By the Numbers

“There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics.” - quote variously attributed 

State Leaders: Sadie Smith has been in the top ten in assists all season and passed 500 for the season and surpassed 1,000 for her career. 

Adriana Santoriello breaks through the 300 career kill mark as a sophomore.

Melrose closes in on five attackers with 100 kills. Elise Marchais with 177, Adriana with 173, Amelie Johnson 104, Alisa Dautovic 95, and Sabrina McArt 80. None are seniors.

The team stands on the cusp of having six servers with 100 service points. Points as a percentage of serves can reveal stronger serves by placement, movement, or rotation. Ideally, getting about 60 percent supplies a strong statement. 

I've contended that you need three dynamic hitters to fuel a playoff run. That usually translates to averaging around ten kills/match with the potential for more. Let's look at the "stretch run" (eight games since 10/9) looking for trends (minimum 30 kills):

Elise        80 kills (10/match)

Adriana    90 kills (11.2/match)

Alisa        62 kills (8.9/match) *7 matches 

Amelie     39 kills (4.9/match)

Sabrina    33 kills (4.1/match)

Realize that different players have different responsibilities. For example, Sabrina and Amelie have larger blocking than attacking roles. 

Generally, primary blockers serve less and have fewer opportunities for receptions, digs, and service points. So, "raw statistics" don't always reflect contribution. 

The numbers argue that MVB is close to having the requisite number through attack distribution.