Scrimmage Tomorrow

Melrose hosts North Andover in a scrimmage tomorrow at 5:00. This should give local fans a preview of the home opener Saturday against Arlington Catholic.

As is most often the case, the 2013 team has a blend of experience and youth, with a chance to rebuild the front line blocking and offensive attack after losing over eight hundred kills to graduation of Sarah McGowan, Rachel Johnson, Jen Cain (Merrimack), Kayla Wyland (Plymouth State), and Sydney Doherty. Of course, Melrose also graduated Brooke Bell (Keene State) who established new assist records for the Lady Raiders.

Digging

Tips from Natalie Schmitting

Winning Platform

The most basic volleyball skill is passing, and the teams who master "platform skills" have a great chance to be successful.

Karch Kiraly, a volleyball icon, shares his technique with viewers.





Note the different scoring method (only during service) at that time.

Beat Goes On

Melrose played six competitive games today in the Medway Play Date.  Always click photographs to see the entire frame. Photos courtesy of Jeff Mate' photography.

Coach Scott Celli gives the team some instruction. 

Allie Nolan demos the scrimmage shirts...

Medway Play Date Today

Melrose travels to Medway today for their annual round robin scrimmage. This is a wonderful event as the team will play 6-7 games lasting about 20-25 minutes.

This gives the girls "looks" against a variety of opponents, personnel, and styles of play, and all the players on the roster get valuable experience. It also affords the coaches the opportunity to evaluate different combinations/rotations and evaluate the players directly under competition.

It may not surprise Melrose volleyball fans that some players raise their game under competitive circumstances, others may struggle a bit, but all the players get a chance to grow both individually and collectively during game situations.

Remember the combination of analytical and human evaluation that goes into making choices, both in sports and in life.

Skilz

Volleyball isn't rocket science. That isn't to say that Melrose hasn't had its share of terrific student athletes. It's about developing core skills, the so-called six skills.

• Passing
• Setting
• Attacking (hitting)
• Serving
• Blocking
• Digging 

The skills have improved because the girls are playing younger, playing more (many virtually year-round), and developing more skills and instincts because of it. Having an affable, experienced, talented coaching staff also has a major impact by recruiting and retaining youngsters to the sport.

Last season, improved aggressive serving, especially from Cassidy Barbaro and Sarah McGowan made a huge impact down the stretch. The "risk-reward" equation turned favorable because both got more aces than service errors.

Today, I wanted to mention some of the premier back row defenders of Melrose's past and present. The back row defense coordinates with the front row blockers, who can mitigate strong attacks, giving the back row improved opportunity to 1) keep the ball in play and 2) make quality passes - giving the setters a better chance to deliver the goods to the attackers.

Invariably, I will overlook good players, and certainly that is not my intention. Apologies to anyone I've omitted...and with seven trips to the Final Four, that's a number of back row players.

Kerry Dillon was under-recognized as an early superior defender in the back. K-Dill was lightening quick to the ball and kept a lot of tough attacks in play.

The next 'iteration' of superior back row play came from Hannah Brickley, one of the top athletes in Melrose history and three time all-state player. Playing alongside her in the back was Jess Farr, another very talented and steady digger and All-League player.

Next up was Alyssa DiRaffaele, who developed into a quality player with a wicked serve and Middlesex League MVP resume'. She helped lead her team to a state final.

That brings us to last year's team, which had the best back row in Melrose history led by Jill MacInnes, but ably assisted by Amanda Commito, Jen Cain, and Allie Nolan. J-Mac, as libero, was the leader of the group, with a tremendous number of athletic plays, consequent to her athleticism and physicality. Jill and Allie return as captains this year (as well as Cassidy), with a number of players who will compete for time in the back row. Melrose fans have a lot to look forward to as the overall quality of defensive play continues to improve over the years.

Scrimmage Tomorrow at Canton

Melrose has its first scrimmage tomorrow, traveling to Canton to face the Bulldogs. Canton has a strong program in the traditionally strong central division. Traffic permitting the teams will face off around 4 P.M.

Here's a short clip from Jeff Mate' of the 2010 match versus Canton.

Junior Varsity Team Photo

Courtesy of Don Norris

Always click the photograph to see the entire frame. 

History Lesson

Middlesex League Standings from Maxpreps.com. Can't really vouch for accuracy. We're looking forward to another exciting season.

2012 - Reading always talented with Winchester, Burlington, and Stoneham steadily on the rise.

2011

2010

2009

 2008

2007

Staying Alive

Jill "Pancakes" MacInnes digs 'em out

First Photos Melrose Volleyball 2013

Don Norris has kindly sent over some photographs. Don reported that the team looked good for this early in the preseason. Windows 8 may not treat every user equally... this group of photos is published in its entirety and uncropped. 

Always click the photograph to see the entire image. 

"Two sugars with the coffee. Two."

 Freshman Volleyball

Pastels are in.

Melrose Varsity Volleyball 2013

Everyone Can Be a Great Teammate*

*Modified from prior article

Everyone can't be the star, but everyone can be a great teammate. Alan Williams addresses this in his book Teammates Matter. Williams was a walk-on for Wake Forest basketball and played 59 minutes in four years, but earned respect as a player and teammate. 

Melrose volleyball has enjoyed great success over the past decade, but winning isn't the whole story. Making a competitive team isn’t a chip shot. The competition just to make any team at the high school is fierce, but competition doesn’t end with team selection. Players make sacrifices in return for the chance to be part of something bigger. 

Coaches Celli and Wall have an introductory meeting each year to set expectations and review school rules for the players and families. Participation fees make it more difficult, as fees help defray expenses, but don't guarantee playing time.

The coaches explain how players can contribute in many ways, through determined practice, exemplary attitude, and of course, improvement. They also inform the players that they will earn playing time in varying degrees according to their progress. Not everyone can play as much as they would like. The ultimate goal is having a winning team, playing up to its full potential. Understandably, players and parents often find this difficult.

Although many players have earned attention locally and statewide, few have accomplished more than a girl who played a decade ago- being a great teammate. She wasn’t the star of the team, in fact she often played only late in games after the outcome had been decided. She practiced hard every day and became the best player she could be. She knew she wouldn’t be in the game at the big moments, watching younger, less experienced but talented girls. She accepted this because she valued being part of the team and contributing however she could. Her best friend, Marianne Foley, became an All-Scholastic, while she cheered and supported the team. Both shared the moment of becoming Melrose's first Division II North volleyball champions, a team that went 22-2 and came within a point of going to the state championship, losing to the ultimate champions, Marlboro. And everyone knew Danielle Burke as a great teammate, an unforgettable legacy of Melrose volleyball history. 

Junior Varsity and Freshman Rosters

Always click images to enlarge.

Individual Defense

The "Art of Coaching Volleyball" series has wonderful videos examining many aspects of the game.

In this video, the coaches give some great defensive tips...

• "Fencing style" footwork. In basketball we call it "moving on the pass". 
• Hand behind the ball
• Sprawling technique
• Rolling
• Covering overhand balls (Rachel Johnson's play leading to an Athena Ziavras sectional winning spike comes to mind)
• No substitute for repetitions

Melrose's program advances not because of evolutionary hitting, but because of integrated team defense, blocking making the back row's job manageable, back row defense with dramatically improved passing, allowing better sets giving hitters opportunity for successful attacks. 

"Good Problems" for Melrose Volleyball

Melrose volleyball returns with the usual blend of youth and experience. Coach Scott Celli announced the 2013 initial roster, with a bevy of new faces preparing for the fall campaign. Last season the team finished 26-1 and captured its first state championship.

Roster from Maxpreps.com.

Five seniors return : Alyssa Abbott, Annalisa DeBari, Cassidy Barbaro (C), Jill MacInnes (C), and Maave Moriarty.

Returning juniors include: Allie Nolan (C), Amanda Cain, Ashley Harding, Meri Lessing, and Stephanie Crovo.

A pair of sophomores arrive: Hannah Mulcahy and Marissa Cataldo.

For the first time, two freshmen make the initial roster: Cat Torpey and Victoria Crovo.

The Crovos will be yet another "sister act" for Melrose volleyball, and Amanda Cain succeeds her sister Jen on the roster.

Coach Scott Celli noted the addition of size with 5-11 Torpey, 5-10 Mulcahy, 5-9 Crovo, and 5-7 Cataldo and having "good problems" of establishing rotations and roles on the team. Longitudinal success comes from both the continuity of experience and the addition of talented young players to learn the system. Coach Celli was clearly excited about the roster noting the potential for all-around players to develop the stature of graduated senior Jen Cain.

An abundance of talented players allows coaching flexibility. For example, the talent in the back row last season (current players plus Amanda Commito and Jen Cain) allowed Sarah McGowan to get valuable rest, which translated into over 300 kills as one of the top hitters in Massachusetts. It also allowed younger players (MacInnes and Nolan in particular) to gain both experience and extra reps that turned them into standout players.

The preseason practices and scrimmages create a lot of opportunities for the team to bond and to compete for chances to contribute to another successful season. The overall improvement in the level of play of the entire roster fosters the day-to-day competition that raises the level of excellence in the program. In other words, the skills demonstrated by the reserves encourages the competence, competitiveness, and consistency of players at the top of the rotation. One cannot underestimate the value of this to both quality process and outcome.

Melrose opens the season September 7th, hosting Arlington Catholic at 5:30 (or earlier depending on the finish of the JV game). Within the Middlesex League, varsity contests will start this year at 4:00 per a vote of athletic directors.

Concentration and Control

Concentration and mental toughness are critical. The biggest area in Melrose volleyball development has been improved passing, which is not to diminish the importance of other volleyball skills. The platform skills (serve receive, setting, passing) separate Melrose volleyball 2013 from strong teams from a decade ago.


In this video, the coach implements "concentration" drills which augment his team's platform skills.

Long Time Coming

Eleven years have passed since our daughters first tried out for volleyball. Expectations have changed, along with eleven consecutive post-season appearances, ten consecutive sectional finals, seven sectional titles, and a state championship.

Volleyball has arguably become the most popular sport in the school and along with girls' gymnastics are the two most successful in recent years. 

Tryouts are among the most stressful times for many players and families and managing expectations is never going to be easy. You can only put six players on the court at any time, regardless of what you want. Dozens of players play virtually year round, and the level of play improves with time and the breadth of experience players have. 

Getting to the top is tough; staying there is even tougher. You are wearing the bulls-eye now. Good luck to all the players and their families as another season starts. 

Tryouts Open This Week

Volleyball tryouts commence later this week at the Middle School Gymnasium. 

Also, the official Middlesex League schedule is available, with most varsity games starting at 4:00 P.M. For Melrose VB fans, there are also several preseason scrimmages. 

Melrose has a scrimmage at Canton on Aug. 29 at 4:00, at Medway on Aug. 31 at 9:00, and at home vs North Andover on Sept. 4 at 5:00.

As usual, there are attractive non-league matches with some perennially strong volleyball squads, with special attention to:

Bishop Fenwick, one of the favorites in D2 North this season. Adam DeBaggis, Fenwick Coach, coached the Northeast team in the Bay State Games and coaches the boys the team with Coach Celli at St. John's Prep. Central Catholic, another powerful friendly competitor in the North always presents a formidable team and will be a favorite in D1 North, and Newton North was a Division I finalist in 2012.

Wakefield joins the volleyball circuit as an expansion team in 2013 as does Woburn.

Several Middlesex teams have continued to make rapid progress to become more competitive and we can only expect the rising interest in area volleyball to continue this trend.

From Let's Talk Sports

We discuss lists of top and underrated players in local high school sports we follow...after we discuss a veritable cornucopia of sports information.

The Big Picture for Melrose Volleyball

Players and families make the sacrifice and commitment to succeed in the Melrose volleyball program.

 

Click to enlarge photographs, courtesy of Jeff Mate'

News from the Bay State Games

Courtesy of Adam DeBaggis

More Camp Pictures

Good to click the pics to get the full photo.

Week 2 of the Melrose High School volleyball camp. Building volleyball champions for the future.

 

Pictures courtesy of Jeff Mate'

Communication: Art of Coaching Volleyball

"We were talking specifically about volleyball."

"They could care less how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Bay State Games

Coach Adam DeBaggis sends over a shot of the area Bay State Games volleyball team. Click the photo to see the entire picture, with an abundance of Bishop Fenwick and Melrose players. There's a pretty high chance these teams will be seeing a lot of each other this season during the regular and post-season.

Volleyball Camp Shots

 

Photos courtesy Jeff Mate'

Drill

Competitive drill from the "Art of Volleyball Coaching". Game to five, the challenge is for the passers to make a quality pass to the setter. Note that the coach demands that servers not 'let up' on their service. Obviously, you could add a hitting component as well off the good sets.

Unrelated Information

Just an FYI, I recently published a comprehensive work called "The Simple Guide to Girls' Basketball" on Amazon as an e-book, over 60,000 words an estimated 318 pages.

So now you know.

2013 Schedule Posted

Melrose's 2013 schedule is posted at Maxpreps.com.

Melrose has their traditional matches against three private Catholic schools (Bishop Fenwick, Arlington Catholic, and Central Catholic) and visits powerhouse Newton North in the regular season finale.

The Lady Raiders have two fewer non-league games as Wakefield joins the volleyball fray.

Melrose looks to defend their Division 2 state title with a sizable roadblock in the form of an experienced, deep, well-coached Bishop Fenwick team in the North and a panoply of solid teams around the state.