Melrose hosted Arlington at the Middle School and got back on track with a 25-18, 25-15, 25-15 win.
It would have been easy to expect a letdown after Monday's game, but Melrose started slowly and picked up steam en route to a three set win.
Arlington improved with more aggressive play, a big middle hitter, and a willingness to hit back row. The Spy Ponders had early leads at 3-1, 5-3, 7-5, 9-6, and 11-8 before Melrose got even at 12 and began putting some real estate in at 15-12. Leading 20-18, Melrose benefited from a service error and then Maave Moriarty finished with a service run to ice the set.
Melrose had eight kills, including a trio from Meri Lessing and a pair from Victoria Crovo and Allie Nolan.
Set two saw Melrose lead box to wire. The Lady Raiders led early at 4-2 with a pair of kills from Marissa Cataldo, and got up 9-5 before Arlington came within one at 9-8 and 11-10, only to see another service error be a springboard to a five point Melrose edge at 15-10. But the visitors hung around trailing 15-13, and 16-14 before yet another service error left them too damaged to recover, as Melrose finished with a 9-1 burst.
Melrose rode ten kills to the set win with three by Meri, two by Annalisa DeBari and Allie, and the early pair from Marissa. They were service error free in set two.
Set three saw Melrose dominate with a 10-1 opening salvo, and a lead of 14-5 making an Arlington comeback improbable. Arlington got within five at 17-12, but Melrose ran out the string with an 8-3 close, with better offense. Meri added another three kills, Victoria added a pair, and Allie, Marissa, Ashley Harding, and Hannah Mulcahy each added one.
Game notes: Rebuilding the offense is a work in progress. Overall communication takes time and practice, and creeping incrementalism is Melrose's friend. Injuries, illness, and at times inconsistency afford reserves the chance to step in and step up. After three first set service errors, the team had only two for the final sets, and Cassidy Barbaro started to get the service magic working again.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
More Varsity Shots
Images courtesy of Don Norris. Click image to see entire frame.
Melrose hosts Arlington tomorrow at 4:00 P.M.
First Look - Melrose Versus Bishop Fenwick
Don Norris sends over some candids and action shots. Always click the image to see the entire frame.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Game 4: Positive Thinking But Melrose Loses to Fenwick 3-1
Melrose hosted Bishop Fenwick with the ambition of leaving with either a victory or a confidence building performance. Fenwick sought to solidify its belief that they are the top team in the North. A 25-22, 22-25, 25-12, 25-15 Fenwick win gave Fenwick what it needed and Melrose some of what it wanted.
Melrose raced out to an early 8-3 lead, only to see the Crusaders strike back to go up 11-10 behind the outstanding play of middle Kate Lipka. Although the Lady Raiders got the lead back at 14-12, the visitors put on a burst to regain the lead at 17-14. Melrose got even at 17 and 19, but Fenwick had the goods down the stretch, as Melrose had a kill drought late. At 24-22, a Melrose serve sailed long, one of three first set costly service errors.
Melrose (unofficially) had eight first set kills, three from Meri Lessing and a pair from Annalisa DeBari.
Set two saw back-and-forth action early, with ties at 4, 6, 7, and 8 before Fenwick opened up a 15-10 edge. But Melrose closed to 15-14, only to see Fenwick go up 18-16 after a controversial non-call on a block out of bounds. Trailing 19-17, Melrose came on strong with an Allie Nolan kill, followed by a pair of critical kills by freshman Victoria Crovo and a closeout kill by freshman Cat Torpey as Melrose won the set 25-22.
Melrose had fifteen kills for the set including great play by Marissa Cataldo (4), Victoria (4), and Meri (3). Melrose had the momentum.
Set three began innocuously enough, with ties at 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. But Fenwick, behind Lipka and Jen Crovo simply lit up the Lady Raiders with a 17-4 run as Melrose could generate no answers offensively, with a mere five kills for the set.
Set four was almost "deja vu all over again." Ties at 1, 2, and 5 were followed by another Fenwick offensive explosion at the lead widened to 13-5, 18-9, and 23-11. Melrose put on a mini-run late with kills by Ashley Harding and Victoria, but it was too little too late. Meri led the hosts with two kills among Melrose's six.
Game notes: Melrose showed that they could compete with Fenwick, but also struggled to maintain offensive intensity. The comeback in the second set seemed to leave Melrose more drained than energized, and Fenwick's experience and superior hitting from Lipka, Crovo, and Gianna Pizzano were the difference makers.
Melrose's back row had a tiger by the tail fighting off the Fenwick attack, and Fenwick's defense had little trouble with the Melrose tip attack. The better team simply won.
Melrose raced out to an early 8-3 lead, only to see the Crusaders strike back to go up 11-10 behind the outstanding play of middle Kate Lipka. Although the Lady Raiders got the lead back at 14-12, the visitors put on a burst to regain the lead at 17-14. Melrose got even at 17 and 19, but Fenwick had the goods down the stretch, as Melrose had a kill drought late. At 24-22, a Melrose serve sailed long, one of three first set costly service errors.
Melrose (unofficially) had eight first set kills, three from Meri Lessing and a pair from Annalisa DeBari.
Set two saw back-and-forth action early, with ties at 4, 6, 7, and 8 before Fenwick opened up a 15-10 edge. But Melrose closed to 15-14, only to see Fenwick go up 18-16 after a controversial non-call on a block out of bounds. Trailing 19-17, Melrose came on strong with an Allie Nolan kill, followed by a pair of critical kills by freshman Victoria Crovo and a closeout kill by freshman Cat Torpey as Melrose won the set 25-22.
Melrose had fifteen kills for the set including great play by Marissa Cataldo (4), Victoria (4), and Meri (3). Melrose had the momentum.
Set three began innocuously enough, with ties at 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. But Fenwick, behind Lipka and Jen Crovo simply lit up the Lady Raiders with a 17-4 run as Melrose could generate no answers offensively, with a mere five kills for the set.
Set four was almost "deja vu all over again." Ties at 1, 2, and 5 were followed by another Fenwick offensive explosion at the lead widened to 13-5, 18-9, and 23-11. Melrose put on a mini-run late with kills by Ashley Harding and Victoria, but it was too little too late. Meri led the hosts with two kills among Melrose's six.
Game notes: Melrose showed that they could compete with Fenwick, but also struggled to maintain offensive intensity. The comeback in the second set seemed to leave Melrose more drained than energized, and Fenwick's experience and superior hitting from Lipka, Crovo, and Gianna Pizzano were the difference makers.
Melrose's back row had a tiger by the tail fighting off the Fenwick attack, and Fenwick's defense had little trouble with the Melrose tip attack. The better team simply won.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Preview Bishop Fenwick at Melrose
Bishop Fenwick (2-1) returns an experienced team against the relatively youthful Lady Raiders. Fenwick brings eight seniors looking to become the top dog in the North. Fenwick has scheduled a tough non-conference schedule including a pair against D2 titan Medfield and two with D3 power Lynnfield. Senior Kate Lipka is their offensive leader with 33 kills in the team's first three matches. The Fenwick-St. Mary's results are not available.
The Monday night (6:30 P.M.) game at the Middle School presents Melrose with the toughest challenge of its early campaign.
Coach Adam DeBaggis has built a strong program that can compete perennially in both league and Division 2 play. Adam also coached the regional Bay State Games squad so is very familiar with the Melrose roster and style of play.
Maxpreps.com gives you a statistical preview.
The Monday night (6:30 P.M.) game at the Middle School presents Melrose with the toughest challenge of its early campaign.
Coach Adam DeBaggis has built a strong program that can compete perennially in both league and Division 2 play. Adam also coached the regional Bay State Games squad so is very familiar with the Melrose roster and style of play.
Maxpreps.com gives you a statistical preview.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Melrose - Belmont Photoessay
Photographs courtesy of Don Norris...always click the image to see the entire frame. Don captures the essence of the play and the effort, but couldn't show the brutal heat from Wednesday's match against Belmont.
Annalisa DeBari fires away as the defense stands ready to react.
Melrose is constantly evolving with a blend of experience and youth. Senior Jill MacInnes (19) and Juniors Allie Nolan (18) and Amanda Cain (6), with Sophomore Hannah Mulcahy (11).
Freshman Victoria Crovo attacks at the net.
Hands. From left, Jill, Annalisa, and Marissa Cataldo.
Alyssa Abbott
Ashley Harding (14) serves and later the team huddles up.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Standings
Burlington defeated Reading yesterday to remain in an ML tie for first place.
Maxpreps.com comes out with rankings after a few weeks have been played, incorporating records and strength of schedule in their calculus.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Game 3: Melrose 3 Belmont 0
Melrose hosted Belmont looking to extend its Middlesex League streak to two and build some momentum to face Bishop Fenwick on Monday. The Lady Raiders did the former but in the brutal heat (over 90 degrees in the gym) they lacked their usual crispness at times in winning 25-10, 25-15, 25-21.
With a mostly rebuilt offense (Annalisa DeBari the only regular hitter returning), expecting a well-oiled machine in the second week of the season is unreasonable. But I suspect Coach Scott Celli was not pleased with the level of intensity as the match progressed.
There were a few silver linings in the match. Maave Moriarty was very solid in the back row, Annalisa and Marissa Cataldo had some solid attacks from the strong side, and Hannah Mulcahy provided some aggressive offense from the middle in the final frame.
The match had a pedestrian enough beginning with Melrose out to a quick 10-2 lead including a pair of aces from Jill MacInnes and two kills from Annalisa. Belmont struck back with three, but Melrose answered with seven to go up 17-5. The Lady Raiders then coasted to a 25-10 edge, led by a trio of kills for freshman Victoria Crovo and Annalisa, and a pair for Marissa. They played the set service error free.
Set two was more of the same with Melrose going up 9-0, highlighted by two Maave aces, and a pair of kills for Meri Lessing and Marissa. Belmont closed to 10-5 but Melrose responded with a 10-2 run to go up 20-7, only to see Belmont outscore them 8-5 down the stretch. Meri had three kills for the set to lead.
The final stanza was close for the majority of play, with ties at 1,2,3,4,8,11,12,13,14,15, and 16, before Belmont went up 19-16. Melrose couldn't put together any runs and Coach Celli had a decision as to whether to take a timeout or let the team play through adversity. He chose the latter, and the team ran off a 9-2 spurt to close out the win. Annalisa was big down the stretch with three kills for the set and sophomore Marissa Cataldo also added a triple. At 22-21, Hannah had a "Blash" from the middle that opened up a little breathing room.
Game summary: In this morning's "Psychology Lesson" I explored the impact of imbalance between skill and the expected challenge. Melrose played a bit flat, Belmont gave a great effort, and the team may have been caught looking forward to their big clash with Fenwick. Add in a dose of heat and humidity (same for both teams) and Melrose escaped with a cheap lesson in humility.
The team now has some time available for valuable practice to prepare for some big games in the near future.
With a mostly rebuilt offense (Annalisa DeBari the only regular hitter returning), expecting a well-oiled machine in the second week of the season is unreasonable. But I suspect Coach Scott Celli was not pleased with the level of intensity as the match progressed.
There were a few silver linings in the match. Maave Moriarty was very solid in the back row, Annalisa and Marissa Cataldo had some solid attacks from the strong side, and Hannah Mulcahy provided some aggressive offense from the middle in the final frame.
The match had a pedestrian enough beginning with Melrose out to a quick 10-2 lead including a pair of aces from Jill MacInnes and two kills from Annalisa. Belmont struck back with three, but Melrose answered with seven to go up 17-5. The Lady Raiders then coasted to a 25-10 edge, led by a trio of kills for freshman Victoria Crovo and Annalisa, and a pair for Marissa. They played the set service error free.
Set two was more of the same with Melrose going up 9-0, highlighted by two Maave aces, and a pair of kills for Meri Lessing and Marissa. Belmont closed to 10-5 but Melrose responded with a 10-2 run to go up 20-7, only to see Belmont outscore them 8-5 down the stretch. Meri had three kills for the set to lead.
The final stanza was close for the majority of play, with ties at 1,2,3,4,8,11,12,13,14,15, and 16, before Belmont went up 19-16. Melrose couldn't put together any runs and Coach Celli had a decision as to whether to take a timeout or let the team play through adversity. He chose the latter, and the team ran off a 9-2 spurt to close out the win. Annalisa was big down the stretch with three kills for the set and sophomore Marissa Cataldo also added a triple. At 22-21, Hannah had a "Blash" from the middle that opened up a little breathing room.
Game summary: In this morning's "Psychology Lesson" I explored the impact of imbalance between skill and the expected challenge. Melrose played a bit flat, Belmont gave a great effort, and the team may have been caught looking forward to their big clash with Fenwick. Add in a dose of heat and humidity (same for both teams) and Melrose escaped with a cheap lesson in humility.
The team now has some time available for valuable practice to prepare for some big games in the near future.
Psychology Lesson
Life moves quickly. Step back periodically, take a moment to reflect about where you are and where you are going. Sometimes you will arrive at your destination more effectively with careful planning than furious effort.
On the road to mastery, what is the best route? There's a strong argument that it begins with FUN, the enjoyment of an activity, followed by COMPETENCE, and then EXPERTISE.
But balancing the input between ability and degree of difficulty matters. When ability far exceeds challenge, the result is BOREDOM. When challenge far exceeds ability, the result is ANXIETY. Finding a middle ground, where FLOW occurs, is the great challenge. FLOW is that zone where the greatest learning takes place, where we become lost in events and time is secondary, and seemingly EFFORTLESS activity takes place.
Building COMPETENCE takes time, but achieving EXPERTISE takes even more. Furthermore, competence is subdivided into PRIMARY and SECONDARY competence, think about it as routine and ADAPTIVE competence. Primary competence is adequate to meet the usual challenges, but experts in a field go far beyond that, with the ability to succeed in unscripted circumstances because of unusual experience and expertise.
"As soon as you've got THE formula, you should be concerned." - Robert Wolcott
When you have a question or concern or a possibility, WRITE IT DOWN.
On the road to mastery, what is the best route? There's a strong argument that it begins with FUN, the enjoyment of an activity, followed by COMPETENCE, and then EXPERTISE.
But balancing the input between ability and degree of difficulty matters. When ability far exceeds challenge, the result is BOREDOM. When challenge far exceeds ability, the result is ANXIETY. Finding a middle ground, where FLOW occurs, is the great challenge. FLOW is that zone where the greatest learning takes place, where we become lost in events and time is secondary, and seemingly EFFORTLESS activity takes place.
Building COMPETENCE takes time, but achieving EXPERTISE takes even more. Furthermore, competence is subdivided into PRIMARY and SECONDARY competence, think about it as routine and ADAPTIVE competence. Primary competence is adequate to meet the usual challenges, but experts in a field go far beyond that, with the ability to succeed in unscripted circumstances because of unusual experience and expertise.
"As soon as you've got THE formula, you should be concerned." - Robert Wolcott
When you have a question or concern or a possibility, WRITE IT DOWN.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Melrose-Winchester Photoessay from Don Norris
Always click photos to see the entire frame.
Something to Think About
Rankings are either one person's or a group of people's opinion about 'relative' position. They are opinions, they are not facts. Facts come about from head-to-head comparison.
On the path to expertise, we must first become competent, able to meet the expected 'usual' demands of our task. Consider this:
For the first lesson, I want you to play over every column of Modern Chess Openings, including the footnotes. And for the next lesson, I want you to do it again.
- Bobby Fischer's assignment to biographer Frank Brady, who had requested chess lessons
The road to mastery is a hard, but not necessarily well-traveled one. It demands commitment, determination, discipline, faith, and patience. The Olympic gold medal skater is she who has accepted twenty-thousand falls along the way. To earn mastery, you must willingly pay the price far beyond what almost everyone else values.
"Ordinary competence comes from familiarity with a field; the competence of experts is born of intimacy." - Dr. Brett Steenbarger, Enhancing Trader Performance
On the path to expertise, we must first become competent, able to meet the expected 'usual' demands of our task. Consider this:
For the first lesson, I want you to play over every column of Modern Chess Openings, including the footnotes. And for the next lesson, I want you to do it again.
- Bobby Fischer's assignment to biographer Frank Brady, who had requested chess lessons
The road to mastery is a hard, but not necessarily well-traveled one. It demands commitment, determination, discipline, faith, and patience. The Olympic gold medal skater is she who has accepted twenty-thousand falls along the way. To earn mastery, you must willingly pay the price far beyond what almost everyone else values.
"Ordinary competence comes from familiarity with a field; the competence of experts is born of intimacy." - Dr. Brett Steenbarger, Enhancing Trader Performance
The Usual Suspects
Melrose hosts Belmont tomorrow in the Middle School in the final game of the week. This will afford the team some extra practice and allow players who are "nicked up" to recover.
Yesterday, for the most part, it was the "usual suspects", Reading, Burlington, and Stoneham who emerged with opening day Middlesex League wins.
Monday, September 09, 2013
JV Shots
Photos courtesy of Jeff Mate' (for many more, link = http://www.jeffreymatephoto.
Click to see entire frame.
Click to see entire frame.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
