More Shots

More pics from Don Norris (more as time permits). Click to enlarge the photographs.

Big Mac attack
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Block City.
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Winning

No drugs, no alcohol, no PEDs, no smoking. Just winning. 

Photo courtesy Don Norris.

Morning Call

Around the Net.

Boston Herald volleyball capsules.

Melrose Patch view.

Melrose's pair of Division 2 All-State representatives (Sarah McGowan-13, and Brooke Bell) go up for the block in state semifinal action at Nashoba Regional (photos courtesy Don Norris)

Melrose's tallest blockers, Rachel Johnson (5) and Kayla Wyland visit 'Turkey Town' with plenty of stuffing for the Longmeadow Lancers. Great form as the girls get high, with fingers spread, and penetrate the airspace over the 7'4" net. Rachel came up huge in set four and Kayla had some of the biggest winners of her career.

Fan-tastic.

Recap from Masslive

Masslive.com game summary.

Going to the 'Ship, Melrose Outlasts Longmeadow 3-2 in Semis

Melrose (23-1) reproduced a version of "Havlicek Stole the Ball", the triple overtime game against the Suns in 1976, and game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. They traveled to Nashoba Regional High School and emerged bloody but victorious in a streetfight against West Champion Longmeadow, which lost its fifth consecutive state semifinal with a predominantly senior lineup.

There were the usual suspects in the heroine category, but critical play from key substitutions as Coach Scott Celli did a masterful job of offense-defense substitution down the stretch.

After parading into the gym and introductions, the teams got into it early, with ties at six of the match's first seven points. Melrose included a six point run to lead 12-7 behind a Jen Cain service run. The Lady Raiders extended the lead to 20-12, led by Sarah McGowan, only to have the Lancers come within a point at 20-19, when they made a pair of costly service errors to give Melrose the lead at 22-20. The teams traded points, but at 23-22, Jill Slabacheski cashed in a pair of winners to seal the deal at 25-22.

Longmeadow was gaining strength however, with a powerful front line of Megan Houff, Jen Hurwitz, and Amanda Brock, supplemented by potent service from Kaitlin Corbett. Leading 8-7 in the second, Corbett went on a service spree and the West champs led 12-7. Melrose closed within two at 14-12, 17-15, and 18-16, but the Lancers kept denying Melrose offensive opportunities, and five service errors cost Melrose dearly as Longmeadow won 25-18.

Melrose seized the lead early in set three at 2-0, but a 6-1 run gave the Lancers the edge. Melrose fought back, winning eight of the next eleven points, with Sarah McGowan piling up kills (5) early, and Rachel Johnson starting to dominate defensively. All that being said, from a Melrose lead at 14-13, Longmeadow went up 21-15, and the die was cast for a Longmeadow 25-17 rout.

And it was do or die in set four. Longmeadow broke to a 4-2 lead before a costly service error put Melrose on the attack. Five consecutive kills, reminiscent of "the comeback" at Central gave Melrose an 8-4 advantage, only to see Longmeadow take a 13-9 edge with a 9-1 run. Melrose could have folded its tent, but a brilliant run by Rachel with a handful of kills in Block City, took the starch out of Longmeadow and Melrose went up 18-15. But the Lancers weren't done as Houff bombs brought them up 20-19 and within five points of a trip to Algonquin. But from 20-19, it was the unlikely hero Kayla Wyland who had a very solid game with a kill, and a pair from Sarah to put the Lady Raiders in the drivers seat (25-22) headed to a decisive fifth set. It took fourteen kills to win the set, including five from Sarah, four from Rachel, and two apiece from Jill and Kayla.

The fifth set began fortuitously, with Alyssa DiRaffaele, again immense in the back, serving and Sarah in high gear as Melrose raced out to a 4-nil lead. Sarah had three of the first seven points and the teams switched sides with Melrose up 8-4. But Longmeadow continued to press, scoring five of the next six points, interrupted by a Wyland winner. With Melrose up 10-9, perhaps the key point of the match happened after Celli substituted in Sydney Doherty. Sydney came in cold and Brooke Bell delivered a 'cheddar biscuit' to Syd who ate it up with an outside attack winner to expand the lead to 11-9. With Longmeadow refusing to go quietly at 13-12, Kayla had the point of her career, a cross court topspin 'jumbo shrimp' to put Melrose ahead 14-12. With sophomore Jill MacInnes serving, Melrose got a return in play and Longmeadow made a defensive error to ice the victory and trigger an explosive celebration as Melrose returns to its first  state title game since 2005.

Game analysis: Melrose won because they had many players who stepped up in the big moments. Brooke Bell, the model of consistency, set boatloads of nectar for the front, who responded with key attacks. Sarah McGowan had her usual dominant performance, using craft as much as cram to pile up kills. Alyssa was the steadying force in the back row. Jen Cain was her usual consistent self with half a dozen kills and solid defense, and Jill Slabacheski came through when it mattered.

But the game changer was the confidence that Coach Celli inspired in his players when some struggled, leaving them in to fight through it, and the substitutions made to get more offense with critical attacks from Sydney Doherty and Kayla Wyland during their rotation.

Five set matches haven't always been kind to Melrose. They had five set state semifinal losses to Marlboro in 2003 and Case in 2004, before getting wins over Central and Andover in 2005, only to lose in the 2005 final, 3-2 to Medfield. This would have to rank with the 2003 D2 North Championship (over undefeated AC) as arguably the biggest win in Melrose volleyball history, earning a trip to the title game.

And this comes just two years after graduating one of its best teams ever, with seven seniors, and two All-State players including Colleen Hanscom and D2 Player of the Year, Hannah Brickley. Melrose didn't rebuild, it reloaded.

The Real Deal

According to Fenwick Coach Adam DeBaggis, "Melrose is the real deal."

State Semifinal Action Tonight

Melrose travels to Nashoba Regional (Bolton) to face West sectional champion Longmeadow. Longmeadow has their own website here and a social media presence on Facebook.

Longmeadow defeated Reading 3-1 earlier this season, whom Melrose defeated 3-0, so there isn't much head-to-head competition to analyze.

I'm sure that the team eagerly anticipates its trip to Bolton tonight.

Bell Named Boston Globe All-Scholastic

Brooke Bell achieved recognition today as a Boston Globe All-Scholastic in volleyball. Congratulations to Brooke.

Several other Lady Raiders could have also earned that distinction and we recognize that it's a "numbers" game, with generally only about fifteen players in Massachusetts selected.

D2 North Championship Highlights

Superior production by Jeff Mate' to bring the action to you.

Post-game comments from Captains

What it means to the players.With a few good snaps from wickedlocal.com.

Championship Team Photo

Courtesy Jen Gentile.

Leader Board Update

The latest Maxpreps.com updates are out.

State rankings - note that Melrose has defeated the number 4 and 5 ranked teams
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Assist leaders
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Kill leaders

In the Beginning

A Boston Globe 2003 profile provides foreshadowing to the Lady Raiders first volleyball sectional championship. Appropriately titled 'That's how you make a name for yourself' the piece looks ahead at that time. 

Praising Cain

"Sports doesn't build character, it reveals character." - John Wooden

We're proud of what "our girls" have achieved, but the credit belongs to them and their coaches. 

Melrose got a big lift with the return of junior Middle Hitter Rachel Johnson, whose defensive presence in the middle alters attacks. Not only piling up blocks, she was Melrose's second leading attacker after Sarah McGowan this season. In addition to her contribution on the volleyball court, Rachel is poised to have a breakout season on the basketball court.
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Junior outside hitter Jen Cain is one of the steadiest players on the court, playing both front and back. She may not be big, but plays big. Jen was third in kills for the Lady Raiders this season. She achieved a Middlesex League All-Star selection this season, and had the finishing kill yesterday against Bishop Fenwick.
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Despite the outstanding performance yesterday, Annalisa DeBari, Jen, and Brooke Bell have the "caught with the hand in the cookie jar" look yesterday, or pretty much the most awesome poker faces ever.

Photographs courtesy of Don Norris.

Pictures Coming

Don Norris will be sending some pictures from the D2 North Championship.

Alyssa DiRaffaele has been outstanding at libero this season, but especially so during the second half of the season. Although she entered the program as a hitter, she transitioned to the back row and earned the 'white' jersey last season. As libero she gets free defensive substitution and applies a lot of pressure from the service line.

Alyssa shows great form here with her body low, knees flexed, arms extended with elbows locked and eyes on the ball. And it's always great to have perfect form literally right in front of the coaching staff.

This year she received Co-MVP of the Middlesex League and all-star honors, functioned as a senior Tri-captain (along with Jill Slabacheski and Brooke Bell), and has been a steadying force with the young back row usually comprised of Amanda Commito and Jill MacInnes (both looking on).

She also has a big role on the basketball team as a terrific rebounder and plays catcher on the softball team.

A Program Built to Last #

#All opinions expressed are solely my own. This website is not affiliated officially with Melrose High School or any local organization.

This year's team accomplished a three-year run of Division 2 North championships, but the groundwork was laid long ago. One of the long-time (anonymous) boosters of the volleyball program shared his thoughts with me today after the victory at Lawrence. He noted that many of the pioneers of the program share responsibility and deserve recognition. The great success from years ago encouraged today's players.

In addition to Coach Scott Celli, Coaches Steve Wall and Andrea Basteri help the team steadily improve. (photo by Don Norris)

Coach Scott Celli probably never dreamed of becoming a coaching legend locally, but built a program based on continuity, success, and especially fun. He helped establish volleyball as the most popular girls' sport locally, with more players playing, playing at a younger age, and playing in the offseason.

A lot of factors contributed to the program's development:

• Superior coaching
• Early and iconic success
• Encouraging elementary and middle school players to develop interest and skill in volleyball**
• Local summer volleyball camps
• Player and family dedication to improvement
• Tremendous community support
• Multimedia exposure through community access television
• A vision dedicated to producing the highest level play possible to achieve program goals
• A willingness to play the best teams available as non-league opponents (e.g. Barnstable, Westboro, etc)
• Development of 'friendly rivalries' which improve both programs (specifically with Central Catholic). Both teams benefit. 
• Establishment of a middle school volleyball program 
• A willingness to focus on team versus individual goals 

No, we're not California, Florida, or Texas and we understand our limitations, but we're working hard to keep climbing the mountain. We thank all those who continue to contribute to make volleyball popular and successful. It's a team effort. 

**the interest sometimes inflicts damages to lamps in the home...I've seen this up close and personally. Maybe that's why they call it "bumping". 

Answering the Bell, Melrose Moves to State Semifinals

Melrose rolled into the Division 2 North finals against a determined, well-coached, defensively-skilled Bishop Fenwick and emerged with a decisive 25-18, 25-16, 25-20 win.

Everyone had a hand in the victory, with a crowd-pleasing, attacking style that had Fenwick on their heels for most of the match.


Fenwick came out of the gate fast, leading 4-1, but Melrose responded with a nine point run sparked by five kills from Sarah McGowan. McGowan was immense in the first set with eight kills. Fenwick got within two at 11-9, but Melrose answered again with an 8-3 run and the Crusaders never got closer than four. In addition to Sarah's exploits, Melrose got steady attacking from Jen Cain, Jill Slabacheski, and a denouement kill from Kayla Wyland with a beautiful topspin kill over the back row.

Melrose trailed at 1-0 and never again in set two. The teams were tied at 2, 4, and 6 for Melrose went on a run sparked by service aces, a pair from Sarah and one from Brooke Bell, to go up 13-7. Fenwick could never get closer than six and Melrose had diversified offense with three kills from Sarah, one from Kayla, Brooke, Jen, and Jill Slabacheski.

The Crusaders came out hard in set three, trying to keep their season alive, leading as late as 6-5 and trailing by only one at 9-8, with Rachel Johnson's return from injury a spark for Melrose with a pair of block-kills, and then the play of the match, with Alyssa DiRaffaele making a diving one-armed save out of bounds, kept alive by Amanda Commito, who deflected it to Rachel whose two-handed bump found a winner.

After Fenwick rallied to 9-8, Melrose went on a 15-5 run led by a 'reheated' Sarah as she went into S-Mack mode with four kills in five points. With Melrose leading 24-13, the team had a little premature celebration, suspended animation, losing seven consecutive points to make it 24-20. Coach Scott Celli took a time out, and an aggressive Melrose attack led to a kill by Jen Cain wiping a block from the strong side and the official celebration was on.

Game Analysis: The Lady Raiders showed up with an "all hands on deck" effort, with contributions all-around. With very few exceptions the Lady Raiders had great communication, very solid serve-receive, and almost no tentative play. Fenwick didn't play badly, but just got pounded by an attacking Melrose offense which struck from everywhere. Melrose's front-row defense benefited from Rachel's return, as her blocking was a game-changer.

Unofficially, the victory marked Coach Celli's 300th career win. We will try to get confirmation.

Melrose will play next on Tuesday at Nashoba Valley (Bolton).

Checkmate! Melrose 3 Bishop Fenwick 0 (more to follow)

Division 2 North Champions for third consecutive season.

Pre-game Photos

Don Norris sends over a few shots.

 Coach Scott Celli has been through these wars many times.
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 Senior Tri-Captain Jill Slabacheski brings four years of varsity experience.
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The 7th player, the Melrose crowd, always shows up in force for the post-season.

Sectionals Saturday

The little girl sits in the stands, overwhelmed by it all. She has sixteen 'sisters' on the team, she giggles at the excitement, and stares in awe at the girls clapping, smiling, diving on the floor, and soaring over the net. Someday, maybe she'll be the next one out there.

We've previously reviewed the "Best of the Best" and Melrose added another signature win in the season finale against D1 Central finalist Lincoln-Sudbury.

The best way to get respect is to give it, and Melrose knows that nothing comes easily.

Storylines? There's never a lack in the sectionals.

• Milestones? Melrose seeks a second 'three-peat' in the D2 North Championship.
• Tournament experience? Melrose returns for the ninth consecutive year.
• Local color? Several of the key Bishop Fenwick players come from Melrose.
• Something new? The site moves to Lawrence with a seating capacity of 3200 and a new car smell (well, not really)
• History in the making? Coach Scott Celli received induction into the Massachusetts Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame this season. 

Every match has adversity at some point, and how a team performs under pressure becomes its legacy.

• Play together.
• Play hard. 
• Play smart.
• Have fun.