Cut from baseball, Madan Sundaram stars for Lincoln-Way East volleyball. ‘One of the best liberos in the state.'
Lincoln-Way East's Madan Sundaram started to play baseball when he was 4.
Sundaram was coached by his mother, Lisa, then played travel ball and loved the sport. But he was cut as a freshman in high school.
'I was crushed,' he said. 'I got home and went in my room and I was sulking. I was so sad.'
Two or three days later, Sundaram was contacted by coach Kris Fiore to try out for the Griffins' storied boys volleyball program.
'At that time, I'd never touched a volleyball in my entire life,' Sundaram said. 'But I said, 'I'm in.'''
He has developed into what Fiore calls 'one of the best liberos in the state.'
On Saturday, Sundaram was named to the all-tournament team of the 33rd annual Lincoln-Way East Invitational as the Griffins finished second in the 24-team event. Glenbard West knocked off Lincoln-Way East 24-26, 25-8, 25-20 in the championship match.
Matthew Muehlnickel led the Griffins (19-3) with seven kills and seven digs, while Carter Geiger contributed seven kills and Joey Abbeduto added five. Sundaram chipped in with three digs, Dylan Nanney tallied 13 assists and Will Hubatch had 11 assists.
Back in 2022, Fiore was intrigued when Sundaram was out of the baseball picture.
'My son (Evan) played baseball with his brother,' Fiore said of Sundaram. 'When I found out he didn't make the baseball team, I hunted him down because he was a good athlete.
'He's been a great player, so it worked out well.'
Brother Rice (20-5) finished fourth after dropping a 26-16, 14-25, 15-6 semifinal decision to the Griffins and a 25-21, 25-19 decision to Downers Grove North.
Sundaram, Lincoln-Way West's Andrew Flores, Lincoln-Way Central's Dylan Brannigan, Brother Rice's Oliver McNichols and Lockport's Ryan Dziadkowiec also made the 18-player all-tournament team.
Defending champion Marist did not enter the tournament but sent its JV team. The young RedHawks raised a few eyebrows winning the Bronze Division, beating the varsity teams of Wheaton St. Francis, Hinsdale Central and Yorkville on Saturday.
Still, the weekend spotlight shined on Sundaram. And even though he never picked up a volleyball before entering Lincoln-Way East, he has worked at his craft.
'If you have those two skills of being willing to work and being athletic, volleyball is a game you can pick up and evolve quickly,' Fiore said. 'And he has done that.'
Sundaram looked at the sport as a second chance in his athletic career.
'I was so grateful for the opportunity that I tried my butt off every single practice,' Sundaram said. 'No matter how I felt or what day of the week it was or what happened the day before, I always tried to be the best that I could be.
'I tried to treat everything like it was the state championship.'
The Griffins have developed state championship aspirations. The first week of the season, they beat Glenbard West 26-24, 2-25, 25-21 in Glen Ellyn.
After rallying from a 20-15 deficit in the first game Saturday, Lincoln-Way East got destroyed in the second game but played the Hilltoppers (21-3) tight in the finale.
Starting right-side hitter Grant Urban, who also plays football, missed the tournament as he was involved in a national kicking competition in Las Vegas.
Sundaram said that he wrestled with the choice of playing sanctioned volleyball in college or going the club route as Illinois and he chose the latter.
'I had a couple of phone calls and a lot of emails,' he said. 'I'm good at volleyball, but I'm a better student. I can get a better education and a better college experience at a bigger university.
'U of I has been my dream school. Both of my parents went there. I have five U of I jerseys. I love the school.'
Originally Published: May 5, 2025 at 11:07 AM CDT
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
10 high school takeaways from Friday, when the boys' tennis semifinals solidified and Dedham hired a football coach
1. Boys' tennis semifinals Fourteen of the 16 semifinalists have been determined, and all four No. 1 seeds are still dancing. The only seed lower than No. 7 is No. 13 Latin Academy, which took down No. 5 Medfield, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. The field: Division 1 No. 5 Concord-Carlisle vs. No. 1 St. John's Prep No. 6 Lexington vs. No. 2 Acton-Boxborough Division 2 No. 4 Duxbury vs. No. 1 Hopkinton No. 7 Westborough vs. No. 3 Sharon Division 3 No. 13 Latin Academy vs. No. 1 Bedford Advertisement No. 2 Martha's Vineyard vs. No. 6 Weston/No. 3 Newburyport Division 4 No. 5 Cohasset vs. No. 1 Manchester Essex Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up No. 7 Sturgis West vs. No. 7 Mystic Valley/No. 2 Lynnfield 2. Rugby finals set With top-seeded Hanover's 64-5 demolition of Algonquin in the Division 2 semifinals, all three rugby championship matchups are solidified: No. 2 Xaverian and No. 1 BC High will face off in Division 1, and No. 2 Brookline and No. 1 Hanover battle for the Division 2 crown, both on June 14 at Curry College. No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury faces No. 1 Belmont in the girls' rugby championship game, also June 14 at Curry College. Algonquin junior Preston Biamou is pulled down during a 64-5 semifinal loss at Hanover. Laura White/Algonquin High School 3. Upset city With the two boys' volleyball Cinderella's, No. 26 Barnstable and No. 27 Taunton, both seeing their fairy-tale runs end in the Division 1 quarterfinals, there is now just one team seeded in the 20s remaining across all sports, and that's No. 21 Bishop Fenwick girls' tennis, which topped No. 13 Danvers, 3-2, Friday to advance to the Division 3 semifinals. Related : Advertisement The first big upset of the girls' tennis tournament saw No. 8 Winchester knock off No. 1 Boston Latin, so far the only No. 1 tennis seed to falter thus far. And in softball, sixth-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury handed No. 3 King Philip a 4-1 loss in the quarterfinals, making the Warriors the highest-seeded team to be bounced from the softball brackets to date. 4. Three stars Erin O'Day , Uxbridge — The junior, who is committed to UMass, was sensational, striking out 20 in a 1-0 one-hitter against Abington, and scoring the game's only run. She now has 47 strikeouts in three playoff games. Simon Vardeh , Newton North — The senior caught fire, slamming down a career-high 36 kills, including eight in a row during a stretch in the second set, to lead the Tigers to a 3-1 win over Lexington in the Division 1 quarterfinals. Teammate Paul Nelson dished 50 assists. McCoy Walsh , King Philip — We don't usually put athletes from eliminated teams here, but the junior did her best to keep the Warriors playing, striking out 14 and eclipsing 600 career strikeouts in a 4-1 Division 1 quarterfinal loss to Lincoln-Sudbury. 5. Going, going, gone All four of the day's home runs came from the same game, and represented four of the five runs scored in Nicole Lent launched a pair of shots for L-S, while her older sister, Ashleigh , hit one as well. Not to be left out, KP's only run came on Liv Petrillo's solo blast. Advertisement 6. Daily lacrosse leaderboard Goals Avery Regan , Cohasset, 6 Sadie Lopez , Notre Dame (H), 5 Reese Hansen , Cohasset, 4 Cole Hogencamp , Mansfield, 4 Jill Martin , Chelmsford, 4 Holly Panttila , Norwell, 4 Points Lexi Davos , Norwell, 8 Regan, Cohasset, 8 Kate Greer , Cohasset, 6 Lopez, Notre Dame (H), 5 Panttila, Norwell, 5 7. Daily strikeout leaderboard Erin O'Day , Uxbridge, 20 McCoy Walsh , King Philip, 14 Lila Alvarez , Joseph Case, 13 Elsie Testa , Abington, 8 8. College corner Texas Tech freshman Sam Lincoln , who pitched Taunton to its fourth-straight state championship just 12 months ago, made her College Word Series Finals debut, striking out four in three relief innings as Texas won, 10-4, to capture the national championship. The Red Rangers trailed, 10-0, when Lincoln entered the game in the fourth inning. She didn't allow a hit the rest of the way, walking two. Lincoln a 6-foot lefthander, finished her freshman year with an 8-3 record and 3.65 ERA, striking out 52 in 69 innings. Working!! — Carrie Consalvi (@cmiconsalvi) Northeastern graduate student Will Jones , a Hamilton-Wenham graduate, was chosen as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District 1 Player of the Year. A lefthanded pitcher, Jones went 11-1 with a 2.62 ERA, striking out 75 batters in 72 innings and tossing five shutouts. A first-team All-CAA selection, he was 11-0 with 1.82 ERA entering NCAA Regionals and set a Huskies single-season record for wins. He is the second Northeastern player in a row to win the award, following Peabody native and St. John's Prep graduate Tyler MacGregor . 𝗡𝗖𝗕𝗪𝗔 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝟭 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 Will Jones becomes the second Husky in a row to claim District 1 📝 — Northeastern Baseball (@GoNUbaseball) 9. Coaching carousel Dedham has a new football coach. The Marauders have hired Doug Carilli , most recently the defensive backs coach at Curry College. The Dedham resident, who played at Curry, has also worked at Rivers, Westwood, Weston, Framingham, and BC High, where he was defensive coordinator. Advertisement 'Throughout the selection process, his commitment to the town, his vision for the future of our football program, and his focus on the growth and development of our student-athletes clearly distinguished him from a strong pool of candidates,' the school's athletic department posted on X. We are excited to announce the appointment of Doug Carilli as the new Head Football Coach at DHS. Coach Carilli, a proud Dedham resident, brings a wealth of coaching experience and a deep passion for our community. — DedhamAthletics (@DedhamAthletics) 10. Star list The Eastern Mass. Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Stars were announced Friday. The EMLCA League Reps Committee elected — EMLCA (@EmlcaCoaches) Brendan Kurie can be reached at
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Colgate recruit Kelcie McGraw brushes away adversity as Lockport ousts Lincoln-Way Central. ‘That's good to hear.'
During and after games, senior pitcher Kelcie McGraw is used to getting compliments from her Lockport teammates. The one she received Friday from senior teammate Rheanna Slavicek after the biggest win of her high school career, however, caught her a bit by surprise. Slavicek pointed out that the Colgate recruit was her role model. 'Really? That's good to hear,' McGraw said with a smile. 'I've had little girls say it before, but it means so much to have someone on the team say it. 'I've been told that I'm a leader and people expect me to be a leader. But that has never been said to me.' The role model and her apprentice both made magic for the host Porters in a 2-0 victory in 10 innings over Lincoln-Way Central in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional championship game. McGraw scattered six hits and struck out 11 for the Porters (30-9). Slavicek came through with an RBI triple that broke a scoreless tie. McGraw added an RBI single for the second run. Florida State recruit Lisabella Dimitrijevic struck out 15 for Lincoln-Way Central (34-2). Ellie McLaughlin and Jaimee Bolduc added two hits apiece. Lockport will play Bradley-Bourbonnais (22-12) at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional. Friday's game was a classic in every sense of the word. The Porters produced base runners in six innings, while the Knights had scoring chances in eight. The two staff aces shut the door time after time. 'It's always a good battle between me and her,' McGraw said of Dimitrijevic. 'It's been like that for four years. We've faced her so many times that it could go either way. 'It does get you a little bit nervous, but you can't let the nerves take over.' Lockport broke through in the top of the 10th. Marie Baranowski led off with a sharp single to right. One out later, Slavicek came to the plate and took a 1-2 pitch to the gap in right field. 'It felt unreal,' Slavicek said. 'I had a different approach from my last time at-bat. I was more loose. I didn't overthink what could happen. I just kind of trusted my training.' McGraw was in the hole while Slavicek raced around the bases all the way to third. 'You can always rely on her whether she's in the outfield or at bat,' McGraw said of Slavicek. 'When she hit that ball, I was thrilled. I knew we were going to win from there and move on.' McGraw gave herself an extra cushion with two outs when she grounded a single up the middle to drive in Slavicek. All that remained for McGraw to slay the Lincoln-Way Central giant was get through the bottom of the 10th. It wasn't easy. McGraw retired the eight and nine hitters, but at the top of the order, McLaughlin kept the Knights alive with an infield single. Kayla Doerre then coaxed a walk. That created the final storybook battle between McGraw and Dimitrijevic. First, however, Western Michigan-bound senior catcher Liliana Janeczko made a trip to the circle. 'I told Kelcie, 'It's me and you out here,'' Janeczko saaid. 'I told her to just imagine nobody else out there. And she locked in.' McGraw got Dimitrijevic to hit a pop fly. Senior shortstop Mikayla Cvitanovich then made a nice catch as she ran toward left field. 'That's a team which is really hard to play,' McGraw said. 'Going into this one, we said that the pressure is all on them, not us. I tried not to think too much about it last night. 'When I woke up this morning, I said, 'OK, we're set. We're ready.''
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Sisterly solution: Nicole and Ashleigh Lent power Lincoln-Sudbury softball to first Division 1 semifinals
It was an afternoon the Lent family will never forget. Thanks to their massive contributions, sixth-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury downed No. 3 King Philip, 4-1, in the Division 1 quarterfinals to clinch the program's first semifinal appearance. 'That sister connection is really something special, especially with those two,' said Lincoln-Sudbury coach Devan Morrison. 'They are each other's best friends and biggest fans.' Lincoln-Sudbury players celebrate with the program's first state semifinalist trophy. Barry Chin/Globe Staff In a softball-obsessed family where they live and breathe the game, dinner conversations revolve around happenings on the diamond after attending each other's hitting lessons. Advertisement 'There's always been this competitive fire,' said Nicole. 'We push each other to be the very best player that we can be. I am not the player that I am today without her.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up During the playoffs, each game could be their last together before Ashleigh leaves to play at Trinity College. They're are making the most of their opportunity. McCoy Walsh struck out 14 for King Philip, including the 600th whiff of her career. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Nicole reached base in all four appearances, walking twice. Ashleigh's double in the fifth inning plated senior Claire Gaeta for a much-needed insurance run, as junior McCoy Walsh (14 strikeouts) hummed in the circle for the Warriors (20-4). Walsh eclipsed 600 career strikeouts in the loss. Kelsey Blanchette, a senior committed to UMass, scattering five hits and a walk, fanning five. Her only blemish was a solo shot off the bat of Providence-bound Liv Petrillo. Advertisement 'She has worked so hard for so long — she's not willing to lose at this point,' said Ashleigh Lent. 'That drive is so hard to come by, and she has it. This team is nowhere near where we are without Kelsey in the circle.' Kelsey Blanchette was dominant for L-S, allowing just a solo home run while striking out five. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Morrison stood by home plate after the game, hands on her head in disbelief. The senior class stuck together, building up after missing the playoffs their freshman campaign. 'I could cry,' said Morrison. 'It's so surreal.' 'Just to have the grit and the heart of this senior class, top down, is the most surreal thing,' she continued. 'This is so cool. I can't put words to it.' L-S coach Devan Morrison congratulates her team, which is in the state semifinals just three years removed from missing the playoffs entirely. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Division 4 State Joseph Case 5, East Bridgewater 1 — A complete-game masterclass from Lila Alvarez (13 strikeouts, 5 hits, 1 run), as well as two hits and two runs scored by Madilyn Botelho, sent the No. 4 Cardinals (17-6) past No. 5 East Bridgewater (18-5) and back to the semifinals as their hunt for a three-peat rolls on. Cam Kerry can be reached at
