Adria Vargas missed last season for the Sayville girls volleyball team with an ACL tear, but it wasn't a complete loss. The outside hitter helped coach Debra Urso run drills, track stats for the season and in the process, grew as a person and a player.

"It was really hard. I had to watch everyone play and go to physical therapy, but during that time, I got to help and lead the team on the sidelines," said Vargas, now a senior. "I learned a lot about myself that I can push through this challenge, which helped me understand the mental part of the game."

Said Urso, "After her surgery, she came to every single practice and was a voice for the girls. Even though she wasn't physically playing, she was sharing her knowledge and was like an assistant coach."

Vargas came back motivated more than ever for her senior year. She leads Suffolk in aces (42) for the season and is second in kills (130). Vargas had 12 kills and 14 aces in a 25-21, 25-17, 25-13 victory against Glenn to keep Sayville's undefeated streak alive on Tuesday. For her efforts, Vargas is Newsday's Athlete of the Week.

"She had a phenomenal game. She was energetic and went after every ball," Urso said. "She never started to question or falter any of her abilities, she was lights-out from the pin and helped guide our team the rest of the way."

Urso added: "You tell Adria one thing, and she will adjust. Everything you tell her she will adjust and work on, and that's what makes her such a skilled player."

Vargas's impact doesn't just show only on the court but also in her passion for helping improve the environment.

She is a part of the Research and Science Engineering program at her school and worked on a project making a water runoff filtration system made of woodchip and biochar. The project ultimately won a $2,500 research grant to complete the project. Vargas wants to major in environmental science to continue to help the environment in different ways.

"I live right by the water, seeing dead fish washed up on the shore saddens me to see our environment deteriorating quickly," she said. "I want to help in any way I can."

Vargas has committed to the University of Scranton and will play volleyball.

"I'm really excited," she said. "I love being part of a team, so I am excited to continue that for college."

Vargas is confident that the Golden Flashes can three-peat as county champs. And she eagerly wants to bring the Long Island Championship to Sayville after falling short twice in back-to-back years.

"After losing LICs two years in a row, it hurts," Vargas said. "But it motivates us even more to push even harder and get better to finally obtain the title."