Championship Saturday: D2 Title Belongs to Melrose

Melrose wins four set victory, culminating with 25-10 fourth set win over Longmeadow.

Teaser pic.

Congratulations. Full story to follow.

Game Day: Melrose Versus Longmeadow

Get directions to Algonquin Regional High School

The Western Mass take from Masslive.

Melrose Middlesex League All-Stars

Melrose's Middlesex League All-Stars...congratulations

Brooke Bell (MVP)
Sarah McGowan
Rachel Johnson
Jen Cain
Amanda Commito
Kayla Wyland
Jill MacInnes

Maxpreps.com Game Preview

Game preview from Maxpreps.com

Soup

it's physically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same moment, #

 in The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy

Because every journey and ride begins with a desire to go somewhere and do something and if you have a desire then you also have the power to make it happen. #

 in The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, who said, "You are never given a wish without the power to make it come true." #

 in The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy

Now, in today’s competitive environment, your passion and your purpose must be greater than your challenges. To be successful you have to be willing to work harder, learn more, practice longer, lead better, smile more, and love deeper, and this requires passion. Passion wakes you up 30 minutes earlier. It dials your phone one more time to make one more sale. It rallies your team together when times are tough. It moves you to see one more customer after a long day. It inspires you to help a struggling colleague. It provides legendary customer service. Passion transforms workplaces, powers champions,... #

 in Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

Culture drives behavior, and behavior drives habits. Culture influences what your leaders and teams think, say, and do each day. A lot of organizations focus on strategy and ignore culture, yet culture trumps strategy every time. #

 in Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

Process Thinking

There's plenty of crossover between sports and society. Process-oriented approaches that are solution-focused give teams, businesses, and other organizations the best chance for success.

Bell, McGowan Named Boston Globe All-Scholastics

Brooke Bell and Sarah McGowan were named Boston Globe All-Scholastics. The pair follow in the growing footsteps of numerous Melrose volleyballers so recognized. I am sure that both would acknowledge the vital roles of their coaches and teammates in garnering the achievement and note that individual accomplishments are secondary to meeting team goals. Congratulations to the players, their families, teammates, and coaches.

Details to follow as available.

Globe Online Cover Pic

This isn't a prediction. It's just a great photograph of wonderful competitors.

Great Shot from Wicked Local

Link to celebration photo.

Feed the Dog*

*Jon Gordon writes success literature and is a motivational speaker. Readers might enjoy his eleven day plan...

Feed the Positive Dog

Maybe this can help resolve the 'cognitive dissonance' that sports brings to us.

Longmeadow's Road to the Finals

It's never easy.

Net Casts

The Melrose Free Press take.

Quincy Patriot Ledger

Boston Herald

Hockomock Sports

Melrose - Canton Photoessay - Doggone It

Melrose defeated the undefeated and excellent Canton Bulldogs 3-0 last night to advance to the State Championship. Don Norris works his photographic magic with some of his best shots of the season. Always click the frame for the full image.

Boston Globe Online Story

Fresh. ...and that would be Jen Cain with eight kills.

Bracketology

Playoff Game 4: Melrose 3 Canton 0

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." Melrose dispatched the AC cats in the sectionals, and swept the undefeated Canton Bulldogs 25-16, 25-21, and 25-18 to advance to Saturday's State Championship at Algonquin Regional High School.

Canton came in highly regarded, led by dynamic hitter Julia Murphy, a versatile All-State player and setter Kaitlin Phillips. They had an enthusiastic crowd behind them as well.

And the Bulldogs got the better of it early, as once again Melrose got off to a slow start. After ties at one through three Canton went up 5-3 as Murphy displayed her wares. But behind perhaps the story of the year, Cassidy Barbaro and her rocket serves, Melrose ran out to a 12-6 lead forcing a Canton time out. The bulldogs clawed back to 12-8 and 14-10, but another Melrose run ran the lead to 21-10 and Melrose handily took the set.

The Lady Raiders had ten kills including five from Sarah McGowan and a pair from Brooke Bell who was magnificent tonight at setter.

The second set would not be so easy. Canton raced out to a 6-2 lead, forcing an early Scott Celli timeout. Canton continued to dominate, extending the lead to 16-9. But Rachel Johnson came out of the phonebooth with an "S" on her uniform and had three massive kills near the ten foot line and Kayla Wyland and Jen Cain bombed away from the outside with a spectacular rally to tie the set at 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 before Annalisa DeBari put the cherry on top with a pair of kills and Cassidy Barbaro ran off another four service points. McGowan drove in a slide attack to win it of a pretty Bell backset.

Melrose had thirteen kills for the set, with four for Jen, three apiece for Rachel and Kayla, and a pair for Annalisa in a complete team effort.

The Bulldogs did not plan to go quietly into the night. After Melrose went up 3-1 in set three, Canton rallied to lead 10-6, only to have Melrose respond with some of their best volleyball of the season, an 11-3 run with four McGowan kills, a pair from Jen Cain, and a beautiful push from Brooke Bell. From 17-13, Canton got as close as three at 18-15, but diversified offense with kills from Kayla (two), Rachel (two), and Annalisa with a falling away cut shot got Melrose to 24-18. A final Canton attack soared long, and the celebration was on.

Game analysis: In the eleven years I've watched Melrose volleyball, it was the most complete and total team effort in victory. Aside from the expected terrific performances from All-State players Sarah and Brooke, the diversified offense from Jen, Rachel, Kayla, and Annalisa proved dramatically complementary. And in the back row, Amanda Commito, libero Jill MacInnes, and Allie Nolan were nearly flawless.

Frankly Melrose played "Secretariat" to Canton's "Sham" as far as domination in crunch time.



Melrose adds to its list of achievements:

• First Melrose team to win four sectional titles
• First Melrose team to go to two state championships
• First Melrose team to win twenty-five games

The girls will look to climb the summit Saturday. 

Maxpreps.com Game Preview

Maxpreps.com preview of tomorrow's game. Undefeated Canton is led by All-State hitter Julia Murphy and Boston Globe player of the week setter Kaitlin Phillips. The Boston Globe also recognized Coach Pat Cawley for her 100th win in just her sixth season and profiled the Bulldogs in depth.

Bracketology

Eighty-three teams started in Division 2. Four remain.

It starts with the players, coaches, and community support...like great photos from Don Norris.

Melrose fans travel well, and expect an even bigger turnout tomorrow (Tuesday) at Billerica High School.

Melrose is at its best when it plays a relentless, attacking style.

Over three hundred kills from Sarah McGowan...and a defense ready to cover have been a huge part of that success.

But the constant development and infusion of new talent matters, too.

The old kids on the block are critical as well.

The "Great Wall" added fourteen kills of their own in the sectional final.

Don Norris captures the core of the defense in this great shot.

Here's anonymous commentary from the Web:

856.1. 

Tourney Contenders

I saw Barnstable once and they looked good. But, Lincoln-Sudbury or Newton North(who has already beaten Barnstable this year) could take DI.Melrose looks more polished this year than in the past. Their offense is very basic but they control the ball well and that is the key. This might finally be their year. None of the central teams look like they can pull it off. Have not seen Canton, looking at their schedule they only played one good team, Notre Dame, Hingham(they are a contender) and just got by 3-2. They have lost sets to a lot of middle of the road teams. I will say Melrose in D2.D3, Frontier has Cassidy Stankowski, end of story.

Soup

Jon Gordon's "Soup" is one of my favorite books.  Gordon reminds us that it takes a lot to make a great 'soup'.

Here's a link to his blog with thoughts from his book. I hope you enjoy them and find them relevant.

Class Act - NHS

Melrose volleyball seniors (left to right) Rachel Johnson, Sydney Doherty, and Sarah McGowan at induction to National Honor Society. Congratulations!