Updated Power Rankings

Power rankings reflect winning, margin of victory, and strength of opponents. Beating weak teams generally not beneficial.  

KIA KAHA: You Are Enough

James Kerr's "Legacy" explains the legacy of the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team. It blends the old and the new, the influence of Maori culture on their legacy. 

Kia kaha is a Māori expression meaning "Be strong," "Stay strong," or "Keep going." Two words. A powerful message. What does strength look like?

Is it size, speed, athleticism, or talent? The Strong feel fear, make mistakes, and suffer disappointment.

Everyone knows adversity. We define our response to it. 

Every team has an identity. Some teams rely on exceptional talent. Others distinguish themselves through intelligence, toughness, and teamwork.

"Who are we when things aren't going our way?" When we're winning comfortably, communication comes easily. Confidence grows. Everyone celebrates.

What happens when we fall behind? When an opponent scores five consecutive points? When a teammate misses a serve at 23-23? Be the same team regardless of situation - focus, togetherness, toughness.

Kia kaha.

This is who you are.

Resilience isn't pain-free. It recognizes disappointment without surrendering to it. 

• A missed serve is an event, not an identity.
• A lost set is information, not a prophecy.
• A formidable opponent presents a challenge, not a verdict.

We cannot undo the previous point. Learn from it and prepare for the next. Resilience isn't simply "bouncing back." It's learning to respond better the next time.

Mental toughness isn't a speech.

I can say, "You are what your record says you are...a good team, not a perfect team."

You won't be perfect because nobody is. 

This is mental toughness.

• Concentration. Focus on the next play, not the last one.

• Composure. Control your response when the game becomes uncomfortable.

• Courage. Make the right play without fear of failure.

• Connection. Support teammates always.

• Consistency. Maintain standards. "Hit the next ball to me."

Toughness isn't noise, theatrics, or false bravado. Execute what you've practiced when pressure makes execution difficult.

Toughness is what you do, not what you say.

Consider two statements. "We need to be tougher" and "We are a tough team."

Choose the latter. 

But expectations need evidence. Identity develops through behavior. Do hard better. 

The standard is the standard. We don't lower it because we're tired. We don't abandon it because we're trailing. And we don't need permission from anyone to live by it.

Individual toughness matters. Collective toughness wins.

When one teammate struggles, others help. When opponents create pressure, we raise our competitive level. When fatigue comes, we trust our preparation.

Knowing that the person beside you will compete, communicate, and support you. You don't carry the load alone.

As the season becomes more demanding, we'll see tough opponents, unfavorable calls, and mistakes.

When hard times come, choose to fight. Trust your preparation, embrace the challenge, and compete together. Confidence says, "I believe." Identity says, "This is what we do." We don't need to be heroes.We need to be ourselves.

Kia kaha. Be strong. Keep going. 

Don't challenge yourself to be someone you aren't. You are enough. 

"On to Cincinnati"

Focus on the present. Bill Belichick was there for the smoke...and look what happened.

Losing is painful. There's a hierarchy going from won and played well to won and played poorly, lost and played well, and lost and played poorly.

Failure is feedback. Information is feedback.

The ability to recover quickly from victory or defeat, to work hard physically and mentally to prepare for an opponent, marks mentally resilient teams.

Get on the same page. Find solutions. Work hard. 

"Get back on the horse." 

 

More Musashi Principles for Life

Make friends with the dead.

Coaches are often "rule followers" although everyone's rules are different. Worthy ideas repeat over millennia.  

Here's a list from Threads poster "Traditionalmasculinity." Find some to share with our student-athletes.

21 Rules a Dying Swordsman Left Behind

A week before his death in 1645, Miyamoto Musashi - undefeated in more than 60 duels - wrote 21 principles ("The Way of Walking Alone") for his student.

Musashi developed "two sword fighting" and is considered by many to be the greatest Samurai ever. 60-0 in fights to the death deserves note. I add some annotations in black:

1. Accept everything as it is. Don't argue with reality; adjust your understanding of the world to match it. "Control what you can control" or in market language, "The market is always right."
2. Don't seek pleasure for its own sake. Satisfaction is a byproduct of purpose, not a goal in itself. Wooden, "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable."
3. Never act on a half-conviction. If you're not sure, you're not ready.
4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world. Ego clouds judgment. Take our job seriously but not ourself. People are thinking about us far less than we think.
5. Be detached from desire throughout your life. Attachment makes you easier to control.
6. Never regret what you've done. Learn from it, but don't dwell on it. If we "Always do our best," that leaves less room for regret. Also a restatement of Rohn's, "There are two types of pain - the pain of discipline and the pain of regret." 
7. Never be jealous. Jealousy punishes the one who feels it. 
8. Do not be saddened by separation. People come and go—that is the natural order.
9. Resentment and complaint help no one. Wooden's "Don't whine, don't complain, and don't make excuses."
10. Don't let lust or love govern your decisions. Strong emotions can distort judgment.
11. Have no fixed preferences. Stay open and adaptable.
12. Be indifferent to where you live. Contentment comes from within, not from your surroundings.
13. Don't chase fine food. Eat to live, not live to eat.
14. Let go of possessions you don't need. The lighter your burden, the easier your journey. "Simplify." Revise our teaching, our playbook, our drill book. 
15. Think for yourself. Don't follow tradition simply because it's customary, and don't reject ideas merely because they're unconventional.
16. Don't collect more tools than you'll master. Depth of skill is better than accumulation. "Excel at what we do a lot."
17. Do not fear death. Fear weakens judgment and action.
18. Don't hoard wealth for an uncertain future. Be prudent without becoming consumed by accumulation.
19. Respect the divine, but never depend on it in place of your own effort. How many times we were taught, "The Lord helps those who help themselves."
20. Guard your honor above your own body. 
21. Never stray from the Way. "We make our habits and our habits make us." 

Final Reflection:
Musashi wrote these principles near the end of his life, refining his own philosophy. The work of self-improvement is never finished until life is over.

Lagniappe. Pressure is a privilege. Everything is feedback. 

Lagniappe 2. 

 

Game 18: Reading 3 Melrose 0

Chalk.

The ML12 playoffs saw the top seeds win big (3-0) with Reading putting it on Melrose 25-19, 25-16, and 25-12.

The loss drops Melrose to 14-4. 

No excuses. Reading brought their "A" game and outplayed Melrose in every volleyball dimension. Melrose did not play well, in large measure because of Reading's excellence.

No excuses. That is the nature of sports with variable performance. Even if Melrose had played their 'usual' game, Reading had too much 'force' tonight. 

Melrose's Amelie Johnson had one of her best 'early career' games, probably with seven or eight kills.

Melrose returns to action on Wednesday facing Woburn in the consolation round.  

 

In-Season Tournament - Tonight

Middlesex League 12 In-season Tournament Tonight 

 

It's On - Tonight at 6:15 at Reading

"Oh, a storm is threatening..."

Melrose returns to Hawkes Fieldhouse where Reading swept them 26-24, 25-23, 26-24 on September 8th.

No doubt that both return as different teams regarding players, strategies, and operations. 

Scores and statistics don't carry over. And it's not "win or go home" as plenty of volleyball remains on the schedule. 

Every day is showtime. 

Lagniappe. 

ML12 Leaders (via Maxpreps.com) - Note, Melrose played eight more sets than Reading so far this season. 

 ML12 standings. Woburn is fourth in power rankings. 

Three's Magic in the Air

Thinking in 'threes' can help ideas stick. The Navy SEAL operator told his commander, Jocko Willink, to give him three things to remember because he couldn't remember more than that.

The number three has power across cultures. It's also a feature of the rhetorical technique of tricolon. "A tricolon is a rhetorical device consisting of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses delivered in quick succession to create rhythm, emphasis, and a sense of completeness."

• "I came, I saw, I conquered." - Julius Caesar
• "...Duty. Honor. Country." - MacArthur speech to West Point graduates
• "...red, white, and blue."
• The Holy Trinity
• Gold, silver, and bronze medals

Adam Grant wrote the book "Originals." Original ideas can flourish or fail depending on how they're presented, supported, and attacked. What three principles could apply to volleyball? Here are three top ideas from ChatGPT (edited).

We spend hours teaching systems—serve receive patterns, defensive reads, transition timing. But there’s a difference between running a system and understanding it.

The best teams don’t just execute plays.
They improve the plays they execute.

1. Better, Not First

Originals aren’t the first to act. They get it right.

In volleyball, there’s a temptation to chase novelty:

• new serving strategy
• a different tempo
• attack variations

But the edge rarely comes from new. It comes from revision.

A great team asks:

What actually works and how do we do it better? Where are we scoring and where are we allowing points? Have we become predictable and 'vulnerable' to certain attacks?

2. Question the Default

“The way we’ve always done it” is comfortable, worth study. 

Why do we serve that zone?
Why do we make that read?
Why is that our out-of-system choice?

When players begin to ask those questions, something shifts.
They move from 'following directions' to ownership.

Understanding replaces memorization.

3. Explore in Practice, Execute in Matches

Original thinkers generate many ideas - but act on the best ones.

Practice is the laboratory:

• test serve targets
• try different lineups
• explore tempo and spacing

Matches are different. Matches demand discipline. Explore widely. Execute narrowly. Don't think about execution. Execute. 

Every possession asks a question:

Who are you as a team?

A team that waits to be told? Or a team that sees, communicates, and acts?

Original teams aren’t reckless. They are prepared. They think clearly.
They trust each other.

Lagniappe. Most players want to be remembered for what they did. Points. Kills. Stats.

But the game remembers what you give it in the moment.

• the read that changed a rally
• the communication that prevented a breakdown
• the decision that made a teammate better

The best teams don’t just play the game. They understand it.

And that’s what makes them hard to beat.

Lagniappe 2. More teams are attacking "pipe." Coach shares his defensive approach.  

 

Thriller

View on Threads

Be excited, not nervous for the ML12 semifinal match with Reading. 

"Pressure is a privilege." Dr. Victoria Crovo was one of the exceptional all-six players from MVB history. She played another sport in middle school and we recruited her to volleyball. The pitch? "You get to play big games every year."

The in-season ML12 tournament acclimates you to a post-season environment. This week offers a "dress rehearsal" for the tournament.

This is why you play. 

Dirt Dogs: The Players You Want in the Fight

All opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization.

I prompted AI to write a "dirt dog" piece using previous MVB blog articles. This is lightly edited. 

Baseball popularized the term "dirt dog," describing the gritty, relentless players whose uniforms seem perpetually dirty. Think Trot Nixon, Dustin Pedroia, or Kevin Youkilis.

They weren't necessarily the most gifted athletes on the field. But they competed as though every pitch mattered, every out mattered, and every opportunity was worth fighting for.

In volleyball, dirt dogs don't necessarily get dirty. They collect bruises, floor burns, and an occasional dent in their pride.

They do the jobs that need doing, especially when nobody else wants to do them.

Every team needs stars. Exceptional athletes make exceptional plays. They score points, attract attention, and earn recognition.

But winning requires more than stars.

It requires grinders.

What Makes a Dirt Dog?

Dirt dogs combine skill, will, and competitive character.

They aren't simply enthusiastic athletes who run around the court like wolves. Their effort has purpose. They recognize situations, anticipate action, and execute fundamentals.

They make the difficult look routine and refuse to make the routine difficult.

What separates them?

• Relentlessness. They pursue balls that others consider lost. They don't surrender the point before the whistle.

• Accountability. They own mistakes without excuses, blame, or theatrical self-disappointment.

• Toughness. They maintain focus through fatigue, frustration, and adversity. They don't confuse toughness with recklessness.

• Humility. They embrace the unglamorous work of passing, covering hitters, communicating, and defending.

• Coachability. They accept correction as feedback, not an insult.

• Dependability. Their teammates know what they're getting, regardless of the score, opponent, or circumstances.

Dirt dogs don't need ideal conditions to compete.

They leave their comfort zone. They live in the heat. 

The Dirty Work

Volleyball rewards the spectacular. Thunderous kills, stuff blocks, and aces produce applause.

But consider what makes those plays possible.

A serve-receive passer absorbs a difficult serve and delivers a playable ball. A setter chases an imperfect pass and creates an attacking opportunity. A teammate covers a blocked ball, keeping the possession alive.

Sometimes the most important play is the one that makes the next play possible.

No fireworks. No standing ovation. Just competence, effort, and responsibility.

The scoreboard records the point. It doesn't always reveal who made the point possible.

Dirt dogs understand that distinction.

They don't need to win every moment of recognition. They want to win the rally.

Toughness Is More Than Effort

Anyone can announce that they're tough.

Dirt dogs bring receipts.

They prepare. They communicate. They anticipate. They arrive ready to compete.

They don't spend energy negotiating with adversity.

A poor call? Next play.

A missed serve? Next play.

A teammate's mistake? Encourage her. Next play.

Down five points? Find a way to win the next possession.

They navigate the difference between being emotion and effectiveness.

And here's an important distinction: effort without execution has limits. A player who dives spectacularly for a ball she could have reached through better anticipation may be displaying hustle, but not necessarily excellent volleyball.

The ultimate dirt dog combines the heart of a competitor with the mind of a problem solver.

She learns to be in the right place before the ball arrives.

When Talent Meets Toughness

Talent matters. Size, strength, athleticism, and skill create opportunities that effort alone cannot manufacture.

We shouldn't pretend otherwise.

But talent doesn't guarantee the willingness to compete when circumstances become unpleasant.

The gifted player who also becomes a dirt dog is particularly dangerous.

She can dominate with athleticism and survive with discipline. She can make the extraordinary play without neglecting the ordinary one.

Some players help you build a lead.

Others help you protect it.

The best do both.

And when a match becomes a contest of wills, when legs grow heavy and the scoreboard reads 23–23, competitive character shines.

Not because the game suddenly changes. Because pressure reveals habits.

Dirt Dogs and Team Culture

Dirt dogs are often culture carriers.

They don't require speeches about accountability. They demonstrate it.

They retrieve equipment, encourage teammates, listen to instruction, and work when nobody is watching.

They can be the best player, the last substitute, the libero, the setter, or an outside hitter.

Their value isn't confined to a position or measured exclusively in playing time. They make teammates better through their example.

There's a reason coaches remember them long after graduation. They may not have filled the record book. They filled a need.

The Choice

As we enter a period of the toughest competition, we face teams with exceptional athletes, talented attackers, and impressive records.

We cannot control their height, speed, skill, or reputation.

We can control our preparation, communication, concentration, and willingness to compete.

We can embrace the difficult work.

We can become harder to play against and easier to play with.

Not everyone can be the tallest, fastest, or most talented player on the floor.

But everyone can pursue the habits of a dirt dog.

It's not about pretending every ball is playable or risking injury to prove a point.

It's about giving your team every reasonable chance, using your skills intelligently and refusing to surrender effort or concentration.

Stars can win rallies. Dirt dogs help win the battles that decide matches.

And when the game is on the line, ask yourself a simple question:

Are you the teammate others want beside them in the fight?

That's the dirt dog standard. Be a dirt dog.

Lagniappe. Talent determines some of what you can do. Competitive character helps determine how much of it you deliver when it matters.

Spotting Character*

*Adapted from my basketball blog.  

MVB has always had a lot of high character teams. That corresponds to your considerable success. High character teams reflect high character players and coaches. 

View on Threads

Win with character and competence.

Nobody wins without coaching, player, and team competence. As Coach K would say, "Basketball is about making plays, not running plays."

Teams benefit from players who are "force multipliers." Those players don't have to be the "most talented," but they catalyze actions:

• Toughness
• Unselfishness
• Work ethic 
• Communication
• Competitive spirit

Teams need those "glue guys" or "captains" with presence. 

Toughness

The sine qua non 'toughness' reference is Jay Bilas's "Toughness" which followed his Sports Illustrated piece. Every player should get a copy. 

Unselfishness

Phil Jackson said, "Basketball is sharing," arguably the greatest hoop quote ever. Sometimes unselfishness appears in the Hoosiers style (Jimmy Chitwood playing Bobby Plump) action. More often it manifests as willing passing, shot selection, hitting the floor, playing both ends of the floor, sacrificing for the team. 

Work Ethic

 Do what you have to do when you don't want to, so you get to do what you want to do later. "Repetitions make reputations." Every successful player and coach is a worker. 

Communication

Organize our thoughts. Tell people what we're going to say, say it, then review what we said. Be specific. Get everyone on the same page, buying in, giving and getting feedback. The 'worst losses' come from failed communication. 

Competitive Spirit

When a team develops as many players committed to success as their coach, special can happen. Competitors connect with their teammates and the fans. They are ordinary people who help others make the extraordinary happen. The LeBron "chase down block" or the Bird-Jordan-Magic era exploits of winners. 

Wooden placed TEAM SPIRIT as one of his 'central row' elements.

Nobody says to fill the team with character alone, necessary but not sufficient. Neglect it at our peril. 

Lagniappe. When I coached 12-14s, I avoided drills that I thought had "higher probability" of causing injury. Everyone doesn't feel the same way or says, "Anything can cause injury." They're right. 

Many coaches on Twitter hate this drill, but we do it every single day. Here’s why: 1. It sets the culture immediately. We once had a recruit watch practice, and after seeing this at the end of warmups he said, “Wow, you guys love defense here.” Exactly. Within the first five minutes of practice, our players know what matters to us, and anyone watching knows too. 2. It creates a standard. A lot of players are more physically capable than they realize, but hesitation gets in the way. When diving on the floor is something you only ask for in a big moment, it feels like a big moment. When you do it every day, it becomes normal. Winning the floor stops feeling heroic and starts feeling expected. De-sensitization is a big part of hustle, 50/50 and toughness. 3. It creates energy. Everyone is moving, yelling, reacting and doing it together. The gym gets loud early, and I’ve always believed the energy you start practice with has a way of bleeding into everything that follows. For 30 seconds, that is a pretty good return. 4. It gives us a small daily dose of movement work. We mix in foot fire, lateral slides and different movement patterns. Is 30 seconds going to transform someone’s agility? No. But small doses repeated every day add up and there is a reaction element to the drill, one leads and all other react. 5. It develops leadership. A different player leads the drill every day, which gives everyone a chance to use their voice, set the standard and take some ownership over the defensive culture instead of everything always coming from the coaches. Is this drill going to magically create a great defensive team? Of course not. But if you can give me many better ways to spend 30 seconds while reinforcing culture, toughness, energy, movement and leadership, I’m listening. Until then, we’ll keep doing it.

— Mike Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) September 21, 2026

 

 

 

 

The "Three Point Play"

Volleyball has an infinite number of variabilities leading to different sequences and outcomes.

Sadie Smith's 'second ball' on this play leads to a series of Melrose points.  

15-13. The immediate point off an Amelie Johnson smash. 

16-13. Dani DiGiorgio aces the serve. 

17-13. Elise cleans up another point. 

Sadie's single saving play scripts three points...winning volleyball. 

Stats vs Marblehead

Maxpreps.com stats

Attacking:

Kills - Adriana (12), Elise (9), Alisa (9)

Ballhandling:

Assists: Sadie (24), four players with one

Digging:

Digs: - Dani 10,  Alisa 9,  Adriana 8

Serving:

Service points: Adriana (16/21),  Anna (10/16),  Dani (9/15)

Total (45/74)  = 61%

Previewing Melrose at Reading (Monday 10/26/26 at 6:15)

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. Viewer caution for nature videos. 

Age confers few advantages. Aches compound. Memory fades. "Epic confrontations" leave scars.

"Birds are not aggressive creatures."

Birds are descendants of dinosaurs. In modern scientific terminology, birds are not merely related to dinosaurs; they are dinosaurs, belonging to the theropod class known as Avialae.

Predatory birds like eagles, hawks, and ground hunters like the secretary bird use power and precision.

 

Nature says, "It takes what it takes." Birds use different hunting strategies. Larger prey can be beaten. 

Melrose travels to Reading as the underdog. 

Melrose will have to manage "first contact," force Reading "out of system" and limit runs...the same tasks that have allowed MVB to win thirteen of their past fourteen games. 

Remember who you are and who you have been. Volleyball rewards consistency and aggression. Birds are dinosaurs. Play like them and their fictional representations.  

Highlights and Teaching Points

Amelie Johnson with a winner followed by a Dani DiGiorgio ace. 

 

At 18-16 in set one, Alisa Dautovic wins a joust. 

Elise Marchais follows that up with a smash for a winner. 

Early in set two, Adriana Santoriello finds the deep corner with a roll shot on a challenging set. 

Good offense puts the defense (serve receive) at a disadvantage. "Pass, set, hit" becomes an out-of-system attack (pass, pass, hit) which prevents the preferred rhythm and location of attack. 

Defensive coordination includes dampening attacks with better blocking. Getting "hands on" slows the play, allowing the back row to deliver better passes to set the attack. Sadie Smith (like predecessor Leah Fowke) leverages length and athleticism to block. 

Coaches Wear Many Hats*

*Adapted from my basketball blog. 

Wear the hats well. The chef's 'toque' informs the white, pleated hats. Allegedly the hundred pleats represent a hundred ways to cook eggs.

More commonly, we think about wearing different hats not pleats: 

• Life skills teaching 
• Leadership
• Roster construction
• Player development
• Team development
• Offensive strategy
• Defensive strategy
• Situational play
• Game management
• Sport-specific IQ development, video study
• Strength and conditioning
• Motivation and resilience
• Mental health
• Coaching staff development
• Public relations
• Liaison with parents, boosters, fundraisers

In this podcast, Coach Earnshaw lumps these together as structure, skillset, and mindset...listen when you have an hour. 

He also looks at energy, resources, and accountability. As a player, it's a breakthrough when you understand how you complete the puzzle. The best players need small amounts of motivation because they have an abundance of intrinsic motivation. 

Invisibles include "connection, trust, confidence." The best coaches see the invisible...and recognize what's important for both the team and an individual player. 

Among leaders, what are your strengths and needs? Captains have to be willing to embrace coaching as the standard and to radiate that over the squad. 

"Gen Z" athletes, because they want to "understand the why," have to embrace the solutions. 

Leadership Types

Medic - cares for people

Warrior - leads by example

Magician - solves problems

Identity. Who are we? What's our story? 

Purpose. Why are we here? What are our values?

Execution. How will we play? How will we win? 

The model is always evolving. "The best coaches are experimenting all the time." The court is our laboratory. 

What does physicality mean to you? A player like Sabine is physical in a different way than Danni, but I consider both "physical players." 

Excellent players think and solve problems, but don't allow thinking to get in the way of executing. They don't get paralysis by analysis. 

Don't let tactics get in the way of intangibles. There are no "great coaches" who only wage sport via intangibles. Creating advantage includes tactical excellence, too. 

If you have ambition to coach someday, the podcast is worth hearing. Have a "growth process" for each of the elements of the stool (borrowed from my volleyball blog).

Players and teams need to know where they stand...and framing that narrative in the ecosystem of both ego and dependence is a tough job.

Lagniappe. Don't be the Complaint Department. 

John Wooden said, "Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better.

But most leaders make one fatal mistake.

They let the complaining go unchallenged.

Here's why that destroys teams and what you need to know: pic.twitter.com/QC6bWfE0cJ

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) May 19, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Do the work. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tommy Hansen | Vertical Jump Specialist 🚀 (@freestyle_jump_guy)

Game 17: Melrose 3 Marblehead 0

Melrose hosted the Marblehead Magicians (10-4), sweeping the Northeast League leaders 25-16, 25-18, and 25-20.

The win lifted Melrose's record to 14-3, eclipsing last season's 13 wins. In addition, setter Sadie Smith left her mark on the Melrose record book as she tallied her 1000th assist. 

She wasn't the only one helping to put the rabbit back in the hat. Melrose met their goals of aggressive serving, attacking, and preventing runs. 

The first set began close. With Melrose leading 14-13, Amelie Johnson blasted home a winner, followed by a Dani DiGiorgio service run, starting with an ace. 

From 16-13, Melrose closed out the set 9-3 with strong play along the attack line with an abundance of kills from Adriana Santoriello, Elise Marchais, and Alisa Dautovic. 

The second set, as so often happen, Elise Marchais went off with a series of kills, starting with a tip at 3-3. Melrose exploded from 3-3 to an 11-4 edge, triggering a Magician timeout. 

Marblehead got as close at 22-17 where a Scott Celli timeout put out the fire. Sadie Smith had a big block to go up 23-17, followed by a Marblehead attack that went wide. At 24-18 another Marblehead attack went south, closing the set. 

The third set was tied at 14, when Melrose defense triggered a counterattack and Adriana kill. Anna Burns went on a service run, expanding the lead to 19-14, punctuated by another Marchais kill, triggering another timeout. Melrose then coasted to the win. 

Melrose Notes: Melrose goes back in action Monday in the ML12 in-season tournament. #3 seed Melrose faces #2 Reading at Hawkes Field House in Reading at 6:15. 

Congratulations to Sadie, a student-athlete excelling in both the classroom and on the court.