The Maxpreps.com rankings rely on record, strength of schedule, and margin of victory (winning sets).
They don't rely on reputation or polls. Here are the latest Maxpreps.com rankings that also determine MIAA playoff seeding. It's early and the sample size is small.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Teddy Roosevelt
The Dartmouth women's volleyball captain had a younger sister unable to make her California high school team. She earned a scholarship to a Division I east coast volleyball program based on her club team performance. All volleyball is not created equal.
When we talk about comparison, ask "compared to what?" And be aware of our cognitive biases (e.g. anchoring, confirmation bias, sample size, recency bias, commitment and consistency, self-serving, endowment).
Excellent teams earn signature wins, defeating excellent teams and often defining their identity. Last spring's truncated season didn't foster those moments, as most games occurred in the pandemic-shortened Freedom Division schedule.
We have high hopes for the 2021 Melrose volleyball club and it's premature to compare them to anyone. Their goal has to be day-to-day improvement, controlling what they can control, and working to become 'the best version of themselves."
Your time will come if you "do more to become more and become more to do more." Key elements to varsity contribution are size, athleticism, skill, and coachability.
When coaches recognize talented underclassmen, players are usually not ready for "prime time" until they learn the system.
"High impact" freshmen are rare. Most notable was Hannah Brickley, three time All-State player and All-Scholastic in two sports (volleyball and basketball). And Victoria Crovo was the best player on the court in the postseason during her freshman season.
With that introduction, here are the subvarsity rosters for 2021 (from the program):
JV A
Alexandria Homan
Sophia Hitchman
Lucy Clark
Taylor Smith
Maggie Turner
Leah Fowke
Alison Doherty
Abigail Dennison
Manon Marchais
Genevieve Albuja
Ava Perrotti
Brooke Beauchesne
JVB
Skylar Blanch
Ella Motroni
Milana Noessel
Sara Ortiz
Riley Jones
Anaca Hodges
Grace Durant
Diana Mena
Kaylee Sanford
Emma Koen
Taylor MacDonald
Kimberly Bidgood
Katherine Urchuk
Dezorae Mendez
Remember that on the State Championship team, Melrose had a key contributor (Kayla Wyland) who played her first year on the JVB team! Kayla played in college and is the Wakefield head volleyball coach.
Notes: Melrose travels to (2-0) Belmont (Wednesday, September 15th) facing the Marauders.
"Rank has its privilege." Maxpreps.com has its power ranking system that MIAA has chosen for statewide playoff seedings.
The 32 top teams (of 53) will qualify and the first three rounds play at the higher seed. This makes winning, strength of schedule, margin of victory (sets), and head-to-head competition meaningful for seeding.
It's early but here are the leaders in Division 2.
The usual suspects are at the top of the Middlesex League. Not sure why Lexington's loss to Wakefield doesn't appear.
Melrose (2-0) captured its home opener 3-0 before an enthusiastic crowd at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School.
Woburn carried the play early with a fast 5-9 lead. The Tanners featured three capable hitters, a solid libero, and aggressive serving throughout. But Melrose got it going with senior leadership with big performances from hitters Elena Soukos and Abby Hudson and libero Autumn Whelan.
Soukos dominated play with fifteen kills with Hudson adding 6 in two sets before getting a break in the third. Juniors Chloe Gentile (6) and Gia Vlajkovic (7) provided critical attacks and blocking. Lanky lefty Ava Burns provided a pair of third set kills in relief of Abby as well as tough service. Sophomore Sophie Jaggers had some key blocks in the middle.
Melrose raced out to a 7-0 lead in the third, playing inspiring early season volleyball. Elena finished the match with five kills as the denouement to the third set after Vlajkovic had delivered three early third set winners.
What's your edge? Are you endowed with more size, athleticism, skill, game knowledge, resilience?
What do Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Mac Jones, Olympic gold medalists and others have as an edge?
Mindful meditation with controlled breathing lowers stress hormones, lower blood pressure and heart rate, improves sleep, decreases depression and anxiety, and improves focus, grades, and standardized test scores.
Mindfulness is apolitical and non-religious. It steps on nobody's toes.
Volleyball postseason play is evolving. The new system expands from three to five division, abandons "sections" and weighs enrollment and upgrades private schools a division.
This recognizes trends across the US where private schools won a disproportionate number of titles and concerns about recruitment (de facto All-Star teams) existed.
Years ago a former Middlesex League coach described Melrose Volleyball as a "legacy program." They're solid year after year. Why?
1. "Success leaves footprints." - Kevin Eastman
Consistent leadership outperforms whether it's high school sports or the pros.
2. "Technique beats tactics." - Gregg Popovich
The best teams are the most consistent at core skills - serving, serve receiving, digging, passing, attacking and blocking.
3. "Fight for your culture every day."
The UNC Women's soccer team has won over twenty national titles. There's a sign in the locker room, Excellence is our only agendaTeams struggle when individual agendas take precedence over team success.
4. "Coaches are the most selfish people in the world. We put the players on the field who give us the best chance to look good." - Bill Parcells
The players who absorb the teaching and do the things the coaches teach, the way they teach it, at the right time, will be on the court or the field.
5. "The magic is in the work."
Outwork your opponent in practice, during the off-season, in games and good things happen.
6. "Silent teams lose." - Kevin Eastman
On-court communication is vital.
7. "The best teams force players to prove their value." - Mike Lombardi in Gridiron Genius
Each year players have to prove they earn their position. Seniority systems based on age or years played don't reward merit and underachieve.
8. "My ego demands the success of my team." - Bill Russell
Everyone decides which is more important, winning or individual achievement. In the stock market there's a saying, "price makes news." So does winning.
9. "We make our habits and our habits make us."
Winning habits cultivate winning performance. 49ers Coach Bill Walsh said it another way, "Champions behave like champions before they’re champions." Act like the person you want to be to become that person.
10. "Discipline determines destiny."
Take care of business at home, in the classroom, and on the court.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban asks whether you're an AND player or a BUT player. You don't want praise for how you play qualified by BUT he's selfish, or he's not fully engaged, or he got into a bar fight. You want AND she's an excellent student, she's a leader, and she's a good person.
You aspire to be a captain? You're an AND player. Sometimes you make the team because you're an AND player.
.@BostonHeraldHS .@MassGHSVB .@MHSRedRaiders Final Girls Vball: Melrose 3 Arlington 0. - E. Soukos (10 kills) C. Gentile (7 kills) & G. Vlajkovic (6) lead in scoring. Melrose starts 1-0 will host Woburn Monday
“Experience is what you got when you didn’t get what you wanted.” - Anonymous
Some players get their first varsity action today. Savor the experience. Enjoy the privilege.
The discipline of doing what you had to do when you didn't want to, allows you to get what you want when you want.
ACHIEVEMENT = EXCELLENCE x DURATION
Teamwork means sacrifice.
Coach Celli shares that championship teams need three factors:
Good play
Good luck
Good health
Control what you can control. To a degree you control your health with your habits...eating right, getting your rest, and taking precautions in the COVID-19 era.
Attending large gatherings on the weekends increases your chance of getting sick. And you're part of multiple teams - family, sport, school, and community. Poor decisions affect those teams, especially your family and your sports team. You only get so many bites at the championship apple.
Around the Net:
1. The opening day game will not be live-streamed from Arlington.
2. "It's the scoreboard, not the scorebook." Highlight scores:
