Follow
Jonathan Bates | Associate Editor
The Ryan Millar Award is annually given to the nation’s best middle attacker in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season.
The Ryan Millar Award, which is named after the former BYU All-American and U.S. Olympian, and is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
Check out who made Off the Block’s preseason watch list for the Ryan Millar Award for 2020.
Simon Andersen, Long Beach State
All the Danish middle attacker has done is win two national titles in two years at the Beach. After being tabbed with All-American Honorable Mention honors after his freshman season, he was named All-Big West Honorable Mention last year. He led the 2018 team with a .471 attack percentage during his, a program record for a Beach freshman. He followed that up with a team-best .573 attack percentage last year which brings his career attack percentage to .521. Not coincidentally, the Beach ranked tops in attack percentage in 2018, and No. 2 last year. He also has 161 blocks for his career.
Luca Berger, NJIT
Berger ranked No. 6 nationally and tops in the EIVA with a 1.205 blocks per game average last year, after ranking No. 9 in the nation with a 1.128 blocks per game average in 2018. For his career, he has 197 total blocks and a .387 attack percentage. The senior Brazilian was named to the 2019 All-EIVA First Team.
Pedro Carvalho, Lincoln Memorial
The Brazilian led the nation the last two years with 1.541 blocks per game and 1.450 blocks per game respectively. The Railsplitters led the nation as a team with 2.84 blocks per game, while they were third nationally with 2.56 blocks per game last year. For his career he has 374 blocks in 284 games, good for a 1.317 blocks per game average. He has led Lincoln Memorial in attack percentage in all three years in Harrogate, and has a .370 attack percentage for his career.
Felipe de Brito Ferreira, BYU
The Cougars ranked No. 2 in the nation with 2.78 blocks per game in during his freshman year, while ranking No. 6 nationally with 2.46 blocks per game last year. He has the single-match high for any MPSF player in terms of block solos the past two seasons, both in matches versus Pepperdine. The Brazilian became a full-time starter midway through his freshman year, and has 159 blocks and a .498 attack percentage for his career. He has received All-MPSF Honorable Mention honors in each of his first two seasons.
Richie Diedrich, Purdue Fort Wayne
The senior was named to 2019 All-MIVA Second-Team last year after finishing third in the conference with 106 total blocks. Diedrich has 243 total blocks in his three-year career, good for a 0.910 blocks per game average, to go along with 404 career kills on a .305 career attack percentage. He has started in every match he has played except for one match, including all 29 last season.
Wyatt Dimke, McKendree
Dimke’s 0.917 blocks per game helped McKendree to rank No. 7 nationally with 2.41 blocks per game last year. After redshirting in 2017, he has started every in every single McKendree match the last two seasons. He has 275 career kills on a career .344 attack percentage, to go along with 160 career total blocks, good for a 0.838 blocks per game average. He was named to the 2019 All-MIVA First-Team last year.
Jason Donorovich, Penn State
Donorovich was named to All-EIVA First-Team last year after leading the Nittany Lions with 0.350 aces per game, 0.883 blocks per game, and a 0.380 attack percentage; that 0.380 attack percentage led the conference last year. He started in all but one match last season, and tallied double-digit kills in four of those matches.
Patrick Gasman, Hawai’i
Helping Hawai’i to lead the nation last year with 2.62 blocks per game, Gasman has received All-American honors the last two seasons. Gasman’s 1.415 blocks per game was good for No. 2 nationally last year. Gasman’s 0.463 attack percentage also helped the Bows to set a NCAA record with a 0.435 attack percentage. He has started all but two matches in his first seasons in Manoa, including all 58 over the last two. For his career, he has a 1.219 blocks per game average and a .424 attack percentage.
Daenan Gyimah, UCLA
Not only is Gyimah a back-to-back All-American First-Team selection, he is also the reigning back-to-back winner of the Ryan Millar Award. He has started in all but two of UCLA’s matches over the last three seasons, including all 62 over the last two. He recorded 16 double-digit kill matches last year, including a high of 25 kills versus Stanford … His 0.435 attack percentage ranked No. 4 nationally and tops in the MPSF. He also set a school single-match record with a .917 percentage mark at McKendree. During his sophomore year, he led the nation with a 0.528 attack percentage. For his career, he has 754 kills on a 0.481 attack percentage to go along with 80 aces and 290 total blocks.
Tyler Mitchem, Lewis
Lewis ranked No. 4 nationally with 2.55 blocks per game, while also ranking No. 8 nationally with a 0.317 attack percentage. Mitchem led the nation last year with a 0.504 attack percentage, and was second in the conference with a 1.079 blocks per game average. He has started all but three matches in his two season in Romeoville. The junior has 408 kills on a career 0.458 career attack percentage. He also 222 total career blocks, good for a 1.088 blocks per game average. He was named to the 2019 All-American Second-Team and the 2020 Off the Block Preseason All-American Team.
Kyler Presho, Stanford
Presho was named to the All-MPSF Second-Team last year after attacking at a .457 clip to help Stanford hit 0.318 as a team (No. 7 nationally). Presho has started every Stanford match in his first two seasons, and has 306 total kills and 139 blocks for his career.
Adriel Roberts, Charleston
The graduate student from Freeport, Trinidad received All-EIVA Honorable Mention honors last year. Roberts led the Golden Eagles with 1.02 blocks per game and a 0.344 attack percentage. He has started all but one match for Charleston over the last two seasons.
Scott Stadick, UC Irvine
Stadick earned All-American honors in his first two seasons, while being named to the Off the Block Preseason All-American Second Team this year. His ten total blocks in a match last year at Grand Canyon tied for second-best for most blocks in three-game match in 2019. His four solo blocks in a first-round Big West tournament match versus UC San Diego was a conference-best mark last year. He has played in all but one UC Irvine match during his three seasons, and started in all but two. He has 610 career kills on a 0.457 attack percentage to go along with 407 career total blocks (1.245 blocks per game). His 1.206 blocks per game last year was No. 5 nationally, and No. 2 in the MPSF.
Don Thompson, Emmanuel
Thompson led the team with a 0.332 attack percentage, 3.52 kills per game, 4.23 points per game, 7.46 attacks per game, and was second with 0.813 blocks per game. Last year he has named to the All-ConfCarolinas Second-Team after tallying double-digits kills in 22 of the Lions’ 29 matches, and 20+ kills in three of those matches. The three-year starter has 753 kills on a 0.348 attack percentage for his career.
Eric Visgitis, Mount Olive
Last year he has named to the All-ConfCarolinas Second-Team after leading the team with 104 games played, 0.865 blocks per game and a 0.415 attack percentage. That 0.415 attack percentage was good for No. 8 nationally and No. 2 in the conference. His five block solos in a match versus North Greenville were the most by ConfCarolinas player last year.