Melrose-Lexington Photoessay

Don Norris provides the camera artistry. Click the photos to get the full picture.

Melrose volleyball has become a community event bringing together the young and older residents who are fans of both volleyball and student-athletes who represent Melrose with distinction.

Sydney Doherty smashes while (left to right) Rachael Wolley, Sarah McGowan, and Maave Moriarty ready themselves.
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Brittany Adelman hits.
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Assistant Coach Steve Wall oversees Maggie Moriarty's return and Cassidy Barbaro (1) watches.
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Sydney goes up for the block.
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Alyssa digs and her teammates, especially Jill Slabachesky (right) are on their toes.
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You can take the volleyball from the kids, but not the kids from volleyball. Lorry Norris played for the Melrose Women's YMCA program, and Don LeSaffre played at the Senior National playoffs for the North Suburban YMCA, at El Paso, Texas and Columbus, Ohio. Both are strong supporters of the locals.
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Sarah McGowan might be "undersized" in the middle, but she gets plenty of air here.
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Sarah and Jen Cain go up for the double block.
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Sarah currently ranks seventh in Massachusetts in kills, and Jen Cain brings excellent all-around skills to the opposite position. She is always in position and making good volleyball decisions.
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Jill follows through on her attack. She is ranked among the top 50 players in Massachusetts in kills currently, according to the Maxpreps.com site.

Melrose hosts Burlington tomorrow at the Middle School Gym. Jump in.

Wipe Out, Melrose 3 Lexington 0

Melrose continued its homestand with a convincing three set demolition of Lexington's Minutemen. Lexington usually finishes in the top three in the Middlesex League, and they brought a team that looked long and athletic.

All that being said, Melrose played strong and consistent volleyball with a 25-9, 25-10, and 25-15 thumping. It would be fair to say that after the first five points, where Lexington held a 3-2 lead, it was all Melrose.

The first set saw "Lex" go out to a quick lead, whereupon Melrose went out to a 10-2 and 19-7 lead with solid defense and a lot of Sarah McGowan. Sarah had five first set kills, amply aided by a pair from Jill Slabacheski and two from uber-setter Brooke Bell. Lexington just seem to have the stuffing taken out of the team early by Melrose's runs.

Set two saw no set-to as after the early Lexington 3-0 run, Melrose went on a 19-2 run on of its own, as sophomore Jill MacInnes started to put a threat on Marianne Foley's 2003 twenty-eight point run against the Hamilton-Wenham Generals. Jill ended with thirteen consecutive points and a pair of aces.

Melrose racked up double digit kills in the frame, including five more for Sarah, and a pair apiece from "Slabs", Jen Cain, and Brooke.

Set three saw more of the same early, with Melrose building 8-2, 12-4, and 17-7 leads with Coach Scott Celli substituting liberally. Melrose reserves closed out the win the another round of dozen kills, and good reserve setting from Sophomore Maeve Moriarty. Kayla Wyland and Rachel Johnson put on a "block party" at the net, as Melrose went to 2-0 in the Middlesex and 4-0 overall.

Game Analysis: Melrose put on its most dominant overall performance of the year in a sense, with excellent defense, and continuous aggression offensively as the hitters kept "going for it", even when not in 'perfect' position. This approach is necessary to defeat the elite teams.

Having seen the majority of games during the past ten years, I can confidently say that this team is playing the most consistent early season volleyball I have seen during that time.

Why? I'd guess that there are at least four factors:

1. High level play by volleyball-first players playing consistently 
2. Year round play by many players in the system
3. Complementary major improvement in multiple players in the rotation
4. Spirited competition for playing time in the "middle class", the group of players in the middle third of the team. 

These opinions, of course, are my own, and do not reflect those of the coaching staff or anyone affiliated with Melrose High School.

Sydney Doherty gets an outside attack in against Cambridge.
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Brittany Adelman on defense with J-Mac (Jill MacInnes) and Alyssa DiRaffaele looking on.
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Why shouldn't they be happy?
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Huh? Wha? You're on volleyball candid camera.
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Sarah McGowan takes down a double block.
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Alyssa turns the other cheek to let a Cambridge hit sail out.
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The man behind the MMTV productions of many Melrose sports, Jeff Mate'.
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Why do the players on TV always say "Hi, Mom"? Dad's watching, too.

Home Opener Win, 3-0 Over Cambridge

Melrose opens against Cambridge Rindge and Latin with a solid 3-0 victory at the Middle School Gymnasium. With a warm summer day, temperatures must have reached the high 80's inside, as hot as the Lady Raiders played with a 25-8, 25-8, 25-10 win.

Cambridge brought a large and enthusiastic contingent and got off to a quick 3-2 lead, but Melrose got it in gear with a service run from Jill MacInnes to go out to a 9-3 lead, and then piggy-backed another run to a 14-4 advantage. The team played consistently from there to the 25-8 margin.

They had five aces, eight kills, and two service errors, with three kills for Jill Slabacheski, and a pair apiece for Kayla Wyland and Sarah McGowan.

Set two saw Melrose dominate to a 17-3 lead, with some substitutes contributing, particularly Sydney Doherty. Jill Slabacheski had another pair of kills, as did Sarah and setter Brooke Bell. Again Melrose had eight kills and a pair of service errors.

Melrose made wholesale changes for the third set and everyone played. From an 8-5 lead, Melrose rallied to a 17-7 advantage and the reserves got onto the scoresheet. Melrose blockers dominated with Rachel Johnson and Kayla particularly dominant at the net.

Melrose had nine kills in the frame, including four from Rachel, three from Sarah. Sophomore Maeve Moriarty got some time at setter and showed excellent mobility and good control, playing very well in a reserve role. She also got ambitious going for an overhand smash at the net.

Game Analysis: Melrose dominated but Cambridge looks to be a program working hard to improve. They were very enthusiastic and had videographers taping. Melrose played well and excelled at the net defensively. The lower number of kills didn't reflect inefficiency as much as fewer opportunities because of Cambridge attack errors.

Tomorrow the team hosts Lexington, which is always in the top half of the Middlesex League.

Here's the Boston Globe's score! There's Waldo.

Home Opener Tomorrow

The Lady Raiders volleyballers open their home campaign tomorrow at the Middle School Gym. Although the game is scheduled for 5:30, sometimes they start a little early.

Fan-tastic

Don Norris adds some candid shots of local volleyball fans. 

Three home games this week, Cambridge Tuesday, Lexington Wednesday, and Burlington on Friday.

Where's Waldo?

Liz Torres has the Globe's volleyball preview. Where's Waldo in the red and white?

Need motivation?

One Time

A life consumes somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 billion heartbeats. In large part, we decide what we make of each day, how much effort we put into our activities, preparation, rest, sleep, and so on. How many of us can say "I couldn't do a little more?"



We decide what kind of students we are, what kind of friends we are, and what kind of players and teams we become. A player might not be the most gifted athlete, the biggest, the fastest, or the strongest, but talent is overrated. Intangibles make the player.

The volleyball team has started fast, with two road wins including a quality win against a strong league opponent. Something to build on...is all.

How much do you C.A.R.E.? Concentration leads to anticipation, reaction, and execution. Take advantage of what you have and make your dreams come true.

The volleyball team holds a car wash at the high school today, 10-2 PM.

Chicken Dinner Time

Don Norris captures the post-game celebration. (click pic to see full-size)

Border Wars Win, Melrose 3 Reading 1

Melrose faced their first major hurdle of the season at Reading, and came away with a hard-fought 3-1 win to take the early lead in the Middlesex League race. Reading is perennially one of the top teams in the North.

Every team has the opportunity for "signature wins", and Melrose has had plenty through the years, but Version 2011.1 got theirs today, aided by an enthusiastic contingent of Melrose fans.

The first set went to the hosts, who took an early lead behind power hitter Melissa Dal Pozzo. But Melrose was able to get her to the back row and forge ties at 6, 7, 8, and 11.

Sarah McGowan was the driving offensive force in the first game with five kills and a pair from Rachel Johnson. Reading fought back from three point deficits at sixteen through nineteen, and the game was even at twenty through twenty-three. Reading bombed in a couple of serves at the end to take the early advantage.

Melrose had nine kills for the game and only one service error.

The best teams respond to adversity, and an early deficit on the road qualifies. Reading again came out tough with a series of ties at 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. Melrose opened up a three point advantage only to see the Rockets back even at at 10, 15, and 18. But at that point, Melrose went into overdrive, minimizing errors and improving their attack rate. A 7-2 run gave the Lady Raiders a tie. McGowan again led with four kills, but got help from a pair apiece from opposites Jen Cain and Kayla Wyland. Both Cain and Wyland clearly elevated their games today.

Melrose had ten kills and two service errors in the game.

Melrose stepped up big in the third game, with a 6-1 early lead, but Reading never quit and evened the game at 12. From there Melrose went on a 7-0 run, including a pair of spectacular kills from Rachel Johnson. From 19-13, Jill Slabacheski took over with some outside attacks. Melrose had ten kills en route to the 25-17 rout.

Johnson had four critical kills and Slabacheski three, followed by Kayla Wyland had a pair.

Momentum often rules the direction of a volleyball match, and Reading refused to quit. Set four was tied at 1,3,4,5,6,7,10, and 11, but a Reading service error gave the visitors the opening they needed. Melrose opened up a 15-11 lead, and Reading could never get closer than two, as another service error put Melrose up 16-13, and from 21-19 Melrose put the Rockets down, with a service ace from Brooke Bell and Jen Cain smashed home a winner to a 25-19 clincher.


Game Analysis: Melrose was a little tentative in the first game and hesitancy against strong teams can come back to bite you. But Melrose recouped their poise and excelled in attack consistency, serve receive, and the back row came through with many spectacular digs. A total team effort propelled the team with everyone playing consistent volleyball. Singling out anyone by name would be unfair to all those not mentioned. One player in particular reprised Tom Cruise's role in Top Gun, engaging in key moments to elevate her game.

Melrose-Bedford Photoessay

Don Norris shares his photographic essay of Opening Day.

 Rachel during a timeout.
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This looks like Brittany hitting at the net.
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Maave, Sydney, and Kayla look on.
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Sarah attacks over a tall drink of water.
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Sarah and Brooke with some cosmic forces on the net.
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Brooke always bends over backwards to help the team win.
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Alyssa on the dig.
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Jill with the outside attack.
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Amanda goes low to keep the ball in play.
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Rachel and Kayla eat this one up at the net.
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Amanda at the ready.

Don supplies the photos and I select the best, among action and stills, joy and sadness. Sometimes everyone isn't shown or in as flattering a pose as they might like. It's a long season!

Game 1: Melrose Sinks Buccaneers, 3-0

Melrose opened the season with a workmanlike 3-0 victory at Bedford.

Bedford led 1-0 and 2-1 before the Melrose offense got in gear. Jill Slabacheski had a trio of early kills en route to a 10-2 lead on the nine point Melrose run. The Lady Raiders extended the lead to 17-3 and coasted to a 25-10 set win. Two service errors marred the performance.

Unofficially Melrose had 7 kills, including a pair apiece for Sarah McGowan and Jen Cain.

Set two saw an early tussle, with Melrose tied at 3 and leading 6-5 before another nine point run cleared the decksat 15-5. Setter Brooke Bell had a trio of kills along with McGowan, and Cain added a pair.

Melrose substituted liberally overall and took the set 25-16. The red and white had ten kills for the set and again a pair of service errors.

For the most part Melrose went with reserves in the third set, sprinting to a 7-1 advantage and leading box to wire with a 25-21 edge. There were only seven kills in the game, four for McGowan, two for Rachel Johnson, and one for Kayla Wyland.

Lady Raider Notes: Melrose travels to Reading Friday in a possible battle for the Middlesex League title in the league opener. Reading always has a strong team and returns a tall and talented team led by Melissa Dal Pozzo and Olivia Healey, with plenty of help from a solid supporting cast. Reading was 13-1 in the ML last year, tying Melrose for league honors. Like Melrose, the Rockets had a young team last season and will be a formidable opponent.

Sophomore Jill MacInnes saw a lot of time in the back row during the season opener.

Sarah McGowan has the stuff to be a key attacker for Melrose this season.

Moms (and Dads) are always some of Melrose's biggest supporters.

Statistics courtesy of Dick Collis. File photographs courtesy of Don Norris.

Opening Day

Cross post from MelroseGirlsBasketball.com.

Underrated.

Opening Day

Melrose kicks off the volleyball season tomorrow traveling to Bedford. Melrose has faced Bedford in the past, beating the Buccaneers 3-0 last season, but struggled in a 3-1 post-season win several years ago.

Melrose needs to sharpen up quickly, preparing for Friday's key Middlesex League matchup at Reading.

Melrose has a veteran team and I'll take a guess at tomorrow's starting lineup:

OH Jill Slabacheski
MH Rachel Johnson
Opp Jen Cain
DS/libero Alyssa DiRaffaele
MH Sarah McGowan
Setter  Brooke Bell

Expect to see Amanda Commito rotating in early into the back row, Kayla Wyland into the front defensively, and Coach Celli trying to find the best performance-based combinations. The talent differential between the middle-third and bottom third of the roster is not so great, so the lineup could be in flux as the season evolves and players compete for time.

Volleyball Candids

Melrose volleyball traditionally sets its sights on winning the league title, getting to the post-season, winning the Division II North title, and playing in the state championship game. Obviously, that's a tall order.

Good process dictates a chance at good outcome. Melrose has relied on excellent coaching, community enthusiasm and support, improving infrastructure and offseason play,

The team has a veteran core, with talented players at each year level (sophomore to senior)

 Brooke Bell keys the offense as setter.
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Brittany Adelman is healthy and hitting.
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Jen Cain is a top defender at the opposite spot.
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Sophomore Maeve Moriarty competes for time at setter.
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The coaching staff is amped up already.
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Rachel Johnson has improved her hitting to go along with solid blocking.
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Cassidy Barbaro looks to get more time in the back row.
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Sydney Doherty competes for time at outside hitter.
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Southpaw Kayla Wyland plays tall with a long reach at the net.
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Sarah McGowan has a strong all-around game and could be the next big hitter in Melrose history.
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Amanda Commito returns from season-ending knee surgery and is a force in the back row.
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Alyssa DiRaffaele is a libero with a potent serve.
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Sophomore Jill MacInnes looks to translate energy into playing time.
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Jill Slabacheski is one of Melrose top all-around players.

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Rachael Wolley backs up Brooke Bell at setter. 

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Maggie Moriarty is another back row player with a potent serve.

At least in the Boston Globe online "Teams to Watch" Melrose wore the Harry Potter invisibility cloak. To be fair, the Lady Raiders got a feature in Globe North.

Maxpreps.com  presents another resource to follow the team.

Photographs courtesy of Don Norris. (more to follow, time permitting)

Big Day for Melrose Volleyball

Every team has history, and Melrose volleyball had a piece of history in the 2003 season, with a D2 North championship 3-0 victory over an AC team that had not lot a single set during that season. Amanda Labella was the setter on the 2003 team.

There's life after volleyball, with Amanda celebrating her wedding yesterday to Sean Finn. Apologies for the grainy iPhone photo.

And Amanda isn't the only bride from the 2003 team, as Marianne Foley and Denise Applegate are two other players whom we know have taken the plunge.

Meanwhile, concerning the current team's play date at Medway, here

Melrose 32  Westboro 24
Melrose 36  Feehan 25
Fairhaven 35 Melrose 29
Melrose  42 Holliston 17
Melrose  32 Lincoln-Sudbury 29
Medway  36  Melrose 27

The point isn't necessarily to use the results as an absolute yardstick (considering each team's needs, development, and lineup) but to be competitive against solid competition.