Mead Girl's Volleyball Team Breaks 30 Year Record

Mead Junior High athletes from the girl's 8th grade volleyball team are graduating this month. They are leaving the Mead halls but leaving something incredible behind: A sports record for the history books.

They were part of the first Mead team in 30 years to win back to back conference championships.

Coach Brian Donlan, Physical Education and Health Teacher, has been coaching at Mead for 8 years. His dedication to the girls over the past two years shows in their success. He is unpretentious and so are the girls.

"The thing that made this team unique was that they were so humble and positive," says Coach Donlan. "They just lived in the moment and never got too far ahead of themselves when it came to the success the team was experiencing during the past two years."

As a volleyball mom who attended most of their games over these past two years, I can attest to how true this is. When other teams chanted cheers in unison and came to the court with a bold presence, the Mead Mustangs were always a bit more unassuming. It was almost as if they didn't realize how great they were playing. What was so special about it is that they always focused on working together as a team, encouraging each other and bouncing back from any setbacks. This is what kept their momentum as winners, game after game.

The girls had a two season record of 19-2. They were undefeated in their 7th grade season, also leaving that season as 1st place tournament winners. They designed their own conference championship T-shirts each year of play and had a custom volleyball made for Coach Donlan with a picture of them holding their championship trophy.

This was the first time some of these girls played volleyball for a team. Others had played rec ball in the Hoffman Estates house league. And some have gone on to play at the club level. Many of them plan to take part in the Conant volleyball camp this summer and try out for the Conant team in August.

Happy graduation, Mead eighth-graders! And thank you, Coach Donlan, for making the experience so unforgettable for the Mead girls' volleyball team. It's this experience that has made the prospect of playing at the high school level so much more exciting. Hope you come out to see them play at Conant.