"Nobody Is Coming to Save You"

Sport teaches many lessons - competition, teamwork, resilience. Coaches take "timeouts" to help reset the team's energy, composure, or strategy.

Sometimes they take a "time-in" to send a message, too. "Figure it out." Take a deep breath, put your feet where you are, and make a play.

Ryan Holiday reminds us in The Obstacle Is the Way that, "The one way to guarantee that we don't benefit from failure...is to not learn from it." Every game gives us feedback, if we're curious and open enough to take it. 

Some people will say, "They're young. It's okay." 

Others will say, "They put in the effort. That's good enough." 

A few will say, "You can't expect to win big every year." 

What you want is people to say, "She's built different." (1 minute, six seconds)

Lagniappe. Alabama football under Nick Saban thrived by leveraging "The Process." Here's Ryan Holiday's take:

Anchor yourself to your process. Finish this play. 

Introduce Yourself to the Broom

"Our first jobs introduce us to the broom." - Andrew Carnegie

"Everything is a chance to do and to be your best." - Ryan Holiday 

Introduce yourself to the broom. As a youth basketball coach going to many different gyms, I embraced the first task, to look for a broom. The floors often needed sweeping; they never swept themselves. 

In many sports, the broom symbolizes the result (a sweep) and not the hard work that spawned the result. In 1851, future President James Garfield worked as the college janitor in exchange for tuition. My last two years at Harvard, I worked 12 hours a week (~9:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M.) slinging burgers and selling beverages to hungry college students taking study breaks.  

The broom reveals itself in many ways during high school athletics:

• Taking care of business at home
• Commitment to academics 
• Strength and conditioning
• Volleyball study and tape review
• Focused practice ("deliberate practice")
• Full mental and physical engagement during games

Hard work is seldom exciting. Many will never see your work. And when you and teammates have have given your best, it may not win titles. But it earns respect. 

 

"Don't Take Anything Personally"

Don't Take Anything Personally pic.twitter.com/apWhzZelbg

— InspiroQuest (@InspiroQuest) October 19, 2025

"Don't take anything personally" is one of "The Four Agreements," from the book of the same name. It's supposed to be Tom Brady's favorite book. 

Coach Ellis Lane, later the Melrose AD, and a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, shared immutable principles with us over fifty years ago:

1. "Sacrifice." Your decisions impact the team. 

2. "Whatever I tell one of you goes for everyone." Coaching is not only "player-specific." Listen and be coachable.

3. "If I stop yelling at you, then it means I've given up because I don't believe I can help you." Don't get the silent treatment.

4. "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." Good coaches never are. 

Lagniappe. Coaching is personal. Players have no idea what coaches do on their behalf, letters, phone calls, other help. It's not about us. 

Tell the Best Version of Your Story, "One More"

"Little things make big things happen." - John Wooden

People are "the storytelling animal." The Heath Brothers shared the importance of storytelling in their book, "Made to Stick." Stories stick. They informed the acronym "SUCCESS"

• Simple
• Unexpected
• Concrete 
• Credible
• Emotional 
• Stories 

People will remember your great stories. 

Ten years ago in Middle School Travel Basketball, we were playing Stoneham on the back end of a home and home weekend series. One problem. We would miss Samantha Dewey, who had a family obligation. Sam is a senior at the University of Richmond.

Sam and Emily Hudson were our height. Otherwise we were small.

The rivalry with Stoneham was bitter. Enough about that. We wanted to win both ends of the weekend, having narrowly won Saturday.

Losing our best player put us at a big disadvantage. Sam was a tall, powerful athlete and a devastating rebounder.

Before the game, the message to the players was simple, "One more." Everyone, "Get one more rebound. Do that, you win."

In competitive matches, small differences decide the outcome. 

• One more block per set. 
• One more serve into an alley or at the weaker defender. 
• One more dig that prevents a kill. 
• One more reception that translates to "pass, set, hit." 
• One more assist on an "out of system" ball. 
• One more cover of a blocked attack. 
• One more attack as a cut shot or to a deep corner or line. 

Legendary basketball coach Bob Knight taught, "don't ask players to do what they can't do." "One more." 

Lagniappe. Your Takeaway

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath is one of the most useful books ever written about communication, persuasion, and leadership messaging.

Their “SUCCESS” acronym — Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories — provides the backbone, but beneath it are deeper value points that explain why ideas stick and how to make them resonate in classrooms, locker rooms, or boardrooms.
Here are five key value takeaways beyond the acronym itself:

1. Simplicity is about essence, not dumbing down.

• The Heaths stress: “Find the core of the idea.”
  Simplicity doesn’t mean oversimplifying; it means prioritizing what matters most and discarding what doesn’t.

• Sticky ideas have a commander’s intent — a guiding principle that shapes every decision even when plans fail.
  Value: In coaching or teaching, clarity beats complexity. A single guiding phrase — “Be the change,” “The Standard is the Standard,” — outlasts pages of strategy.

2. Surprise is the gateway to attention.

• The “Unexpected” element triggers curiosity by breaking patterns.
  Our brains tune out predictability; they light up when expectations are violated.

• The trick: generate curiosity gaps — raise a question, then close it.
  Value: Start with a moment that unsettles complacency — a shocking stat, a quote, or a visual. In a huddle or classroom, surprise opens the door for learning.

3. Concreteness anchors memory.

• Abstract ideas die quickly; concrete imagery makes ideas tangible.

• Saying “our defense has to be glue” or “we need to rebound like it’s rent due tomorrow” sticks more than “we need consistency.”

• The Heaths quote a teacher: “If you can’t picture it, you can’t remember it.”
  Value: Use visuals, metaphors, and actions. Teams remember vivid stories — not PowerPoints.

4. Credibility comes from authenticity and specificity.

• People believe what they can see, count, or feel, not what they’re told.

• Credibility can come from authority (Coach Wooden said...) or from detail (“We forced 22 turnovers”).

• Even better: let people test the claim themselves. “Try this drill and feel the difference.”
  Value: Proof beats persuasion. In coaching, show improvement, don’t just predict it.

5. Emotion and story are the glue of persuasion.

• Logic makes people think; emotion makes them act.

• Stories are “flight simulators for the mind” — letting listeners experience the idea, not just hear it.

• The Heaths note that inspiration without a story is fleeting; stories give emotion a structure that memory can hold.
  Value: Frame messages through people and moments — not data alone. “Remember the 2024 Wakefield match?” communicates more than “We played hard.”

Summary: Why “Made to Stick” endures

Principle	Core Value
Simple	Clarity creates alignment.
Unexpected	Surprise awakens curiosity.
Concrete	Imagery cements memory.
Credible	Specifics build trust.
Emotional	Feeling drives behavior.
Stories	Narrative delivers permanence.

---

In short, Made to Stick teaches that ideas don’t spread because they’re smart — they spread because they’re shaped for human minds.
For a coach, educator, or leader, that’s the ultimate reminder: how you say it matters as much as what you say.

 

 

Stats Are In - Melrose vs Watertown

Stats are in. Not much to be gleaned here. 

Fast Five: Reminders for Athletes

"How you do anything is how you do everything." Be eclectic.  

Eclectic means drawing ideas, style, or taste from a wide and diverse range of sources rather than adhering to a single system, tradition, or perspective.

1. What are you reading today? Readers are leaders. Readers are earners. I am reading Ryan Holiday's "The Obstacle Is the Way."

2. Self-care includes attention to hydration, nutrition, sleep, and recovery. 

3. Four foundations of 'Human Performance' are skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology. 

4. Three core pillars of learning are: Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes on, 5 off), Spaced Repetition (not cramming), and Self-Testing. After reading, test yourself. 

5. Build better habits. "Win the morning, win the day." James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits" is a habit guru. Two key Clearisms are "don't miss twice" (if you miss a day, make sure it doesn't become two) and "Make good habits easier to do and bad ones harder." 

Senior Night Photography from Raj Das

Melrose is fortunate to have a photography craftsman in Raj Das. He shares Senior Night photographs here.

His photography website links here. 

Click to enlarge. 

What's Your Theme as a Player?

In French, the term is "raison d'etre." The French phrase “raison d’être” translates literally as “reason for being” or “reason for existence.”

In English, it’s often used to describe someone’s core purpose, guiding motivation, or fundamental justification - the thing that gives meaning to what they do.

Teachers teach, writers write, coaches share their knowledge and experience to help players "see the game." 

Coach John Wooden said of Bill Walton, a basketball Hall of Famer (whom me coached at UCLA), "He never tired of doing the little things like footwork." Little things make big things happen. 

 

You've heard or maybe said, "I can't practice that because I don't have a gym." Coach Popelko discusses 'shadow drills." This recalls "shadow boxing." 

And it recalls a story from Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code about the Spartak tennis club. "A rundown tennis club (and that’s putting it politely) in a freezing climate which, with one indoor court, has in recent years produced more top-20 women players than the entire United States. (Yes, you read that correctly.)"

The coach, Larisa Preobrazhenskaya, didn't permit players to play competitively for THREE years. She insisted on developing technique, repetition until their strokes were perfected.

Over time, you become your own coach, working on the core skills that translate to game play. You grow your athleticism and resilience to complement your tactics, your volleyball IQ. And you apply Thomas Edison's three principles of invention - imagination, persistence, and analogy.

And remember the term, "Chekhov's Gun," where something in a story foreshadows future events. The underdog mentality can carry players beyond what is expected. 

What is your theme as a player? Compete. Stay in the fight. 

Lagniappe. Don't let a bad play or a bad day live 'rent free' in our head. Stay focused. 

pic.twitter.com/mE9g8AS9oq

— Today I Learned (@TodayiLearrned) October 19, 2025

Game 20: Melrose 3 Watertown 0

Melrose defeated Watertown 25-17, 25-12, and 25-16 on Senior Night before an excellent crowd at the MVMMS. The win completes the regular season at 13-7 as Melrose awaits seeding for the postseason tournament.

Melrose recognized their four seniors - Adele Akland, Emme Boyer, Juliet Chevalier, and Sabine Wenzel. The gym was decorated festively and seniors and their parents were recognized. Each player had a teammate share details about their valued relationship with the senior.

The match wasn't close and every Melrose player saw action. 

Sabine Wenzel seized sole possession of the MVB single season kill record with her 342nd kill early in the first set. 

Here's Sabine's moment. 

Melrose celebrates and takes a time out to recognize the achievement, a record which stood since Sarah McGowan's in 2012. 

Ella Friedlaender continued her strong play. 

Sadie Smith did a great job distributing passes to seniors and players looking to establish themselves for the future. Meanwhile, she reached both the 500 assist career mark and the 500 assist single season milestone. 

Elise Marchais had good moments in the middle, winning this joust. 

"Pipe attacks" have not been a big part of Melrose's offense. Here Emme Boyer delivers one off an assist from Sadie.

 

Melrose has a few days to reset with practice, then a scrimmage against 15-5 Arlington Catholic on Tuesday at 4:00 P.M. 

Melrose Notes: Expect the MIAA final standings to come out Tuesday and Melrose to learn their playoff destination but not date at that time. 

Updated Power Rankings and You See What You Look For

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of MVB or any City of Melrose institution. 

Look for what you have, not for what you're afraid you don't.
Comparison isn't unflattering—it’s revealing.

"Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes the tuition is high." 

Melrose checks in at 20 with one game remaining. Nine teams below #32 have .500 or better records meaning nine play-in games (from number 24 to 32). 

My previous calculations were wrong with flawed assumptions. The MOV category calculation should go to 0.80 (+16 sets/20) + OPP rating of 1.184 which sums to 1.984. MVB is in a close cluster of teams from 2.04 to 1.967 (18 to 22). Dartmouth plays always tough Westborough and will have problems moving up. Mansfield has completed it's schedule.  So, it's anybody's guess. If I had to wager, I'd wager Melrose in the 12-21 game. 

What does MVB 25 have? 

• A record setting, Division 1 signed, middle in Sabine Wenzel
• A sophomore setter who ranks among Melrose's best at her age...in 2010, sophomore Brooke Bell had 532 assists including the playoffs. Sadie Smith has 497, among the leaders in the Commonwealth.
• Experienced upperclassmen like Emme Boyer and Maggie Shoemaker can be difference makers. 
• Junior libero Anna Burns has emerged as a defensive anchor and team leader.  
• Up and coming sophomore rotation regulars Ella Friedlaender, Elise Marchais, and Gen Overlan and defenders have bright futures. 
• MVB 25 has what some have described as "its best freshman class ever." 
• Freshman Dani DiGiorgio has 225. In 2024, Maggie Turner led MVB with 218 service points. Arguably, Dani is the best freshman DS in MVB history. 
• Freshman Adriana Santoriello owns the record for the second most kills for an MVB freshman, trailing only the great Victoria "V-Rex" Crovo. She has even more than Hannah Brickley, whom I consider the Queen of Melrose Volleyball - All-State three times. 
• Freshman Alisa Dautovic has the second most serve receptions on the team and third most service points. 
• Others wait in the wings. 

It takes time for a team to exceed the sum of its parts. At the top of Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success," the words "Faith" and "Patience" flank the pinnacle, "Competitive Greatness." Belief and time are powerful. 

 

Control

Athletes work to change the impossible into the improbable, the improbable into the possible. 

Image from Ryan Holiday's "The Obstacle Is the Way"

Tommy John underwent an experimental surgery in the 1970s to restore an elbow ligament in his pitching arm. He was told he had a one in a hundred chance of pitching again. He recovered an won 164 games over the next thirteen seasons. That surgery bears his name. 

Define your destiny. 

"I Love the Boos. It Means You're Relevant."

Teams lose or learn. Melrose earned headlines, not the desired kind, in today's Boston Globe.  

Former Patriots' defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said, "I love the boos. It means you're relevant." Patricia is now defensive coordinator for top-ranked Ohio State.

A source reported that at the University of Michigan, "A commentary in a forum suggested that around 74% of all grades across the university might be A- or above (though that is anecdotal and not from an official source)." 

Final grades aren't out for MVB 25 and the most honest grades stem from self-reflection. Playoffs give each qualifier additional chances to earn extra credit. Seize the day to cast off the mantle of 'fallen empire' and assume the burden of "rising phoenix." The phoenix symbolizes resilience, transformation, and the ability to overcome challenges.

Progress Means Discomfort

Want separation? Do what most won’t.
If it’s easy, you’re maintaining—not improving.
Growth lives in purposeful discomfort. pic.twitter.com/q7caO5YcZu

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) October 23, 2025

Progress is painful. 

• Repetitions underlie greatness. 
• Self-reflection means asking what are my strengths, my needs, and the possible solutions?
• No great athlete escaped the weight room or the track. 
• Achieving resiience and mental clarity take work. 
• "Good enough" is never good enough. 

Brad Stevens, Celtics President of Basketball Operations seeks players with "Competitive Character." To achieve that, you first need "Competitive Clarity," an understanding of what must be done and the will to do it. 
 

Senior Night

Melrose hosts Watertown tonight amidst the pomp and pageantry that is Senior Night. Families, friends, and fans recognize MVB graduating seniors with behind-the-scenes work from teammates and the Booster Club. 

Seniors honors will include Adele Akland, Emme Boyer, Juliet Chevalier, and Sabine Wenzel. I can't recall any previous graduates with any of their first names. An AI search couldn't excavate any. Also, there's no "Sister Act" connection, one that has arisen in many previous Senior Nights. 

The night will likely shatter some milestones as: 

• Sabine Wenzel (341) looks to eclipse the single season MVB kill record she shares with Sarah McGowan. 
• Sadie Smith needs one assist for a career total of 500. 
• Sadie needs three assists to reach 500 for the season. 

Consider coming out for the celebration. 

Coaching as Teaching, Lessons from the Court

Not every piece written or season coached will resonate. That’s what good teachers hope for — connection. Connection changes and molds people, to help them become better versions of themselves. 

Coaching Is Teaching

Teaching is hard; coaching is hard. The difference? Everyone wants to be in the coach’s class.

Both are acts of service — guiding others toward awareness and growth. Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell said the coach’s biggest responsibility is to help players see the game. It’s not just about running a drill, but understanding why it matters.

The Curriculum of Coaching

At Melrose Volleyball, the lessons extend beyond serves and sets. Coaches teach on multiple levels:

• The Micro: Footwork, platform skills, serve consistency — the daily habits that separate the good from the great.

• The Macro: Systems of play — defensive positioning, offensive spacing, coverage. Everyone has a role; everyone matters.

• The Intangibles: Toughness, competing, resilience — learning how to win, and how to handle disappointing defeat.

• Teamwork: The Popovich Principle — Get over yourself. No one succeeds alone.

• Emotional Intelligence: Staying in the moment, managing nerves, finding joy in the fight.

Nothing about coaching — or teaching — is easy. It’s supposed to be hard. That’s what makes it meaningful.

The Philosophies That Shape Us

Each great coach leaves a fingerprint:

• Pete Newell: Awareness — See the game.

• Pete Carroll: Joyful competition — Always compete.

• Mike Krzyzewski: Leadership as purpose — What an interesting life it is to be a leader.

Those lessons echo in your gym. They shape how coaches talk to players, build practices, and form team culture. We coach not just to teach sport, but to teach people — to help young women discover who they are and who they might become.

The Best Practice

At Melrose, The Standard is real. Be accountable. Be a great teammate. Get better.

Great coaching doesn’t end when practice does. It extends into life — into how we respond to challenges, celebrate others, and rise together.

The best coaches don’t just build teams. They build people who see, compete, and lead — on the court and far beyond it.

Celebrate Senior Night, remembering that, like Commencement, Senior Night is a beginning not the end. 

Three Answers

There's a saying that three answers exist to your prayers, "Yes, No, and Wait."

With the desire, ability, and persistence, sometimes it only takes one other person to believe.

This thread illustrates the possibilities. 

View on Threads

If you're disappointed with your progress, keep working to develop the technique, tactics, physicality, and psychology to succeed. If you're on the team, it's because there is a level of confidence that you can, even if you haven't done it...yet. 

Stat Leaders

Melrose usually is well-represented among Massachusetts state leaders. MVB 2025 is no exception. 

Setters don't get the glory, the attention, the credit. All they do is quarterback the team, direct the attack. Sophomore Sadie Smith continues to build her resume. She passes, she defends, and she can attack. 

Sabine Wenzel comes into the final days of the regular season leading the Commonwealth in kills. Like Spiderman, "with great power comes great responsibility." 

 

Work-Life Balance

"It seems that you’re so caught up in and busy with work that you’ve had no time for the one thing that you’ve told me keeps your sanity intact: being on the water.” - from Michael Connelly in "The Waiting" A Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel

One of the biggest challenges in modern-society is finding work-life balance. During volleyball season with your full course load, practices, games and other team activities, it can feel as though you have no time. 

That 'time pressure' expands as you move through life, with responsibilities to family, school, and work. There literally are not enough hours in the day...not if sleep matters. 

This makes becoming efficient ever more important. Nobody can preserve or reclaim Time, our most valuable resource. Learn to budget your time. Discipline is destiny. 

• Make time for sleep (eight hours)
• Make time for family
• Take care of your studies "whatever it takes"
• Discipline yourself regarding other activities

Saban discusses time (YouTube short) 

Stats Are In - Melrose versus Stoneham (Wenzel Ties Career Season Attack Record)

Stats are in. 

Serving: 

Melrose was just under 90 percent in serving percentage (they had four errors early). Alisa Dautovic had 21 service points. 

Assists:

Sadie Smith had 27 assists. 

Attacking: 

Sabine Wenzel had 17 kills, bringing her career total to 341, equalling the all-time Melrose single season high, held by Sarah McGowan. 

Game 19: Melrose 3 Stoneham 0

Melrose visited Stoneham on the Spartans' Senior Night and didn't help their hosts celebrate winning 25-8, 25-11, and 25-12. The win lifts Melrose's record to 12-7.

Melrose closes out the regular season at home Friday on its Senior Night, hosting Watertown.

Multiple stories intersect - MVB's preparation for the postseason, Sabine Wenzel's chase for the Melrose single season kills record (341, held by Sarah McGowan), and Sadie Smith pursuit of 500 assists.

Coach Scott Celli continues to tinker with the lineup, with adjustments including more time at outside hitter for freshman Alisa Dautovic and moving Elise Marchais for time at MH2. It's noteworthy that Elise's sister Manon did some of her best work in the middle and that Elise has excellent timing on the block. 

The result was that Melrose generated a lot of offense with more swings from Sabine, Adriana, and Ella Friedlaender and some lineups featuring three frosh (Adriana, Alisa, and Dani DiGiorgio) and a lot of rotations for sophomores Sadie, Elise, and Ella). 

Sabine produced a 5-5-5 kills profile bringing her to 339 on the cusp of MVB history...and she sat the latter half of the set. 

Sadie is at 499 career assists and 497 assists for 2025, so she zeroes in on a pair of milestones Friday. 

In set one, Alisa had a long service run which did a lot of damage to Stoneham. 

In the second set, Adriana heated up with an estimated 7-8 kills which were abetted by Sadie recognizing she had the hot hand. 

Everyone played and most got into the scorebook. Unofficially, Sabine had the fifteen kills and senior Juliet Chevalier had two kills.

Melrose notes:  Stoneham's gym seemed much less antiseptic with the Senior Night celebration and an array of banners installed. 

Consider honoring Melrose's seniors Friday night - Adele Akland, Emme Boyer, Juliet Chevalier, and Sabine Wenzel.