Waves Libero Dyer Wins MPSF Defensive Honor

Another week, another conference defensive player of the week award for a Pepperdine Waves men’s volleyball player. 

Waves junior libero Noah Dyer won the weekly Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honor on Jan. 21 for his strong defensive performance in his team’s contests in the Land of Lincoln. Dyer registered six digs in Pepperdine’s 3-2 loss to Loyola Chicago on Jan. 18. The 6-foot-5 volleyballer racked up a career-high 18 digs the next day in the Waves’ 3-1 triumph over Lewis, another Illinois school.

Dyer averaged 2.67 digs a set during the two-game road trip and averaged 2.14 digs per set in Pepperdine’s first seven games of the season, second on the team to senior opposite Michael Wexter’s 2.21 digs per set. Dyer won the MPSF defensive accolade 14 days after his teammate, middle blocker Kevin Vaz, won the title. 

Dyer finished with seven digs in the Waves’ 3-1 loss to UC Irvine on Jan. 27. The four-set showcase pitted two of college volleyball’s top teams against each other. Senior outside hitter David Wieczorek led both teams with a season-high 22 kills. It was the All-American’s 11th match with 20 or more kills in his career and second of the season. 

Waves senior outside hitter Kaleb Denmark recorded 13 kills and eight digs in the match, while Wexter added nine kills and 13 digs, a season high. 

Pepperdine, ranked sixth in national polls last weekend, had a 5-2 record heading into a home contest against CSUN on Wednesday. The squad hosts BYU on Feb. 6 and Stanford two days later. The Waves play CSUN again on Feb. 13 on the Matadors’ home court. 

Dyer led Pepperdine in digs in eight matches last season and in kills three matches. He was a MPSF All-Academic first team member in 2018 and a member of the conference’s All-Freshman Team in 2017. 

Noah Dyer serves during a match in 2018.