SURFING THE NET

Ryan Millar’s nap is interrupted and, as he fumbles for the phone, he shows none of the dexterity that makes him the best player on perhaps the best college volleyball team in the nation.

After the 6-foot-8 middle blocker leaves his hotel room to meet a visitor in the lobby, he wipes the sleep from his eyes and perks up when the talk turns to volleyball.

One thing becomes clear: To keep pace with Millar, a man in motion on and off the court at Brigham Young, one needs to rise before the sun.

Millar, a senior, has a busy month ahead helping top-ranked BYU (23-1) chase its first national championship before he joins the U.S. National team.

In August, Millar and his wife, Suzanne, will celebrate their second wedding anniversary. The two met as BYU freshmen.

Millar has changed since his days at Highland High, evolving from a shy youngster with unlimited potential into a humorous two-time All-American.

He was college player of the year in his sophomore season and is a strong candidate for the award this year along with George Roumain of Pepperdine.

“It’s kind of mind-boggling to think where I was back then [at Highland] and where I am now,” Millar said. “It’s even more mind-boggling to think where I’ll be in five years.”

Millar begins his quest to play in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, when he starts training with the U.S. team at Colorado Springs, Colo., in mid-May. That’s less than a week after the BYU season ends, if the Cougars make it to the NCAA championship on May 8.

The competition is fierce to win one of possibly four spots at middle blocker. Four middle blockers, including former UCLA All-American Jeff Nygaard, have been practicing with the team for at least two years. Nygaard has been with the team since 1993.

“They’ve gotten ahead of him,” said Coach Carl McGown of BYU. “They’ve been in the gym and competing in international tournaments for the past couple years. The question is whether he can catch up. I don’t know what the probability is of that. It’s not 100%, but it’s not 0% either. I’d say it’s good.”

Millar isn’t concerned with probabilities. Time is on his side.

“Hopefully, they see what I can do and they feel that they can use me [for 2000],” Millar said. “If not, I’m a young guy. There will be other Olympic teams.”

In the meantime, Millar, averaging a conference-best 2.1 blocks per game, has his mind on BYU.

The Cougars, 16-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, defeated Cal State Northridge in three games on Wednesday, completing Millar’s final regular-season trip to the region.

If the Cougars win both matches against UC Santa Barbara this weekend, they clinch home-court advantage throughout the MPSF tournament. The Cougars would like that, since they draw an average of 4,742, second to Hawaii.

Millar said he knows why.

“We come out and put on a good show,” Millar said. “We’ve got a lot of good-looking guys on the team and the girls come out and see us.”

Millar also jokes about Mac Wilson, his road roommate and a former teammate at Highland.

“It’s nice because he doesn’t snore and I’m a light sleeper,” said Millar, who turns serious when asked if he’ll miss BYU.

“It’s kind of sad, but I’ve paid my dues,” he said. “It’s time to win it all and move on.”