The banner needs some updating with annual league championships since 2018 and sectional titles from 2021 and 2022, "The Third Dynasty."
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Filling Out the Dance Card
"A dance card is typically a booklet with a decorative cover, listing dance titles, composers, and the person with whom the woman intended to dance." - Wikipedia
Metaphorically, there's but one dance unfilled on the card. How do you get there?
Play with joy.
Monday, November 14, 2022
Key Contributors to Mention
Basketball Coach Don Meyer emphasized these qualities for players - passion, unity, servant leadership, humility, and gratitude. When things go well, it's easy to forget to be thankful.
I want to focus on three players who need mention.
Senior Chloe Gentile, the senior middle, anchors one frontline defense, is on the brink of 200 kills, a Melrose measure of excellence, and served for the win against Duxbury. She's well known as a multi-year captain and Middlesex League All-Star, but she's a key cog. She had the tough assignment to work at two positions, outside and middle, and has been productive down the stretch. She averaged 10.7 kills/match during the postseason.
Senior Ava McSorley has vital roles as a server and defensive specialist. She is fourth in service points on the team and third in both digs and service receptions. As a defensive specialist, you are at your best toiling in obscurity, but she's been especially solid during Melrose's eleven game winning streak. And on the 'excitement' scale at the end of Duxbury, she earned a ten.
Sophomore Leah Fowke is the third key contributor to notice. As the designated server, she comes in 'cold' and throws strikes. She serves a "heavy ball" that can dip or hook and is hard to pass against. She's likely to have a big role in the future, although she can be as quiet as a mouse walking on cotton, as the coaches look for her to find her court voice.
Making Coffee
"If you get a job in the industry running errands or making coffee, you better make the best coffee they've ever had." - Shonda Rhimes, writer
Success is not a given. "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." Just making the volleyball team is an achievement. But it's not enough. And most players, having experienced success, want more.
Star in your role. That doesn't mean to accept being a reserve player. It means practicing hard to challenge teammates, to cheer teammates on, and to work to increase your role. "Do more to become more; become more to do more."
Make the big time where you are. My daughter's roommate in college was the volleyball captain at Dartmouth. Her younger sister in California wasn't a strong enough player to make her high school team. She played on the Club Circuit and earned a D1 scholarship to an East Coast team. Enjoy the ride.
"Always do your best." Our best won't be the same every day. And our best will almost never be 'the best'. But doing our best leaves no regrets.
Make everyone around you better. How can you know? Sometimes it means unconditional love "she's my teammate" and sometimes it means conditional love, "Susie, we need more from you. You're capable of being more, doing more. I believe in you."
Everyone leads. Sometimes you might see something that makes a difference. Never be a distraction. Be on time. Be engaged. Be coachable. Listen and follow directions. When your time comes, be ready.
Vocabulary Bonus
Words are part of us. They elevate; they cause despair. They leave scars. Try these on as part of your volleyball spirit.
Serendipity - accidentally finding something delightful. Those unfamiliar with volleyball often feel serendipity when they see the spirit, athleticism, and competitiveness.
Schadenfreude - to take delight in another person’s misery. This volleyball season has been the opposite, a chance to take joy in the team's success.
Sawubona - a greeting from the Zulu, literally, “I see you.” People need to feel seen and heard.
Ubuntu - from Swahili, “I am because we are” an expression of community. The 2008 Celtics rode "Ubuntu," shared ownership, to an NBA championship.
Mana - from the Polynesian, embodying natural or magical forces in an individual, similar to “the Force” in Star Wars. In Legacy, James Kerr shares the importance of the Maori culture to the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby dynasty. "Leave the jersey in a better place." You have done that.
Mensch - from Yiddish, usually an elder representing integrity and honor. Strive to develop a growth mindset, mentors, and an affirming culture. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence."
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Why Not?
Checklists help professionals in many industries flourish:
- Airline industry has the "preflight checklist"
- Construction industry blends blueprints with checklists
- Investment pros use valuation tools such as growth, debt, price to earnings, free cash flow, and so forth
- Restaurants to ensure ingredients and timing. All cooking is based on 'temperature and timing'
- Medicine uses pre-procedure checklists and others
In sports we hear about 'checking the boxes' as teams examine character and competence, including analytics.
Character. What kind of person, what kind of team are you?
Pay Attention! pic.twitter.com/n1onyNEJkE
— Next Level Baseball (@nextlevelbb) November 12, 2022
Coaches have enough headaches without adding more. Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler said it was better to lose out on a recruit who will beat you once a year, instead of getting him and have him beat you every day.
Melrose has no character issues.
Competence checklist.
- Talent. Melrose has proven ability against strong competition.
- Strategy. Melrose has diversified its offense over years but relies on fundamental play.
- Winning? Is he a winner? Coach Dean Smith he would never recruit a player who starred but didn't help his team win.
- Mentality. Excellent teams don't beat themselves with mental mistakes.
- Decision-making. "Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." Melrose decision-making was exceptional against Duxbury.
- Aggressiveness. Aggressiveness plays...controlled aggression.
- Focus. Melrose has improved in this area in disallowing lost points to bleed into subsequent points.
- Resilience. Late season wins over Burlington, Billerica, and Duxbury have shown will to fight through adversity.
Anatomy of a Kill
Attackers aren't born, they're made. Examine screen shots of a successful outside attack by Gia Vlajkovic, Melrose leading 19-17 in the first set.
Ruth Breen sets the ball just after 37:10 of the video and Gia contacts the ball before 37:12.
Note the 'long runway' as Gia sets up about 4-5 feet behind the ten foot line as Ruth sets.
She's at the ten foot line, calculating the trajectory and direction of the pass.
Attackers transfer momentum from forward to vertical and notice how teammates rush to cover a possible block.
The attack comes from well behind the net, making the blockers' job difficult.
The 'scoring moment' where the attacker strikes the ball.
The ball is at the net. The block may be a little too far apart and is about the width of a ball off the plane of the net. The ball goes through.
Become a Storyteller: David and Goliath
Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath, or do they? Malcolm Gladwell's book retells the story from another perspective.
The giant, Goliath, might have an illness, acromegaly where a pituitary tumor releases growth hormone producing enormous size. But the tumor is just behind the eyes and presses on the optic nerve, which blocks signals from the eye to the brain's processing center. He can't see.
Meanwhile, David is mobile and armed with precision projectiles that he fires with deadly accuracy at over sixty miles per hour. Literally, it's a mismatch but not as expected.
David and Goliath is only one of the "Cinderella stories" that provide never-ending joy to readers and viewers. The lucky few live the dream, excited not nervous by the bright lights on the big stage.
How did they get there?
They outworked the competition and believed in themselves.
Hollywood sport endings are common.
- "Hoosiers"
- "Rocky"
- "Rudy"
- "The Mighty Ducks"
- "Little Giants"
- "The Bad News Bears"
- "The Replacements"
Women's sports get short shrift in the "Underdog Story" genre. But they're out there. #16 Harvard took down #1 Stanford in the 1998 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
In 2013, Danielle Coughlin won the Massachusetts 106 pound wrestling championship. She became the fourth girl in the US to win in a boys state tournament.
Believe.
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Still Standing
Melrose again advanced to the Final Four. Why?
1a. The players. Melrose graduated the Freedom Division MVP in Elena Soukos and other key players, but returned six seniors including the Human Pogo Stick in Gia Vlajkovic. They also had a blocking force return in Sadie Jaggers in the middle.
1b. Coaching. Coaching is especially important in high school. "Every day is player development day." In my opinion, Scott Celli did his best work this season, navigating a hard schedule, sticking with the seniors through some hard knocks, and maintaining enthusiasm and positivity.
2. Improvement. This is not the same team that opened the season against Peabody or scuffled some against Arlington. They're defending and blocking better, serving well, and generating more offense both inside and outside. During the season Ruth Breen, Emma Desmond, Anna Shoemaker, and Ava McSorley have all punched their tickets with consistent skill.
3. Scheduling. "Iron sharpens iron." The record is deceptive because of losses to elite competition. Melrose beat Duxbury because Melrose was the better team in every facet of the game. Video is the Truth Machine and I've watched the final four points twenty times via the NFHSNetwork (subscription).
4. Senior leadership. Not many Melrose teams relied upon senior contributions as much as this one.
5. Killer queens (see 'Rollercoaster' above). Only a handful of Melrose athletes have over 300 kills in a season. Gia Vlajkovic is near the top of that exclusive club at 320.
As teams advance through the Tournament, they WIN points. Defenses are too consistent and players too experienced to give bundles of points away. Melrose had 60 kills against Duxbury, versus the usual 11-12/set.
Speculating on Semifinal Location
Last year Melrose faced Westborough in the semifinals in Watertown. Where will Melrose and King Philip (Wrentham) meet?
Both of the Newton teams will play in D1 semifinals and neither can be home. Melrose faced Fairhaven in the past at Newton South in the semis, and it looks as though Newton is about halfway between Melrose and Wrentham.
Both the Newton high schools have the capacity to handle a crowd and playing in Newton would not require either school's team or fans to go through Boston.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Photos from Raj Das
Raj Das is a brilliant local photographer who shares and sells his craft here. There are so many fantastic shots capturing the emotion of the moment.
As a community, Melrose is fortunate to have him.
How Well Is the MIAA Seeding Process Working in Volleyball?
All Final Fours are not in.
Division 1 - Seeds 1, 2, and 3 are in. Franklin (4) meets Barnstable (5) for the final spot.
Division 2 - Seeds 1, 2, 4, and 6 advance.
Division 3 - Seeds 1, 2, 3, and 5 continue.
Division 4 - Seeds 1, 2, and 3 survive. Nipmuc (4) hosts Weston (5).
Division 5 - Seeds 1, 3, and 5 are in. Hopedale (2) faces West Bridgewater (7) for the last berth.
- Every 1 and 2 seed still has a chance.
- Only one 3 seed got bounced.
- Division 1 will be "chalk" if Franklin wins and Division 4 if Nipmuc wins.
- If West Bridgewater (7) wins, they would be the lowest seeded survivor.
- It's hard to call Melrose (6) a Cinderella Story having earned ten Final Four spots since 2003.
"The Boston Globe" Summarizes the Melrose Win
They forgot to add "19th ranked Melrose." Find the fuel.
On Fire, Melrose - Duxbury Stat Line
The scoring moment as Sadie Jaggers slams the overpass into the Duxbury middle...
Long games against excellent competition fill the stat sheet. "It's the scoreboard not the scoresheet" comes first, but individual achievement fuels team results.
Ruth Breen's game by game statistics.
Unheralded as a first full-time setter coming in, Ruth closes in on single-season marks set by the top setters in Melrose history.
Emma Desmond has excelled at libero all season and is playing her best volleyball making both routine and spectacular plays. But don't sleep on Gia Vlajkovic, who plays "all around" getting no breaks and making play after play front and back.
Consider that players put up these stats not in a regular season match against usual competition, but in the sectional championship against an undefeated team on hostile turf.
Friday, November 11, 2022
Inside the Numbers, How Things Work
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." - Neil DeGrasse Tyson
"Corporate memory" describes history and context. Werner von Braun had his "Monday Notes" for NASA to get and give feedback on progress on the Moon Landing program. Twenty years watching Melrose volleyball affords some perspective.
Earning Final Four status has become a touchstone for program excellence. To do so, key wins against excellent clubs qualify.
The first program-defining or "signature win" was sweeping Arlington Catholic (22-0) in the sectional championship at Andover in 2003. AC had the "Twin Towers" and hadn't lost a set for the season. It was Melrose's first bite at the apple with a mix of veterans and youth.
Beating Canton in 2012 en route to the State Championship was another pivotal milestone. Some pundits dismissed Melrose's "simple game" while acknowledging its talented ball control offense (four players from the roster earned All-State status over the years).
Last night Duxbury had to feel good about their chances, undefeated and having beaten a Dartmouth club that beat D1 power Barnstable. Melrose came in, dictated the tempo of the match and got excellent performances up and down the roster. At various points of the match, Gia Vlajkovic, Anna Shoemaker, Sadie Jaggers, and Chloe Gentile took over.
Throughout, libero Emma Desmond played under control and had an outstanding passing game. When you don't notice the setter, Ruth Breen, that means she's making passes 'on time and on target'. She and Sadie were particularly in sync on the quick sets.
What lessons resonate?
- Emerson said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Consistency is everything in sports. Consistency in coaching is key because you have different clubs each season as players graduate and others ascend. Coach Scott Celli puts another pelt on his horse.
- Credit the players. Melrose had major losses to graduation including Elena Soukos, Autumn Whelan, and Abby Hudson. The 2022 players stepped up and filled those roles. And the pipeline isn't dry.
- Schedule matters. Melrose lost to the top team in D1, D2, and D5. The playoffs do not care about regular season losses, but about fashioning wins from experience.
- Good players have good statistics. In Moneyball, Michael Lewis wrote, "if he's such a good hitter, why doesn't he hit better?" Although I don't have the final numbers, Gia Vlajkovic moved into the top five Melrose all-time in single season kill leaders, passing Paula Sen and Sarah McGowan. She also had two key kills at the end. It's a team game but individual aggression wins.
- Collaboration is key. It's not always having the best six players but the six who play best together. This group didn't always 'poll' the highest but they're still standing with four teams left.
- Poise is critical. After a tough no-call at 21-20, Melrose finishes on a four-point run to seal the deal. They would not be denied.
- Playing well at the end of the season counts most. Melrose rides an eleven game win streak into the semis.
Only four remain, the 1, 2, 4, and 6 seeds.
MIAA Playoff Quarterfinals Melrose 3 Duxbury 1 "The Third Dynasty"
"We're back." 6th-seeded Melrose traveled to undefeated Duxbury and rode the Dragon beating the 3rd seed 25-17, 25-17, 18-25, and 25-21. Melrose rallied from a fourth set deficit to erase the Dragons with a closing rush.
It was a total team effort with another great game for the Unicorns and great effort from the supporting cast of lionesses and tigresses.
In the midst of scuffling in the middle of the fourth set, Sadie Jaggers had three consecutive kills to re-energize the team. Chloe Gentile had key kills down the stretch as Melrose dominated the middle despite Duxbury's reputation for middle strength. And as always Gia Vlajkovic brought firepower from the outside.
Emma Desmond was nearly flawless from the libero spot and Melrose got big games from everyone.
The front line attack of Gia Vlajkovic, Chloe Gentile, Sadie Jaggers, and Anna Shoemaker were relentless.
Ruth Breen piled up another batch of assists, servers Ava McSorley and Leah Fowke were solid, and Grace Gentile and Manon Marchais made key plays in the front and the back.
The 2021-2022 clubs ignited the "Third Dynasty" after sectional champions from 2003-2005 and 2009-2012 culminating in a State Title.
The win advances Melrose to the State Semifinals for the 10th time since 2003.
Dragonslayers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
