Volleyball has an infinite number of variabilities leading to different sequences and outcomes.
Sadie Smith's 'second ball' on this play leads to a series of Melrose points.
Attacking:
Kills - Adriana (12), Elise (9), Alisa (9)
Ballhandling:
Assists: Sadie (24), four players with one
Digging:
Digs: - Dani 10, Alisa 9, Adriana 8
Serving:
Service points: Adriana (16/21), Anna (10/16), Dani (9/15)
Total (45/74) = 61%
Age confers few advantages. Aches compound. Memory fades. "Epic confrontations" leave scars.
"Birds are not aggressive creatures."
Birds are descendants of dinosaurs. In modern scientific terminology, birds are not merely related to dinosaurs; they are dinosaurs, belonging to the theropod class known as Avialae.
Predatory birds like eagles, hawks, and ground hunters like the secretary bird use power and precision.
Nature says, "It takes what it takes." Birds use different hunting strategies. Larger prey can be beaten.
Melrose travels to Reading as the underdog.
Remember who you are and who you have been. Volleyball rewards consistency and aggression. Birds are dinosaurs. Play like them and their fictional representations.
*Adapted from my basketball blog.
Wear the hats well. The chef's 'toque' informs the white, pleated hats. Allegedly the hundred pleats represent a hundred ways to cook eggs.
More commonly, we think about wearing different hats not pleats:
John Wooden said, "Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) May 19, 2026
But most leaders make one fatal mistake.
They let the complaining go unchallenged.
Here's why that destroys teams and what you need to know: pic.twitter.com/QC6bWfE0cJ
Melrose hosted the Marblehead Magicians (10-4), sweeping the Northeast League leaders 25-16, 25-18, and 25-20.
The win lifted Melrose's record to 14-3, eclipsing last season's 13 wins. In addition, setter Sadie Smith left her mark on the Melrose record book as she tallied her 1000th assist.
The first set began close. With Melrose leading 14-13, Amelie Johnson blasted home a winner, followed by a Dani DiGiorgio service run, starting with an ace.
From 16-13, Melrose closed out the set 9-3 with strong play along the attack line with an abundance of kills from Adriana Santoriello, Elise Marchais, and Alisa Dautovic.
The second set, as so often happen, Elise Marchais went off with a series of kills, starting with a tip at 3-3. Melrose exploded from 3-3 to an 11-4 edge, triggering a Magician timeout.
Marblehead got as close at 22-17 where a Scott Celli timeout put out the fire. Sadie Smith had a big block to go up 23-17, followed by a Marblehead attack that went wide. At 24-18 another Marblehead attack went south, closing the set.
The third set was tied at 14, when Melrose defense triggered a counterattack and Adriana kill. Anna Burns went on a service run, expanding the lead to 19-14, punctuated by another Marchais kill, triggering another timeout. Melrose then coasted to the win.
Melrose Notes: Melrose goes back in action Monday in the ML12 in-season tournament. #3 seed Melrose faces #2 Reading at Hawkes Field House in Reading at 6:15.
Congratulations to Sadie, a student-athlete excelling in both the classroom and on the court.
With twenty percent of the season remaining, the top three spots look "locked" and four teams (led by Melrose) cluster nearby seeking the 4-7 spots.
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization.
Empower your peers and yourselves with leadership lessons informed by women. You matter. Your ideas matter. Be seen, be heard, and be valued.
Over the years, the blog has celebrated women who made a difference. I asked ChatGPT Plus to extract lessons from the blog.
1. Malala Yousafzai — Find your voice.
Malala survived an assassination attempt because she advocated education for girls. She refused to surrender that cause.
Lesson: Courage is not the absence of fear. It's the willingness to speak and act despite fear.
Volleyball application: Speak up when something is wrong. Encourage the overlooked teammate. Your voice has value even without a captain's title.
Blog: Developing Your Code, the Struggle for Virtue
2. Arlene Blum — Create your own opportunities.
In 1978 Blum led the first American and all-women's expedition to climb Annapurna (one of 14 Nepalese mountains over 8000m). She challenged assumptions about women's ability to lead extreme mountaineering expeditions.
Lesson: When opportunity is denied, sometimes you have to build your own path.
Volleyball application: Don't wait for permission to become excellent. Prepare, develop competence, and take initiative.
Blog: Patriots Team Building: The 4 Hs
3. Eleanor Roosevelt — Develop moral courage.
Roosevelt transformed the role of First Lady and helped champion the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her influence came from conviction, persistence, and service, not merely position.
Lesson: Popularity and character are different things. Doing what is right may cost approval.
Volleyball application: Defend a teammate, reject gossip, and uphold standards when doing so isn't convenient.
Blog: Advice
4. Frances Perkins — Turn compassion into action.
The first woman in a U.S. presidential cabinet, Perkins helped shape Social Security and major American labor protections.
Lesson: Caring is important. Accomplishing something that improves others' lives is more important.
Volleyball application: Great teammates don't merely express concern. They help, teach, encourage, and make the team better.
Blog: Patriots Team Building: The 4 Hs
5. Billie Jean King — Let performance challenge prejudice.
King's victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes became a cultural landmark. Her advocacy for women's sports expanded opportunities for generations.
Lesson: Don't allow others to limit you.
Volleyball application: Preparation, competence, and competitive character are stronger evidence than reputation or stereotypes.
Blog: Hunted or Hunter? Adopt the Underdog Mindset
6. Dawn Staley — Excellence earns respect.
Staley's journey from Olympic basketball champion to championship coach demonstrates a commitment to preparation, accountability, and developing others.
Lesson: Respect isn't something we demand. It's something we earn through conduct and competence.
Volleyball application: Model excellence in school, practice, and competition. Let your daily standards make the argument. MVB student-athletes lead at home, in the classroom, and on the court.
Blog: Developing Your Code
7. Tara VanDerveer — Think in decades, not days.
Born in Melrose, VanDerveer became one of college basketball's most successful coaches, building Stanford into a program of sustained excellence.
Lesson: Achievement is an accumulation of preparation, adaptation, relationships, and standards.
Volleyball application: A single good match doesn't define you. Neither does a poor one. Build enduring habits.
Blog: Female Role Models
8. Madeleine Blais — Talent needs trust.
In In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle, Blais chronicles an Amherst girls' basketball team whose success required its gifted players to overcome personal rivalry.
Lesson: A collection of exceptional individuals isn't necessarily an exceptional team.
Volleyball application: Ambition is valuable. Ego becomes destructive when personal recognition matters more than shared success.
Blog: Rivals
9. Anne Lamott — Give yourself permission to be imperfect.
Lamott's celebrated advice about rough first drafts challenges the expectation that worthwhile work emerges fully formed.
Lesson: Imperfection is often the beginning of growth, not evidence of failure.
Volleyball application: Make mistakes while learning. Correct them without turning an unsuccessful play into a judgment about your worth.
Blog: A Baker's Dozen Lessons About Writing and Studying Volleyball
10. Maya Angelou — Your past need not determine your future.
Angelou endured childhood trauma and a prolonged period of silence before becoming an influential American writer, educator, and public voice.
Lesson: Adversity may shape your story without defining its ending.
Volleyball application: A setback is an event, not an identity. Resilience means moving forward without denying difficulty.
Blog: Adversity Is Your Companion, October 18, 2026
What separates exceptional players from those a level below? Attitude.
"The best" unfold ways to improve, attention to detail.
Elite competitors inhabit "performance-focused, feedback-rich" spaces to craft sustainable competitive advantage.
What impressed me most about MVB 26 so far as a 25-year observer?
"We live in the heat."
The "Stay Ready" group offers a crucial role on a team. Depth creates an "antifragile" state...as the "next person up" mentality roots.
Teams don't have a "Break Glass in Case of Emergency" function. And it happens.
2024: In the last game of the regular season, Caroline Higonenq suffered a serious, season-ending injury. Who stepped up to fill the outside hitter spot? Freshman Sadie Smith stepped in with eight kills in the first round playoff win over Somerset.
2004: In the State semifinal, Coach Scott Celli had to make a defensive substitution, bringing sophomore Laura Dillon on as a DS. She played credibly with limited experience.
2005: Melrose faced eventual D1 Finalist Andover on a Saturday afternoon. Setter Amanda Hallett broke a shoelace. Taylor Pearson came in cold off the bench, helping win six of seven points. Melrose prevailed 3-2 that day.
2009: As I recall, powerful outside hitter Laura Irwin suffered postseason injury, a critical loss, especially late in the season.
You can't know when injury, illness, or struggle will ask you to step up and contribute. And you have to be ready for it. Don't look further than this season. Ella's injury brought Amelie into the lineup. She is third on the team with 91 kills and adds blocking force, often alongside Sabrina as a potent blocking pair. Watch film and see how often hitters either so soft or hit long.
How do you stay ready?
Imagine walking onto a gym to play a championship match, serenaded by inspiring music. That's "natural adrenaline."
Adrenaline (epinephrine) is a hormone and neurotransmitter produced by the adrenal glands. It is a catecholamine stimulating the body’s fight-or-flight response to stress.
Key actions of adrenaline:
Cardiovascular
Unfortunately it also causes tremor, unreliable grip, and energy depletion at an accelerated rate.
Learn how to use and control adrenaline surges. Competitive experience and maturity can help athletes regulate this stimulation. Mindfulness reduces the stress response, partially by reducing circulating stress hormones.
The type of music listened to before a game helps regulate arousal, and this process is mediated by catecholamines and the autonomic nervous system.
Performance
^
|
| Peak Zone
| *
| * *
| * *
| * *
| * *
| * *
| * \
| * \
| * \
| * \
| * \
| * \
+----------------------------------------------------> Arousal
↓ Calm Music ↓ Moderate Tempo ↓ High Energy Music
(60-80 BPM) (90-120 BPM) (130-180 BPM)
| Situation | Desired Arousal | Music Type |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery day | Low | Acoustic, classical, ambient |
| Skill practice | Moderate | Light pop, soft rock, instrumental |
| Pre-game warmup | Moderate-high | Upbeat pop, hip-hop, dance |
| Need more energy | High | Fast-tempo rock, EDM, rap |
| Overexcited athlete | Lower arousal | Slow instrumental, controlled breathing music |
Lagniappe. The music Tuesday got the crowd and players going Find your "pump up" vibe.
*AI hallucination in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes
"An intriguing case, Watson," he remarked, without looking up.
"Murder?" I inquired.
"Not precisely. Though I suspect there shall be several attempted kills."
He gestured toward a newspaper.
"Tomorrow evening, at half past five, the Melrose Red Raiders entertain the Marblehead Magicians. Two formidable adversaries, each possessing certain strengths, certain weaknesses, and a distressing inclination to believe that the other fellow shall prove accommodating."
"And what have you discovered?"
"Consider the evidence, Watson. Marblehead has established itself among the leaders of the Northeast Conference. The Magicians have dispatched numerous opponents in straight sets. Yet they have encountered resistance beyond their familiar territory. Newburyport and Reading, for example, proved inhospitable hosts."
"And Melrose?"
"Ah, Melrose! A most curious specimen. Capable of considerable brilliance, yet occasionally inclined to make the simple unnecessarily complicated. Recently, against Duxbury, they escaped a predicament that would have discouraged lesser souls. Against Wakefield, they again demonstrated their capacity for recovery."
"Surely resilience is admirable."
"Indubitably, Watson. But a man who repeatedly escapes a burning house might be better advised to stop setting fires."
I could not dispute his logic.
Holmes rose and examined the volleyball.
"Observe the essential nature of this contest. Marblehead must establish its attack, apply pressure through the service line, and disturb the Melrose reception. Melrose, conversely, must control the first contact, establish its offensive rhythm, and force the Magicians to defend repeated attacks."
"Then the affair rests upon execution?"
"Elementary, Watson. Volleyball is a game of considerable complexity disguised as one of extraordinary simplicity. Pass the ball accurately. Set it intelligently. Attack with purpose. Defend with determination. Repeat."
"And the decisive factor?"
Holmes smiled thinly.
"Errors, my dear Watson. Unforced errors. A missed serve at twenty-three all. A careless free ball. Two players pursuing the same ball while a third watches it fall between them. These are the fingerprints left upon the scene of sporting misfortune."
He returned to his chair.
"Of course, Marblehead's name introduces an additional complication."
"Magic?"
"Precisely. But there is no supernatural agency at work here. The Magicians may possess excellent athletes, disciplined systems, and considerable ambition, but they cannot make points materialize from thin air."
"And what must Melrose do?"
"Remove the mystery. Compete with intelligence. Communicate early and often. Make the ordinary play with extraordinary consistency."
I ventured one final question.
"Who, then, shall prevail?"
Holmes closed his eyes.
"Predictions, Watson, are the refuge of those who prefer speculation to observation. I should rather witness the evidence."
He reached for his violin.
"Nevertheless, I suspect an interesting evening."
"And your advice to the Red Raiders?"
"Three things, Watson. Eliminate the unnecessary. Attend to the details. And remember that the most dangerous opponent is frequently one's own carelessness."
He paused, his bow suspended above the strings.
"After all, when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the winning point."
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization.
"Sometimes information comes from the horse's mouth; at times it comes from the other end..."
State Leaders
Kills - #39 Elise Marchais (155)
Assists - #10 Sadie Smith (419)
Digs - #73 Anna Burns (167)
Miscellaneous
The Melrose Weekly News selected Elise Marchais as one of its MHS Athletes of the Week, identifying her as a girls' volleyball captain.
