Newsday Athlete of the Week is Lawrence's Mailo Rozas Catalan

Most days, you'll find Mailo Rozas Catalan on the volleyball court as a setter for Lawrence. But lately, he's also been spotted on the sidelines helping coach the school's girls junior varsity team. 

"I stayed after school before my practice and started doing drills with them," the junior said. "After the second loss (to start the season), I asked the coach, ‘If you need someone to step up, I'm here for you.’ "

After helping the girls’ volleyball team win its first match, Rozas Catalan realized his true ambitions and hopes to become a volleyball coach one day.

"I honestly love coaching volleyball because, as an athlete, I love watching players grow," Rozas Catalan said. “I love watching people play volleyball. It's my favorite sport."

He's good at it, too. Rozas Catalan had 41 assists to lead Lawrence over South Side, 25-21, 15-25, 22-25, 25-14,15-9 on Wednesday. Lawrence lost to South Side in the first round of the playoffs last year, so the win was extra sweet. 

"South Side is a great program, so I was thrilled after the win," Catalan said. "This year, we were able to step up and win."

For his efforts, Rozas Catalan is Newsday's Athlete of the Week. 

Rozas Catalan tried sports such as football and track, but volleyball hit closer to home because he started to play in eighth grade with his sister.

"It's honestly so amazing that I play a big part in this," said his sister Mia, who also played for Lawrence and graduated last year. "I feel like volleyball made us closer to each other, and when in doubt, we will always have each other's backs. As much as I inspire him, he inspires me to become better."

In the first eight games this season, the younger Rozas Catalan has racked up 308 assists, averaging 37 per game.

"This kid eats, sleeps, drinks volleyball," coach George Klein said. "He works so hard. He keeps me after practice for an hour just to work on his game."

In addition to his stellar performance on the court and the sidelines, Rozas Catalan still finds time to maintain his 3.8 GPA and be a member of his school's media club.

"It's a family thing. My mom always told me being a student comes first, and that's been my mentality," Rozas Catalan said. "I always put my grades first. Even if I run low on sleep, I wake up at five in the morning just to study.”

The junior wants to lead the Golden Tornadoes not just to the playoffs but their first county title since 2004.

"I've been saying this for the last couple of months: I want to be the division champion.” Rozas Catalan said. "I want to win divisions badly, I want to be the Division II champions.”