Ammerman proves to be worth wait

Watching an expressionless Ryan Ammerman take the court, moving sloth-like — trudging really — into the crucible of competition, one could easily fathom that the pace of his progress in the UC Irvine men’s volleyball program has been somewhat less frenetic than that of global warming.

Some, Ammerman among them, might suggest that glaciers have liquefied in the time it has taken the seemingly perennial rookie from the Rockies to assume, at the center of the Anteaters’ offense, the stature that his 6-foot-9 frame had promised.

There were multiple instances, one as recent as last summer, when the outwardly sedate setter from Parker Colo., a Denver suburb, had all but decided to slip away to a potential professional future in Europe, rather than face the excruciating self-doubt that, last year, made his hair fall out in clumps.

The stress-induced affliction prompted a virtual season-long Mohawk, a display considered a diametrical departure for the guy known by his friends and teammates for comporting himself with all the cool of a Colorado winter.

“I finally came to the point where I didn’t really care what happened this year, in terms of volleyball,” said Ammerman, whose development Coach John Speraw cites as the leading factor in UCI’s ascension to the No. 1 national ranking.

The Anteaters (17-3, 12-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) put their top ranking on the line tonight at 7 against MPSF visitor Hawaii at the Bren Events Center. The two teams also meet Friday at 7.

“When I was in Europe last summer [coaching a junior team with UCI assistant Dave Kniffin and filling out pickup games designed to showcase players attempting to catch on with professional teams], I was thinking about staying there,” said Ammerman, who admitted that after his initial redshirt season in 2005, he actually enrolled at Metro State, a Division II school in Denver, but elected to stay at UCI.

“My ultimate decision [to return from Europe] came down to wanting to be around the guys one more year, regardless of what happened in volleyball,” said Ammerman, who shared national player of the week laurels after his 52 assists keyed a five-game triumph at then-top-ranked Cal State Northridge March 13. He had a career-high 66 assists one week before in a five-game win at UCLA.

“I just wanted to be in Newport [Beach] one more year and enjoy the college experience.”

Coincidentally, it was the experience he obtained over a month of coaching and barnstorming in Germany, Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Spain, as well as the daily affirmation provided by Kniffin, that instilled in Ammerman the belief that he could still hang with the guys on the court, as well as at the beach house.

“It was the turning point in my career,” Ammerman said of the trip to Europe. “I developed a new sense of confidence about myself over there that I really hadn’t had since high school. I saw that I was capable of playing at that level. And just being around Kniffin, who is a very positive guy, really helped. Kniffin [a former UCI setter] was confident in me and I just haven’t had very many people confident in me since I’ve been [at UCI] working and striving hard to improve and improve and improve. He was able to show me that I actually was a good setter and I just needed to believe that.”

Speraw, known for mining nuggets from the outreaches of the club circuit, also saw something in Ammerman, who before his junior year at Chaparral High, morphed from a 5-foot-11 unknown into a 6-foot-6 prospect competing for the Colorado Gold club program.

High school volleyball in Colorado was also a club sport at the time and Ammerman, whose father played club volleyball and basketball at Purdue and whose mother played volleyball at Alaska-Anchorage, commuted two hours each way to Boulder to find only slightly better competition at what was then the state’s only club.

“Living in Colorado, my coach pretty much my whole life had been my dad,” said Ammerman, who chose UCI over Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne and George Mason, though other schools offered more lucrative scholarships if he would convert to outside hitter. [My dad] loved the game, but he didn’t know much, especially about setting, because he was a middle blocker. Everything I learned about setting growing up was pretty much self-taught. So, I knew when I got [to UCI], I was going to be behind the curve with guys who were playing against good competition every weekend, every year.”

Ammerman’s initial experiences as an Anteater did nothing to alter that assessment.

“I wasn’t very good and I wasn’t even playing during practice,” Ammerman recalled of his redshirt season. “It was very frustrating.”

The frustration continued the next two seasons as an apprentice to All-American Brian Thornton, from whom Ammerman learned a great deal and, now as an assistant coach at Orange Coast College, is still a valued mentor with whom Ammerman regularly consults.

When Thornton graduated after helping lead the 2007 team to the program’s first NCAA crown, Ammerman was expected to assume the starting job.

“Last year was supposed to be my time to step in and I still wasn’t ready,” said Ammerman, whose penchant for perfection and analytical nature magnified every misdeed to mountainous proportions. “I had zero confidence in myself to do much of anything and that’s why I struggled so much last year. It was not much fun for me, because I wasn’t performing at the level I was supposed to and I knew that.”

Speraw, who frequently benched Ammerman last season, said his problems were mostly mental.

“Ammo always wants to be great and he has been great this season,” Speraw said. “But he’s better when he realizes he doesn’t have to be great.”

Ammerman said inconsistent placement of his sets has been his biggest concern, but added that his willingness to accentuate his strong serving, as well as his formidable blocking and hitting presence at the net, help him work through periodic instances when his aim goes awry.

“I used to get all wound up about a mistake, but this year, one of my goals has been to be more mellow and level-headed,” Ammerman said. “I used to constantly over think and over analyze things and Speraw always tells me I try too hard to be perfect. Sometimes, I need to just step back and see that I am doing things right and playing well. I need to accept that I can make a mistake and move on.”

Ammerman credits the continual support of his teammates and coaches for bolstering a confidence that seems to have fully blossomed.

“My teammates are awesome, and I definitely can’t say enough about what Speraw and Kniffin and [assistant Mark] Presho have meant to my development,” Ammerman said. “Not very many people saw my potential as a setter in high school, but Speraw was able to recognize and trust that one day I might develop into something good. I’m thankful that he did.”

Said Speraw: “He’s having a great season. His improvement from last year to this year has been awesome to watch; really fun to see.”

Now many of Speraw’s colleagues also see what Ammerman has become — a potential All-American and a catalyst in the ’Eaters’ quest for their second national title in three seasons.

And Ammerman said that recognition from opposing coaches, many of whom must wonder to themselves “Where did this guy come from?” is noticeable.

“I can definitely see that [surprise] in their eyes when I shake their hand at the end of matches,” Ammerman said.

This season will not be the end of Ammerman’s volleyball career.

The social science major who is scheduled to graduate after next summer, said he plans to play professionally in Europe. He is also hopeful about a future on the pro beach circuit.

“My life is volleyball and it has been that way for a long time,” Ammerman said.

Once again, it is also his bliss.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.