Carving up a wave and carving up a block. It's one and the same to Brennon Dyer.

“;There is a correlation between surfing and volleyball,”; Dyer said. “;When you pass a ball, you drop in then stand up and immediately transition over with your footwork, just like in surfing.

“;Blocking a ball, going up to hit ... all these things translate to surfing really easily. The two (sports) are about balance and footwork.”;

The 6-foot-4 sophomore has displayed his versatility this season, playing three positions—opposite, outside hitter and middle blocker—for the Hawaii volleyball team. He's been most successful at opposite, putting down a career-high 19 kills last month at UC San Diego.

His Warrior teammates liken him to a multi-purpose tool.

“;It's not often that you have someone with that type of versatility,”; freshman middle Jarrod Lofy said. “;You can throw him in anywhere and he does well at it. It's a nice thing to have.”;

“;He's got a great body for volleyball,”; senior hitter Jim Clar said. “;He's a good player and brings a different kind of attitude to the team.”;

Dyer is fairly new to volleyball, not taking it up until high school, and despite feeling it was a “;girls' sport.”; Growing up in Santa Barbara, Calif., he was all about the water and Dyer based his athletic choices around surfing.

“;Any sport between summer and winter was a no-go, that was surf season,”; Dyer said. “;That took out football and basketball. Soccer eventually got kicked out.

“;When it came decision time (for high school), it was between baseball and volleyball. I had never played it, didn't know anything about it, didn't even know if the USA had a team. I just jumped into it.”;

As has happened at Hawaii, Dyer played three different positions at Dos Pueblos High. Lightly recruited, he got a look from hometown UC Santa Barbara but it was cheaper to walk-on for the Warriors than for the Gauchos.

“;And I'm a surfer,”; Dyer said, “;although I haven't been able to ride much here. My redshirt freshman year was the most productive but it wasn't easy, having to walk to Diamond Head with the board.

“;I love to travel and coming out here was a good thing. Far enough away but still close to home.”;

As much as he enjoys traveling, Dyer would prefer staying put at one position on the court. He prefers outside hitter, a spot that has been a bit of a revolving door this season.

The Warriors estimate they have used 16 different lineups during this disappointing season, their second consecutive not making the MPSF postseason tournament.

The key to staying on the court is consistency and Hawaii as a team has been anything but. The Warriors collectively are hitting .235; Dyer is at .201.

“;He is a developing player,”; UH coach Mike Wilton said. “;He works very hard and if he were more consistent, he could be a really nice player.”;

Dyer hopes so. He'd like to play professionally in Europe down the road.

“;In the long run, getting switched is good for your overall game but bad when trying to be consistent,”; he said. “;My attitude is to keep working hard, something I've done since I was 12 and had a summer job.”;