to the same philosophy: action reveals character. The writer tells the truth; the work itself explains itself. 

Coaching lesson: 

You cannot award yourself championships or All-State. Practice hard, compete honestly, support teammates, and play with courage.

Someone else owns awards. You own your standard.

September wins deserve celebration overnight. Earn November wins today and tomorrow and the next day. 

Anatomy of a Block

MVB 26 blocking continues a growth arc. Sabrina and Sadie jump for the block. Note how Sabrina "presses the block" over the net. In the highlight reel it appears at 1:21:11. Pressing the block forces the ball back at the attackers and cuts off angles for the attack.  

Highlights of Melrose-Newburyport

Three-minute highlight reel from NFHS Network 

Link to full replay (no scoreboard) on this page 

Unofficially (pending published stats), Elise Marchais had a career-best seventeen kills.