Athlete of the Week: Marist's Mead Makes a Triumphant Return

Marist's boys volleyball team continued its strong play by taking first place in the Brother Rice Smack Attack tournament on Saturday.

Middle blocker Jim Mead led the way for the RedHawks, racking up 49 kills in five matches, as Marist improved to 20-3 on the season.

“(Mead) can really play the game,” Marist coach Bob St. Leger said. “He’s not just a hitter or a blocker. He can pass, serve and he’s really grown up over the last couple years to become a great player.”

Earlier in the week, Mead came back from a knee injury to help lead the RedHawks to a . Mead didn’t play in Marist’s trip to Ohio last weekend because of the injury.

Following Marist's championship victory over Glenbrook North on Saturday afternoon at Saint Xavier, Mead said the knee felt pretty good. He was also enjoying the first-place finish in a tournament that included such talented competition as Sandburg, Buffalo Grove and Brother Rice.

“It’s a big win; there were a lot of good teams in (the tournament),” Mead said. “But we have to keep on looking forward.”