To say that the islands have gotten under his skin would be an understatement. For Brennon Dyer, his commitment to Hawaii — and not just to UH volleyball — is beyond skin deep.

The junior for the Warriors has a distinctive tattoo on his right forearm, an outline of the Hawaiian Island chain. It's a recent acquisition, coinciding with Dyer's new starting role as an undersized, overachieving middle blocker.

He says he's 6-foot-4 “;in slippers,”; several inches shorter than the most dominating middles in the country. But Dyer hasn't seen his lack of height as a literal shortcoming; he's out there battling to be the best he can be, wherever he's put on the court.

Heading into this week's matches with NAIA power Hope International, Dyer will again be in the middle.

“;The past few years, I've been here today, there tomorrow, never really in a set position,”; said Dyer, who has been used as an opposite and outside hitter his first two seasons. “;I think I'm still in denial about being a middle, but it's been a lot easier to accept because of the positive reinforcement from the new coaching staff.

“;It's not like I'm the last option, just get in there because I'm tall. They're expecting me to be one of the top blockers in the country, to be like Dragon (senior middle Matt Rawson), and they need to perform like it. I had never heard that as a middle. But now, it's 'Go for it.' “;

It's the same attitude that Dyer took when recruiting himself to Hawaii. Fairly late to the indoor game, the Santa Barbara, Calif., native was looking for a college that offered places to surf instead of places to serve.

“;Surfing was the track I was on,”; Dyer said. “;And I thought I'd be living in Santa Barbara, working for my dad or my grandpa. All of a sudden, college became an option because of volleyball.

“;Pepperdine and UCLA were too expensive, I didn't want to stay home and play for (UCSB), didn't want to go back east, didn't want to go to Northern California because the water's too cold. Every time I came to Hawaii, I loved it, so why not go somewhere I love and, no matter what happens with volleyball, I'm going to have a good time.”;

Dyer continued to contact the former Hawaii coaching staff and “;finally they said come visit,”; he said.

The persistence paid off. After redshirting in 2007, Dyer was used as a utility player his first two seasons. He wanted to change that when the coaching staff changed.

“;The first thing I told them was that if they had to make a decision between who was starting, then put me on the 'B' team and I'll make the other guy better,”; Dyer said. “;If you can beat me out, then you deserve to start.

“;This year, this team is all about the 'we.' 'We' want to win. 'We' want to keep getting better. 'We' want the best team out there to get us where we want to go.”;

Last week's split with Canadian power Alberta was a push in the right direction. After being swept by the Golden Bears on Friday, the Warriors responded with a sweep of their own Saturday.

The biggest statement came in Set 2 on Saturday when Hawaii held off three set points before winning it 37-35 on the Warriors' fourth set point. It ended emphatically with Dyer's solo stuff of 6-8 Jason Merta.

“;It's always fun to get that big block,”; Dyer said. “;You surprise yourself. But this year, I'm much more confident. I shouldn't be shocked that I got it. It should be, 'Yes, it's what I'm supposed to do.'”;

The same goes for the mental part of his game, particularly his serving. Dyer admitted that his mind was not on the contest Friday; he had just received word that a good friend had been killed in an accident on the mainland.

It showed in the statistics: 2 kills, .000 hitting percentage, 0 blocks, 0 aces, 4 service errors in 8 serves. He came back Saturday with 5 kills, hit .571, with 2 solo blocks and 3 errors in 11 serves.

“;His serve has been effective, but it's either been an ace or an error,”; Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “;He's gotten better at keeping it in. What I like about him is he works hard, goes hard in practice, is a team guy and willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. You can't have too many guys like that.”;

With senior middle Steven Grgas (fractured right hand) out again this week, Dyer continues to pick up valuable experience that gives Hawaii added depth.

“;He's doing a really good job and he's getting better and better,”; said former Warriors setter Brian Beckwith, the team's current director of operations. “;It's tough, especially at this level, to be an undersized middle, but he's done all we can ask for. He's relied on his quickness and that big armswing to get the job done.”;