Corporate Memory, Projection, and More

An important part of coaching is 'projection', looking ahead to see the future arc of a young player.

See the future. The fifth grader might have exceptional coordination, "something in the way she moves," that encourages the coach to invest in her future. She's the girl who has it.

Coach Scott Celli knew that Rachel Johnson had instinctive play. Study her video. She doesn't "whale away" at the ball, but uses craft of ball placement and gets on top of the ball for many 'angled' kills to seams and corners. Rachel was one of the underrated players in MVB history. 

Use analogy. Recently, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla called Derrick White a "Swiss army knife," an analogy to the multitool with many applications. An MVB player who comes to mind was Jen Cain who later starred at Merrimack. Cain could hit, serve, block, and defend at a high level. These highlights display her versatility.   

One young MVBer in particular reminds me of Cain. MVB fans can only hope. 

The MVB player not mentioned enough is Sabine Wenzel, who is already in the top 10 in career kills with 498 and has two seasons with over 200 kills. Why is that? With her size, strength, and athleticism, it's easy to take her accomplishments for granted. That's 'silly season'. One observer said, "she's Batgirl and we hope for Wonder Woman." 

Wikipedia describes corporate memory as "accumulated body of data, information, and knowledge created in the course of an organization's existence." Coach Scott Celli corners the institutional memory market and the blog shares parts including flawed perspective. 

Deep playoff runs require talent, health, and luck. Sectional champions have a strong setter (the quarterback), three dynamic hitters (always a challenge), blocking to contain the pin hitters, and a steady if not necessarily spectacular back row. That's the challenge. 

Lagniappe. Jump setting has advantages, although what is most important is execution over style. 

All-State Showcase Announced

At Westborough November 18th 

Fall in Love with Simple

“The biggest thing I learned in San Antonio..

.. Simple Wins Games”

Some great knowledge in here from an NBA Champ & Gold Medalist pic.twitter.com/4jZ71LQMKe

— PGC Basketball (@PGCbasketball) November 9, 2024

MVB took a bad rap for "simple volleyball," not enough trickery. "Pass, set, and hit" weren't good enough. 

All 'simple' earned was a State Championship, four Finals berths, ten Sectional Titles, and a bushel of League Titles. 

For competitors, it's never enough.

Derrick White clarifies that winners do winning things, making the simple plays like running to an open corner. 

Volleyball 'winning things' include reading plays and making plays. Simple is never easy. 

Ten Lessons

Every season offers lessons. These ten got reinforced:

1) Success intersects skill, health, and luck. This isn't the first season that health issues occurred. Two straight years, over ten seasons ago, "buzzard luck" hit Laura Irwin who suffered season-ending ankle sprains. 

2) Non-negotiable elements for winning include winning the serve-serve receive battle. In the Melrose losses, the differential proved critical. 

3) Service aces require a high degree of skill development. This piece reviewed technique from some of the best. 

4) Great is the enemy of good. Trying to be too 'fine' with passes can result in overpasses or more commonly passes "tight" to the net that 'trap' the setter. 

5) Out of the blocks. There's no way to guarantee quick starts. One question is whether there is any way to avoid slow starts. 

6) Who's the new voice? Maggie Turner had an excellent year as both libero and vocal leader. Talk energizes, talk intimidates. 

7) Block party. The block pair of Sabine and Leah won't be easily replaced. It's easy to overlook Leah's height and blocking impact. 

8) Opposite attraction. Containing the star outside hitter requires anticipation (reading), lateral quickness from the middle, and especially great timing and technique from the right side. 

9) Job seeking? Deep playoff runs require three dynamic hitters, the power that can generate 10 plus kills/match each from three players. 

10)Develop athletic explosiveness. Vertical jump, lateral quickness, and hitting power require "unrequired work." The elite players in MVB history trained hard. 

"Champions do extra." 

Lagniappe. Athleticism builds confidence and resilience. 

Leah Fowke Named Melrose's 19th Division 2 All-State Selection

 

Leah Fowke adds another honor, selected for the Division 2 All-State team. The versatile setter, previously named All-Conference in the Middlesex League, helped lead Melrose to an 18th consecutive Middlesex League crown in the Freedom Division. 

Teammates

Brad Stevens said, "This game is about how you act as a teammate."

"This game is about what you do from the standpoint of supporting one another embracing roles accepting roles."

Being a great teammate means being a person of character.

It's not always easy having WE > Me. pic.twitter.com/UYdV2HgXA4

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) November 10, 2024

Championship teams always have talented players. Do you know what they don't have? They seldom have dysfunctional, selfish players.

A critical mass of self-absorbed teammates reduces the chance for team success. Dodger Kiki Hernandez said something like, "we knew that we would beat the Yankees because we are a team and they are 26 individuals." 

MVB '24 could have been a team of individuals but chose to be a team. Own that, proudly.   

Subtraction

"When you remove just the right thing in just the right way, something good usually happens." - The Laws of Subtraction

"Less is more." - Historic adage

Life asks us to balance extremes, excess and deficit, doubt and arrogance, fear and recklessness. 

Marie Kondo advises getting rid of household items that don't bring joy. "Tidying is about what you want to keep in your life, not what you want to eliminate."

The perfect practice thrives on efficiency, everything directing the players and team toward success. 

The best teaching lesson includes everything the teacher wants and nothing extraneous. 

Volleyball or tennis serving allows choices between aggressive and conservative. Attackers choose among smashes, tips, roll shots and others. 

The 'ideal' offense offers more high probability attacks and fewer low ones. One team may profit from more right side attacks, setter dumps, back row and pipe attacks, while another won't. 

In your offseason routine, find the essential and eliminate the dreck. Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. 

Lagniappe. This video introduces a list of volleyball strength and conditioning videos. 

What You Don't Know

For many of you, volleyball is over. Some of you may never play volleyball again.

That's not how Coach Scott Celli approaches the sport.

A week ago Saturday, he invested a few hours considering postseason lineups in the wake of MVB injury. His "day off" was not off. 

This Saturday he attended the Winchester at Needham Division 1 sectional championship won by Needham. Winchester was the final surviving ML12 club in the postseason.

No doubt that he's working on postseason banquet preparation, awards, and roughing out plans for MVB 25...rebuilding the defense, identifying candidates for setter, and doing the hard work of preparation.  

Post 4200: Tomorrow

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. 

USA Basketball limped away from the 2004 Olympics with a bronze medal. Nobody was happy with that and USABB sought to rewrite the script, from hiring a new Managing Director (Jerry Colangelo) and a new coach (Mike Krzyzewski). Krzyzewski tells the story in "Gold Standard."

Assembling a team of NBA All-Stars isn't difficult. Beating international teams who have played together for years with them presents a unique challenge. 

Both understood the need for sustainability, blending both experienced veterans and the freshness of youth. 

Here are a couple of screenshots from "Gold Standard." 

MVB 24 was a success. Coach Sonny Lane has a saying, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied."

Every season creates new challenges. Coach Bill Parcells would take a sheet of paper each season, fold it in thirds and list : MUSTS, NEED, WANT. That format encapsulated his vision for future success. 

Here's a 'sample' for illustrative purposes.

When you graduate an All-Conference setter, she needs to be 'replicated', as replaced is asking too much. 

Similarly, Maggie, Gg, and Alex won't be walking back through those doors again as the defensive specialists. 

Player development is necessary to boost the talent and experience levels of potential returners. There's an abundance of potential in the system. If you're a returning player, adopt the attitude of "that's my spot and I'm doing whatever it takes to earn and dominate it." 

At the same time, there will be 'projectable' returning varsity players who have the potential to be 'game changers'. There are JV players who will be major contributors next season. "Blog blessing" never created stars. 

At the "Banquet," Coach Scott Celli reminds players that no spots are guaranteed. Coaches put the team in the best position to succeed with both people and strategy. Bossidy and Charan write in Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, about the triad of people, strategy, and operations.

Returning players have the responsibility of sustaining the welcoming and competitive MVB culture.  

Multiple ML12 teams will return strong (e.g. Winchester) or rising (Reading, Belmont, Wakefield, Woburn) with strong returning underclassmen.

Remember the 'four legs' of the chair of excellence - talent, tactics, physicality, and psychology. The offseason blog will emphasize development in those areas.

Be confident that Coach Celli and his staff are already planning for tomorrow. Doing the right things, the right way at the right time don't guarantee championships; they guarantee a chance.   

Lagniappe. Hitting "constraint" drill. 

 

Tip from Tim (Ferriss)

Tim Ferriss (author of Tools of Titans and others) suggests this tip. If rating yourself, a movie, a restaurant entree, and more on a scale of 1 to 10, eliminate 7. Removing seven helps reduce "weak tea" recommendations. 

Think of it another way. Would you rather be ranked 8/10 or 6/10 as a hitter or a blocker? Eight conjures one image (strong) and six sounds average. Everyone would agree that 'six' doesn't approach a gold standard. 

Culture

Culture isn’t built with words on a wall; it’s built by the actions of the people in the room.

Culture is what you tolerate, what you emphasize, and what you demand.

It’s not a slogan; it’s the standard you hold yourself and others accountable to on and off the court/field. pic.twitter.com/Gg6vkvSiXm

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) November 25, 2024

Culture is the environment, the ecosystem we inhabit. Develop the culture you want to live. 

Positivity. MVB has earned the right to believe. 

Learning. "Learn every day." Be a learning culture. What does culture mean to you and how do you strengthen it?  

Skill development. Apply drills to your skills. Consider a player not in the service rotation, practicing serving. Practice getting topspin or side spin. Practice directional hitting, serving to a seam or side alley. 

Great is the enemy of good. Making the first pass "good" instead of great limits overpasses or passes 'tight' to the net. Whoever the next setter, she'll have the athleticism to cover good passes. 

Build your brand. How can you build the MVB brand? Maggie Turner built the brand through communication skills. 

TEAM. Strengthen the culture of teamwork. Teamwork is 'intentional' through small things done regularly... self-talk ("Team First"), working out with teammate in both small and larger groups. 

Lagniappe. Simple and powerful... 

Lagniappe 2. You don't need a full court to practice. 

Excellence Crosses Domains

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"How you do anything is how you do everything." Our habits, mindset, and persistence define us at home, in the classroom, and on the court.

Build your communication craft - verbal, nonverbal, and written.

Gather tips wherever you can. 

Read great books. Listen to special speeches. Write intentionally. 

Lagniappe. Recover from failure intentionally.

 

Find the Joy

"Even on the worst days, there's a possibility for joy." - Castle

Believe in yourself by putting forth your best effort daily.

Only a positive attitude produces a positive life. 

Excellence is never a 9 to 5 job. 

 

Awards

Recognition comes in different forms, sometimes unappreciated. We're not talking 'conventional' awards. The blog giveth and the blog taketh away. 

Like every MVB team, '24 has no shortage of candidates. 

Smiles per hour. There's a runaway winner. Carol, of course.

Largest senior class. Most don't need a wide-angle lens. 

Underrated. There are always multiple candidates. She also collects a rare triple for the "No vowels" award...and more (see below). 

Legacy Award (tie). MVB almost always has "Sister Acts"... this season there were a bunch... Gg Albuja (Claire), Maggie Shoemaker (Anna), Anna Burns (Ava), Elise Marchais (Manon)

Spelling Challenge Award. Ella Friedlaender (I before E, except after C, or when sounded like A as in neighbor or weigh). Remember the other cheat, "neither foreign financier seized either species of weird leisure). 

Caught in the Act. Best single serve season. Sabine. 

After Words

Every season ends in tears. Sometimes tears of joy and others tears of sadness. Tears wash the soul.

There's losing and there's competing as worthy competitors. MVB left it all on the court at Longmeadow with no cause for regrets. 

Coach Scott Celli, "Girls played their hearts out. I couldn't be prouder in defeat." 

Sofia and Sabine did everything possible with 23 and 17 kills respectively. Leah was Leah splitting time among setting and outside. Maggie and Gg were solid on defense. There was a lot to like from sophomore Anna Burns and freshmen Sadie Smith and Elise Marchais. Both had their chances and took solid swings. Alex Homan had to defend and set. Abby Dennison had some positive moments, especially in the third set.  

1) What went well? 

• Comebacks and resilience trailing 2-0. 
• Veterans stepped up and young players got a growth experience. 

2) What went poorly? 

• Sometimes you can't make enough plays. That's life. 

3) What can be done better in the future? 

• Excellent process won't always yield winning results. Give credit to Longmeadow, an undefeated team. 

4) What are the enduring lessons?

• Sustainable competitive advantage comes from blending youth and experience. 
• Play as worthy competitors. Praise the praiseworthy. 
• Celebrate a career game. Sofia Papatsoris fit that description. 

Round of 16

Winning on the road challenges most teams. On the road against an unbeaten team? 

Longmeadow prevailed 25-19, 26-28, 17-25, 25-21. 

Melrose got off to a slow start trailing 4-0, forcing a Scott Celli timeout. After battling back to trail 6-5, unforced errors put Melrose in a hole, leading to a 14-6 Longmeadow lead. 

Melrose fought back with Leah Fowke serving narrowing the gap to 15-10 before a Lancer attack landed. At 16-10, Melrose recovered to 16-12 before a Lancer setter dump scored.

Sofia had a nifty attack for a winner and later got an ace.

Trailing 18-14, Melrose got aced and then received a service error. Trailing 19-15, Melrose has an attack error before a Lancer attack violation narrowed it to 20-16, but a service error ensued, then Longmeadow tooled a block and Melrose attacked long, then wide. At 24-16 Melrose rode a Fowke attack to 24-17. A Turner ace followed and a setter error for Longmeadow. A service error gave the Lancers the set 25-19. Longmeadow won the serve-receive first set battle and had some stellar back row defense off hard attacks. 

Melrose evened the second set at 1-1 off a service error only to have the Lancers have a strong middle attack followed by a Melrose error. 

Gg Albuja evened a 3s with an ace followed a Fowke winner and a LM error. Melrose up 5-3 with an LM winner to 5-4 and a Sabine smash to Melrose 6-4. 

A pair of points put Melrose up 8-4 before a LM short ball fell in and LM got an ace to 8-6. A service error got Melrose the serve back. 

A Papatsoris smash put Melrose up 10-7 followed an LM tool winner and a Melrose error. 

LM evened at 10 with a great block in the middle, then a Melrose attack error. A long rally with great Turner defense led to an LM winner and a timeout trailing 12-10. At that point, Melrose was playing 'uphill'. 

LM followed with an ace. Papa delivered a kill before a Melrose violation got LM a point, then an LM winner to 15-11. 

LM served long then attacked wide. 15-13. A Sabine block won a point before a back tip got LM to 16-14, then 17-14 on an error. 

Sabine smashed a winner to narrow to two before a LM dink scored. 

At 18-15, Lead scored cross-court. Despite great defense, LM scored a winner and an ace off the tape to go up 20-16. Timeout Melrose. Service error out of the timeout. 

A freshman Sadie Smith winner rescued a point to get to 20-18. Timeout, Lancers.

Papatsoris with two winners, level at 20. Service error, Melrose, then Papa block 21s.

LM error, Melrose up but a tight pass evened it. LM up 23-22 on a middle attack with their big girl... then an LM ace. 

Papa with a great cut shot to bring Melrose to within one. Timeout LM at set point, up 24-23. Sabine blocks to tie. 

And SABINE again with a monster block. Great line push by LM to tie at 25. 

LM goes ad-in with another divine line, then LM serves out looking to ace. 

A good LM attack puts them ad-in. And a Melrose error gives LM the set 28-26. Melrose down 2-0 with cohesive play and toughness. Highly competitive, just didn't make enough plays. 

Sabine roofed to open the third and LM answers...twice. But even at 2 and their big girl smashes a winner and then they get another 4-2, LM, then a short ball for another. A Melrose error widens the lead and Scott Celli takes their first timeout. 6-2 LM.

Papa delivers another winner. Marchais enters. The frosh get valuable experience. 6-4. LM block kill, 7-4. Another Papa kill and a Papa ace. 

Then Sabine with a block kill. Sevens. Setter dump for LM for the lead and Sabine answers back...and again. Melrose 9-8. Unsure if block or error, but up two, then another Sabine block. 11-8, Melrose.

LM with a cut shot winner then an ace. 11-10. Melrose attacks long. 11s. 

SABINE kill. Gg ace. 13-11 Melrose. LM error. SABINE again. Melrose service error. 15-12. 

LM tools the block for a point. Then wins a long rally. 15-14, Melrose. Sabine wins at the net. Papa block 17-14. Papa winner. Timeout, Melrose up 18-14. Maggie T ace. Service error, 19-15. 

LM service error, 20-15. 

Papa delivers on the overpass. Papa block kill. 22-15, timeout LM. 

Leah with an ace. LM brings a winner. 23-16 then serves into the net. Melrose error 24-17. 

Papa again delivers a kill. Melrose 25-17, trail 2-1. The kids, Burns, Smith, and Marchais seeing a lot of high pressure action. 

LM opens set 4 with a winner. SABINE responds with a blast, then Leah. Official timeout for Longmeadow injury. Smith with a winner. Melrose 3-1. PAPA with a kill. Melrose net error then LM winner 4-3, Melrose. 

Papa winner. Ditto, Melrose 6-3. And a block! LM line winner. 7-4 then a high hands winner, 7-5. LM winner and again 7-7. 

Papa winner. Then Marchais winner. Good LM attack to bring it to 9-8. Another Papa winner and Sabine rotates back in 10-8. Melrose error. LM error 11-9.

Sabine smash. Melrose service error. 12-10.

LM block at the net, then ace 12-12. Sabine monster block and LM error. 14-12. Leah (?) kill 16-12, timeout LM. 

Sabine smash. LM responds 17-13.

Melrose error. Timeout, Melrose 17-14. LM middle smash 17-15. LM ace then Melrose error. 17s. LM service error 18-17. 

Papa winner. Melrose net violation 19-18.

Melrose error, close! 19s. LM block, LM up 1. Timeout, Melrose. Papa kill to tie on a slide attack. 

LM winner. 21-20 and a block to go up 22-20. Melrose hits a downball out. 23-20. Papa winner. 23-21. 

LM match point. LM wins. 

Longmeadow stays unbeaten and advances to Elite Eight. Noble effort for Melrose. 

 

 

Believing Is Winning: Longmeadow at 6 P.M. Tonight

Belief is powerful. Teams with an unshakeable belief in themselves have an edge. You can only be as good as you believe.

Belief isn't enough. Belief and skill are separate, but you have the collective skill and experience necessary for success. 

Treasure the experience. You will remember it for a lifetime, remaining in relationships with some teammates forever.  

Years ago I told a player she was the best I had ever coached, that she had earned the right to believe. Last night she had 14 points and 9 rebounds in her first college game on the road at Charlottesville, Virginia. 

 

Hold to a Standard of Excellence

Post by @celticsclns

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Exceptional performance has multiple inputs. Coach Joe Mazzulla's words echo thoughts of Bill Walsh and his 'Standard of Performance' discussed in The Score Takes Care of Itself.  

We become our habits, the small details that create and refine outcomes, our creative and critical minds. 

When enough players commit to those standards - effort, toughness, attention to detail (footwork, platform skills, arm swing, etc.) - special emerges. 

That type of discipline and ethos impose harsh demands on the student-athlete, figuratively a blessing and a curse. 

Juice

"Juice" is a versatile term. At the bottom comes the following: 

power or influence:

My cousin Gianni's got all the juice in this neighborhood.

The beauty of sport arises as players define themselves and their destiny. They have "the juice" more than the school, the athletic department, the fans, the coaches, anybody. 

Occasionally, a team like the 2012 team has overwhelming talent, so much juice enabling overpowering the opposition. 

Success intersects talent, health, and luck. Talent and recognition are not the same. Melrose has four players recognized as league All-Stars and two other experienced seniors (Gg Albuja, Sofia Papatsoris) who often performed at that level. Emme Boyer looked comfortable and productive at opposite in the first playoff game. 

Time will dictate the possible return of Carol Higonenq. In the meantime, some combination of young talent and veterans are available to step up. Bring the juice. 

Lagniappe. MVB travels to Longmeadow that thumped Minnechaug to advance. On to the Sweet 16. 

Give More

AT LONGMEADOW, WEDNESDAY at 6:00

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right. It's what I do." - Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford) in Shrinking

During a pregame talk years ago, I had an epiphany. Sam Dewey was unavailable at a family event. That made us a huge underdog. There wasn't any rah-rah stuff. I calmly asked the eleven girls to get one more rebound apiece. 

It could have gone a lot of different ways with seventh grade girls. They could crater without Samantha or they could give 'more' and earn an upset win. That Sunday, they gave more and got more, a win against our rival, Stoneham. They were more committed to do more. 

Longmeadow is a solid team with good serving, good coordination of play, good size and skill. In some ways, they resemble MVB. But they're not you. 

Do more, believe more, achieve more. Of course I'm right. 

Welcome to the Major Leagues

Reggie Jackson earned the nickname "Mr. October" because he excelled in baseball's postseason.

Volleyball season has under two weeks left. In the Navy they'd say, "I can stand on my head for that long." 

This week brings the 'Sweet Sixteen' and the 'Elite Eight'. Maybe one or more of you earns the moniker "Ms. Postseason'. 

"Make the big time where you are." Whether you're a coach, a player, in the top division or middle school, make a difference.

For high school players, the postseason is as good as it gets, the Major Leagues. What does that mean?

• The game gets played at higher speed. Be ready for it. 
• Mistakes get magnified. Take mental mistakes to zero. Communicate - no campfires. No foot faults on serves. Be ready to cover blocks. 
• Energy. Focus and fire (intensity) from the opening play. 
• Road warriors. MVB has always played well on the road and neutral venues.
• Stop the bleeding. Don't allow an error to snowball into a series of miscues. 

Be your best self. 

What's your walkup song? 

Lineup Changes, Mudita, and the OGs

When I explained that MVB had some lineup changes for the postseason, someone asked, "how are the OGs doing with that?" OGs derive from "Originals" or "Original Gangstas," terms that came into usage in the early 1990s referring to the Crips street gang.

I'd explain how MVB culture embraces Mudita. "Mudita is the concept of unselfish, sympathetic or vicarious joy one feels from delighting in the well-being of others."

High performance rarely occurs without high performance culture. Culture is the lifeblood of teams. Depending on size and sex, the average adult has nine to twelve pints of circulating blood. Red blood cells are constantly produced and degraded. The average lifespan of a red blood cell is 120 days. The nine seniors on MVB approach the end of their MVB playing careers. And the "young bloods" rise up to fulfill their mission. 

MVB needs both, the OGs and the young bloods. 

Note: Uncle Drew and 'Wes' are Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. 

Jar of Awesome, Plus

 

Ideas surround us. They flow from words, pictures, situations. Since we have tens of thousands of self-talk messages daily, capture a few.

YA (young adult) author Judy Blume has a little metal box called "Judy's Idea Box" where she stores some of hers. The idea might include a character and situation. She transposes them into a notebook and sometimes, like seeds, they grow into books. 

Awesome is in the mind of the beholder. Find awesome in our everyday lives. Happiness researcher Shawn Achor encourages us to invest a few minutes daily identifying gratitude. 

Tim Ferriss gifts an even simpler method. His girlfriend presented him the Jar of Awesome. He replenishes the jar daily. When we look for awesome, we find it. 

I have a Jar of Awesome (above). Most of the entries aren't about me. Remember MUDITA? "Your joy is my joy." Former player Lauren Joyce got accepted into Annapolis. Ellen and I attended a Medal of Honor book event at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Getting an online library card from the Boston Public Library was awesome. 

Some of you need your Jaw of Awesome. What belongs? 

Watching your child's first or last varsity game might. Senior Night could. Celebrating a child's recognition for superior play. Making a great recipe, reading a terrific book, or completing recovery from injury. It's yours. Take it. Embrace it.  

Friday night was awesome to imagine the excitement of parents watching their girls compete. Playing and competing aren't the same. MVB competed Friday. It's way less stressful as a former MVB parent than a current one. 

The sooner you organize your Jaw of Awesome the longer you'll have to enjoy. And someday reminisce about the people and moments that crafted special. 

MVB Graduates Go Places

Befitting the morning after? MVB All-State player Victoria Crovo is nearing the end of her off-shore veterinary training. 

The "V-Rex" is near the middle with long braids. 

More Highlights

"It's not about running plays; it's about making plays." - Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Sustainable competitive advantage means getting contributions from both veterans and young players assuming roles. Freshman Sadie Smith and sophomores Maggie Shoemaker and Anna Burns all earned rotation spots versus Somerset-Berkley. Basketball coach Dave Smart shares multiple points of emphasis: 

• "Every day is player development day." 
• The best teams play harder for longer than opponents. 
• Internal competition drives high performance teams. 

Quality attack by Leah off the second ball. 

The kids are alright. Sadie the Second with a kill. 

Several sharp defensive plays by the Gold Dust Twins aren't enough to deliver a point.

 

Crafty attack by Sofia. 

Emme was effective both blocking and hitting from the right side. 

Sophomore Anna Burns had success serving and defensively.

 

ML12 Playoff Teams

Early on, ML12 have met or exceeded expectations in the volleyball playoffs.

Division 1

•  #13 Winchester advanced beating Andover 3-1.
• #25 Belmont upset Bishop Feehan 3-1.
• #19 Lexington travels to #14 Natick.

Division 2

• #10 Melrose sweeps Somerset-Berkley. 
• #15 Burlington tops NDHingham 3-1. 
• #30 Reading sweeps Worcester South in a preliminary round.
• #27 Woburn beats Chelsea 3-1 in a preliminary round. 

Division 3

• #17 Wakefield sweeps Tewksbury. 

Division 4

• #22 Stoneham is swept by Rockland

"The rubber meets the road in the Sweet 16 for a number of the contenders as lower seeds have to 'punch above their weight'. 

Analysis: It's early, far too soon for any chest thumping. 

Lexington has a tough road contest against a Bay State League stalwart, Natick. Belmont travels to #8 Franklin and Winchester goes on the road to #4 Attleboro looking for upset specials. 

Melrose could be away (Longmeadow) or home if Minnechaug pulls an upset in a West rivalry. Burlington will need another big effort from Grace Seaman and company against second seed Oliver Ames. Reading and Woburn still have to get out of the Round of 32.

Wakefield has a tall order against one-seeded Weston. 

A Few Highlights from Melrose vs Somerset-Berkley First Set

Execution wins.

Making plays, making history. Freshman Sadie Smith makes her varsity attacker debut and gets the first kill of the match with a rainbow. Nobody will ever do that sooner.  

Sofia Papatsoris finds a hole. 

Melrose shuffled the deck to get a different balance of offense and defense. Emme Boyer brings more blocking and hitting and Melrose earns another point. 

Maggie Shoemaker operated at OH2 and delivered her own rainbow kill. 

Sabine Wenzel remains a constant force in the middle. 

Building Your Legacy

Exceptional teams begin with exceptional people. Teenagers don't invest time considering legacy. Nor should they.

Take this thought experiment. List a dozen words that might describe a student-athlete you admire. Here's a starter set:

• Industrious (hard-working)
• Smart
• Excellence
• Reliable
• Focused
• Integrity 
• Humble
• Resilient
• Communicator
• Toughness
• Friendly
• Unselfish

Up the stakes. List five qualities that you would want applied to you. Maybe the "wish" genie will grant them to you. There's no right answer...

- Industrious "Always do your best."

- Excellence - Good results follow from good process.

- Resilient - Nothing goes our way all the time. Bounce back.

- Humble - "Thinking less about yourself doesn't mean thinking less of yourself." 

- Communicator - The best communicators listen and communicate simply and clearly. 

Choosing a top five doesn't exclude other desirable qualities like being honest, determined, unselfish, or friendly. There's overlap.  

You have a list. How do you make it real?

• Model your qualities (improve process). 
• Track progress. 
• Get a mentor (coach). 
• Commit publicly (or tell a friend). "I'm going to get an A in math." Raise the stakes of commitment and consistency.
• Consult AI (?)

Prompt: As a student-athlete I want to improve my communication. I wish to communicate clearly, simply, and humbly. Can you share five ideas for that?

1. Active Listening: Focus on truly understanding what others are saying before you respond. This means making eye contact, nodding, and asking clarifying questions. When you listen actively, your responses will be more relevant and considerate, which helps you communicate more clearly.

2. Keep it Simple: Avoid using jargon or overly complex language. Instead, break down your thoughts into straightforward points. This doesn’t mean dumbing things down, but rather making sure your message is accessible to everyone involved.

3. Be Concise: Practice getting to the point quickly. In both spoken and written communication, try to convey your message in as few words as necessary. This helps keep your audience engaged and reduces the chances of misunderstanding.

4. Acknowledge Others: Show appreciation for others' perspectives and contributions. Phrases like “I see your point,” or “That’s a great idea,” demonstrate humility and respect, fostering a more collaborative environment.

5. Seek Feedback: Regularly ask for feedback on your communication style from coaches, teammates, or mentors. Use their input to refine how you express yourself. Being open to feedback shows that you’re committed to improving and can help you identify areas where you might be unclear or too complex.

Lagniappe. Create action on the ball requires practice. You can't mentally add topspin or curve. 

Stats Are In - Melrose vs Somerset-Berkley

Stats are in. 

Attacking: 

Sofia and Sabine both delivered 11 kills. Freshman Sadie Smith had a debut with eight kills. 

Serving:

Maggie Turner had 13 service points and an 88 percent serving percentage, higher than I would have anticipated.

Ball handling:

Leah Fowke put up 31 assists, surpassing the 500 mark for the season. 

Serve receive:

Gg Albuja and Maggie Turner both had 11 as Melrose was steady in serve receive throughout the match. 

Melrose Notes: Melrose will face the winner of the Minnechaug-Longmeadow first round match. Longmeadow swept the regular season match with the rematch a tight 3-2 contest. 

Playoffs: Round of 32, Melrose 3 Somerset-Berkley 0

Melrose topped Somerset-Berkley 25-13, 25-14, 25-17 in a home match to move to the round of sixteen.

Coach Scott Celli has never been wedded to convention. With their number two hitter out and a week to prepare, the MVB skipper went to a young lineup including freshman Sadie Smith and sophomore Maggie Shoemaker and both delivered. 

Before the match, Celli predicted the keys to the match would be serve and serve receive, stop the outside hitters, and dominate the middle. Melrose did well on receive and containing the outside. But the offensive attack was versatile and service struggled. 

More to follow. 

Tips for Today

All opinions in the blog are solely my own. Don't blame anyone else. 

"The blog" meanders, offering suggestions not mandates. Remember that it's the strong swimmers that die. The weak don't put themselves into raging rapids.

The Fourth Agreement. "Always do your best." No apologies.

Samuel L. Jackson. "Bring the best version of yourself." 

Media friendly. When interviewed, shower credit upon coaches and teammates. Appreciation never gets old. 

Gratitude. "Thanks is the cheapest form of compensation." - Robert Townsend, 1970 in Up the Organization

Communicate better. Communication spans the spoken, written, and nonverbal universe. Show positive non-verbal communication. 

Don't overthink. Trust your ability, experience, and teammates. 

FAA. Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward kept a sign on his desk, "FAA." That didn't mean Federal Aviation Administration. "Focus, act aggressively." Good advice for authors and MVB. 

"Fall in love with easy." Keep the ball up; put the ball down." 

"The neighborhood." Mr. Rogers advised, "look for the helpers." Play for the girls next to you. Have their backs. 

"O reason, not the need." - Shakespeare, King Lear   Memories, not recognition. Numerals on a banner represent external recognition for work well done. They can't replace your memories. MVB has done so well that it's hard to keep current. They couldn't fit 2022 on this banner. 

Have fun. "It's the best time of the year."