One of the reasons Glenbard East has been so successful is chemistry. One only needs to see the Rams huddle, start jumping up and down and break into Kernkraft 400's "Zombie Nation" to understand their togetherness.
Somewhere in the middle is Dan Mader, the 2008 Sun-Times boys volleyball Player of the Year.
"I don't know how that started," Mader said. "It's just been tradition. Our whole team is pretty loud. The guys are always doing something crazy. But I'm not usually a rah-rah type of person. I'm more laid back."
It's his coolness that helped Mader, a senior setter/outside hitter, become the top player in the area and the leader of the most successful team in school history.
Mader had a team-high 203 kills, 388 assists, 67 blocks, 33 aces and 72 digs.
"To be a team leader, you need to have commitment, confidence, composure and character," Glenbard East coach Marci Maier said. "Dan has been committed to excellence from the get-go. He shares his skills with his teammates to help develop younger players."
Mader, who committed to Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, also has set a high standard for future Glenbard East players.
"He is one of the best players to have gone through the program," Maier said, "and has reset the standard of excellence."
Mader, for his part, says the other members of his team make his job easy.
"We have more talent at each position than we did when I was a sophomore, and we have real good team chemistry," Mader said. "We're very positive, very supportive of each other. We have fun together."
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