Melrose defeated Stoneham 2-0 on Senior Night with the third set declared over with Melrose leading 11-5 after an injury.
After Coach Scott Celli and a large crowd recognized the nine Melrose seniors, Melrose won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-7.
A Melrose player made a diving effort at a ball and sustained an injury. After an extended delay, the officials and coaches agreed to declare the game over.
Melrose will be back in action Thursday at Watertown.
Melrose celebrates "Senior Night" Tuesday at 6:00 (ceremonies begin) hosting Stoneham.
Melrose graduates nine seniors:
Gg Albuja (C)
Abby Dennison
Leah Fowke (C)
Caroline Higonenq
Alex Homan
Milana Noessel
Sofia Papatsoris
Ava Perrotti
Maggie Turner (C)
The group has overcome obstacles with the COVID-19 2021 season ending in a sectional championship.
Sport rewards both versatility and mastery. You may know the phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none." What's the origin?
From ChatGPT:
The phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" has its origins in the late 16th century. It initially referred to someone who could do many things, a versatile individual. The "jack" in this phrase refers to the common man, as "Jack" was often used generically to represent an ordinary person.
The full phrase, which is less commonly cited today, is: "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." This version has a more positive connotation, highlighting that having broad skills can be more beneficial than specializing in just one thing. Over time, the latter part was dropped, and the saying became more critical of those who are generalists rather than specialists.
In modern usage, the shortened version tends to imply that someone who tries to do many things ends up excelling at none, though the original intent of the phrase was more balanced.
It's seductive to 'anchor' on one recent performance, great or poor, when assessing an individual or team. Praise officiating and you'll find instances when counting to four goes awry. Criticize someone as overrated and they'll beat you that day.
"Jack of all trades" praises generalists more than specialists. Few players excel at all skills enough to play "all around," never coming off the court. Two that do for Melrose are Leah Fowke, "the straw that stirs the drink," and Carol Higonenq.
Leah could play any position on the court. She's that skilled and versatile.
Carol is second on the team in kills (141), fourth in service points (82), second in digs (125), and third in serve receives (127). She is first in smiles, by a healthy margin. She is the latter-day Jen Cain, high praise indeed.
Lagniappe. OTIs... opportunities to improve.
Women achieve great things. Women change the world. This piece profiles three:
Frances Perkins, the first woman cabinet member
Arlene Blum, who led the first all-woman summit above 8000m at Annapurna
Judy Blume, an author of YA (young adult) literature, some of which has been banned for its authenticity.
MVB athletes have achieved elite scholar-athlete status, career success, and raise families.
Empower yourself. Do great things, change the world.
The ability to make other people better is one of the most valuable skills on the planet.
— Alan Stein, Jr. (@AlanSteinJr) October 21, 2024
Think broadly. Everyone can make those around us better. It's easy to think about parents, teachers, and coaches and it's more expansive.
Family - Add value for the family, helping with homework or chores, providing childcare if applicable, cooking a meal, driving a younger sibling.
School - Help a classmate understand a problem or a subject. Be positive and encourage your peers. "You have the ability to succeed."
Team - Mentor teammates, especially younger teammates. That might include platform or footwork skills, serving, blocking, and so forth. That could also include mental skills training. It includes how you present yourself to younger students in middle or elementary school. MVB is a continuum of excellence. Want to see those who come after you succeed. As James Kerr writes in Legacy, "be a good ancestor" and "leave the jersey in a better place."
Community - Players represent themselves and the team in the community. Model excellence for yourself and team to adds value. That includes interacting with media.
The sooner you adopt "professional" standards in all things, the sooner you raise your personal standards. "How you do anything is how you do everything."
Lagniappe. A thinking person's game...
Lagniappe 2. Repost. Important. Better hand contact, better attacks. Sometimes players "figure it out" late in their career. Better to find solutions early.
"Writing is easy. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway
Few authors maintain a written history of a sports program for over 18 years. As author Simon Sinek shares, "what's your why?"
First, it's partial payback for the experience our family had with MVB from 2002-2005. That's ancient history. Second, the blog, not a sanctioned publication of any Melrose organization, seeks to:
MVB is more than an abstract concept. It represents a legacy of success stretching back decades.
The MVB banner on the wall represents many young women and their hard work. None of the current version of MVB players were born when Melrose won their first sectional titles (2003-2005) or went to the State Championship game (2005). Your gymnasium didn't exist.
Signature wins arise from remembering who you are and the work invested to earn success.
"You will never lose your character...something that no one can ever take away." - Diane von Furstenberg
Mental toughness builds a foundation for life. You can lose anything - health, family, friends, job, resources - but your character is yours.
It's a great privilege to have coached young Melrose women who are emerging leaders in business, education, medicine, the military.
Here are some lessons from von Furstenberg's MasterClass, from Chapter 15 on "Mental Toughness."
"Be true to yourself."
"It's practice. It's every day. You cannot lie to yourself. Ever. It's hard."
"You have to be close to who you are, what you want, how you want it."
"You have to be your best friend. You have to count on yourself...you have the keys to your destiny."
"Women designers design clothes; men design costumes."
"To be a woman was an advantage...women are strong, maybe women are even stronger, but often they forget to show it. Never be afraid to show your strength...deal with it with delicacy."
"Confidence is everything...it's completely magical."
"You are the woman across the room that others see as confident."
"You have to be real. The truer you are to yourself, the easier it is to be confident."
"Follow your instincts."
"It's your journey. Live your journey the best that you can."
"If you are truly honest with yourself...you'll be fine."
"Success and failure...live together at all times."
"When you're at the bottom...you know that you are not. There are setbacks."
"Face the truth. Why am I failing? How can I change it?"
Many leaders will emerge from the current edition of MVB. Focus on character and competence to make that happen.
"The magic is in the work."
Melrose heads into the final week of the regular season with two home games sandwiching a trip to Watertown.
Melrosians experienced a magnificent fall day, whether outside or taking in the Melrose - Duxbury match.
Although I've watched MVB since 2002, that doesn't make me a savant or volleyball whisperer. Here are impressions of team without personnel breakdown.
1) The match was one of the best road wins (not neutral sites) lately, not on par with sectional titles at Billerica or Duxbury, but satisfying. Performing on the road matters in 2024 because it's likely Melrose gets one lone home playoff game.
2) Every strong team is going to excel at most things and need improvement at others. You can't have many 'misplays' on defense because they usually lead to opponent points. There weren't many yesterday. Mediocre teams do a lot of bad things. Watch the Patriots at 9:30 from across the pond.
3) Teams have to apply pressure on serve and have skill and will to withstand serve receive pressure. Melrose has improved both relative to earlier this season.
4) There's a culture of excellence that teams have or don't. That's 'transferrable' to a degree to freshmen and sophomores, even when they're not in for crunch time now. It's about identity (this is who we are) and performance (this is how we play). Watching players like Leah, Maggie, Gg and others helps the next group learn what success takes.
5) Superior athleticism matters. Strength and conditioning matters. Grace and power and skill require training - the "time and temperature" recently discussed. Many Melrose players are quicker and more athletic because they did the work.
6) Some fans may not see the nuances of coaching, subtle strategic and personnel decisions that change outcomes. There's a there, there.
7) Excellence can go unnoticed. You watch a shortstop field twenty grounders flawlessly and think "nothing to see here." The absence of errors and absence of 'bad decisions' define excellence.
8) Aggressiveness (intent) and consistency usually win. The team is playing more aggressively, trusting themselves and each other.
9) The officiating seldom decides matches. The officiating yesterday was the best I've seen this year. Neither team had grievances.
10)Melrose continues to travel well. Considering the distance and the traffic, local fans made a good showing.
Attacking:
Middles were fantastic with 21 and 15 kills for Sabine and Sofia. Sofia hit with the most authority I've seen for her. 36 for the middles combined probably not be a Melrose record but likely close.
Serving:
47/86 Service points with dominant service from Leah and Gg. The pressure on Duxbury resulted in a lot of free balls.
Receives:
Four in double figures with high totals from Maggie and Gg and a dozen each for Alex and Carol.
Setting:
Teams don't get high volume kills without exceptional setting. Leah added another 38 assists to her season and career totals.
Duxbury's MOV should drop to 36/16 = 2.25 and it's Opponent rating should rise to 1.5539 and sum rises to 3.8039.
The MIAA formula rewards Melrose 0.14 points for the win over a higher ranked opponent and Duxbury falls 0.15 for losing to a lower-ranked one. I have no suggestion to make it better.
At the end of the day, beating the #6 ranked Dragons and Melrose runs in place.
"Think again," written by Adam Grant, reminds us to consider the big picture and the fine details in evaluating and re-evaluating.
It's no surprise that players putting up big numbers get more attention. That ignores the substantial contributions of other lineup regulars whose steadiness helps the team win. Experience and maturity don't always mean big numbers...except for wins!
Senior Alex Homan is in the service rotation and is a defensive regular. She helps anchor the back row and her experience as a setter allows for additional attacks. She is fifth on the team in service points
Senior Abby Dennison is in the regular rotation at opposite. She's another player who seldom makes mistakes, is solid on defense, and averages over a kill per match.
Defensive specialist junior Adele Akland is in the service rotation with the highest serve percentage of anyone with over 50 serves (93.8%) and also is sixth on the team in service points. She's also chipped in a few aces in the past few matches with the team's emphasis on serving.
Every ambitious team needs contributions up and down the roster. Injury, illness, and even minor slumps necessitate lineup shifts and everyone needs to step in and step up. Stay ready.
Melrose traveled well with a sizable contingent of local volleyball fans making the trek to Duxbury.
Both offense and defense played big roles with the front row complementing the back. Gg Albuja and Maggie Turner were spectacular in the back.
Offensively, middles Sabine Wenzel and Sofia Papatsoris both dominated. And Leah showed why she is among the top setters in MVB history.
The Dragons did a great job containing the Melrose outside hitters, but both Carol Higonenq both made key contributions.
Coach Scott Celli made key lineup changes getting Gg extra rotations. Also the increased emphasis on more aggressive service led to few Dragon attacks and more free balls.
There were several key plays including a key Fowke block in the third set and a critical joust win by Boyer in the fourth. Disrupting an opponent’s momentum separates success and failure.
Today’s version of MVB should give everyone optimism for a deep playoff run.
Melrose traveled to #6 ranked Duxbury and extinguished the undefeated Dragons 25-18, 12-25, 25-19, 25-21. It was the signature win of the season, raising the Melrose record to 15-2.
More to follow.
Joe Mazzulla is such a legend.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) October 10, 2024
Jayson Tatum has the privilege of dealing with unfair criticism.
Love the message. pic.twitter.com/IpaxZUPZCI
This is why you play.
The Chinese character for crisis blends danger and opportunity. "Big games" are what make sports fun.
Top athletes view competition with excitement not nervousness.
True story... a surgery professor gave his students, already doctors, a chance to get a "B" without taking the test or the choice to take the test. All but two took the 'automatic' grade. The two who took the test explained they had done the work and wanted to show mastery of the subject.
If you needed surgery, whom would you want operating?
Sport success is about 'creating advantage'. Have an edge and apply it relentlessly to craft success.
Lagniappe. Repost. Service excellence comes in many forms.
MIAA Power Rankings updated but not sorted (as of 11:26 this is corrected)
Melrose in the dreaded 8-9 bracket
As of today, Longmeadow is 8 and Melrose 9
This will change over the next week especially after the Duxbury matchup...
Determined to take your game to the next level in the offseason? Speed, strength and conditioning are part of the physicality leg of the stool of player development.
Post by @kpstrengthView on Threads
