- November 22, 2024
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Matanzas volleyball player Rylan Miller didn’t waste any time in deciding her college destination.
Miller was the first player in the 2026 national recruiting class to commit to a school, telling University of Georgia coach Tom Black that she will sign with the Bulldogs.
Black contacted Miller at midnight on June 15, the earliest date that NCAA coaches can recruit incoming juniors. They arranged for a 7:30 a.m. phone call, and Miller immediately accepted the offer.
“He was the first person I talked to and the last person I talked to,” Miller said. “Georgia just felt right. I went to their camp on (June 13) and I just loved it, the coaches, the campus, the players, the commits. They were so nice to me, and I just knew that’s where I wanted to go. When he called and offered, I said yes. It was awesome.”
In two years, Georgia will be getting one of the best volleyball liberos in the nation. Miller was recently ranked as the top libero in Florida by Prep Dig. The libero is a defensive specialist that exclusively plays in the back row and wears a different color jersey.
Some of Miller’s accolades include a selection to the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program, an invitation three years in a row to the Under Armor Next camp and inclusion in Prep Volleyball’s 2026 Top 150. She is also on the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-America Watch List for 2026, and she has been named an AVCA Phenom.
Signing with a Division I college team is the culmination of a dream she’s had since she started playing volleyball at 10 years old, Miller said.
Ever since I was able to pick up a volleyball, I wanted to go as far as I can and be the best I can be. It’s a dream come true.”
— RYLAN MILLER
“Ever since I was able to pick up a volleyball, I wanted to go as far as I can and be the best I can be,” she said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Matanzas volleyball coach Dawn Moses has been coaching the sport for 40 years and said Miller is by far the best libero she has ever seen.
“Her ability to read the court and her ability to react is crazy. That makes her so special. She gets to balls everyone thinks is hitting the floor. And she came to us like that,” Moses said.
Miller joined the Pirates as a freshman when her family moved to Palm Coast from Texas.
“When she first walked into the Matanzas gym, I said, ‘Holy cow, this kid is a freshman,’” Moses said. “It does not take long to see how special that kid is. She stays on her feet as much as she can, but she pursues every ball like it’s the last one she’s ever going to touch. She makes these phenomenal plays.”
Miller has played for two of the top club teams in the nation in Texas Advantage Volleyball and, since moving to Florida, OTVA Jacksonville.
In addition to playing volleyball year-round she trains with a speed and agility coach, a skills coach and mental performance coach.
“She’s homeschooled so she can be trained daily,” Moses said. “I think we’re seeing more and more of that for kids who have this goal of being the best they can be and playing on the collegiate level.”
Miller is also a great teammate and is very humble, Moses said.
“I’ve had special kids come along in my career, probably 10 that I can name that were special in work ethic and ability on the court and made everybody around them better including us coaches, Moses said. “Rylan stepped in and we had two winning seasons (16-9 in 2022 and 21-6 in 2023). This year we’ve really upped our schedule. It’s important for her growth. We’re going to make sure Rylan takes a little bigger leadership role in our defense.”
Rylan said she loves playing for the Pirates.
“I like the girls, the trainer. They’re all super nice people. And I love Coach Moses,” she said.
Miller said she has attended five college camps between June 2 and June 13. The last one turned out to be the right fit.
“I feel so good about it,” she said. “I have my Georgia shirts on and everything. It’s awesome.”
