The Hawaii volleyball team’s forgettable weekend ended with Sunday’s regrettable four-set loss to Cal State Northridge in the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Warriors were out of sync and, following the rematch loss, out of the top eight spots needed to qualify for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs. The Warriors are 5-12 overall and 4-10 in the MPSF with eight league matches remaining.

The Matadors are 9-6 and 7-6 after the 25-22, 24-26, 25-19, 25-15 victory.

UH coach Charlie Wade said the Warriors endured a family death, as well as hospital stays because of injuries and illnesses.

"We had a tough week," Wade said. "We had a lot going on. We had multiple people in the hospital. There were a lot of things going on in people’s personal lives … family stuff. And they’re still teenagers and, at some point, it’s tough to deal with."

Pointing to the vacant court 15 minutes after the match, Wade added: "Everyone has seen our team play a lot better than that. They’re teenagers and they played like it tonight. We hope they’re professionals and are dialed in all of the time. I’ve been doing this a long enough time to know that’s not real. We’re a family, and when someone is hurting, we all hurt."

The Warriors, who also lost in four sets to the Matadors on Friday night, welcomed back outside hitter JP Marks. Marks had missed the first match of his UH career because of an upper-respiratory illness on Friday.

Marks’ disruptive serves lifted the Warriors from a 7-1 deficit in the first set. The Warriors’ 21-20 lead dissolved when the Matadors scored five of the set’s final six points, with two coming on thumping double blocks.

And that was how it went for the Warriors. The Matadors’ reactions countered every Warriors action.

UH outside hitter Siki Zarkovic had a team-high 15 kills, but misfired on nine swings. Opposite Brook Sedore had 13 kills and an ace, but gave back 14 points on errors on nine attacks and five serves.

Wade scrambled for combinations. He opened with Johann Timmer as the serving substitute in place of middle Davis Holt, then finished a set with Timmer as a middle. Defensive specialist Harrison Phelps was summoned as an outside hitter. There were plays when UH did not have a true setter.

"We were pushing buttons," Wade said.

In Friday’s match, the Warriors forced Matadors outside hitter Kyle Stevenson to the sidelines with aggressive serves. But his replacement, Sam Holt, had a steady match. In the rematch, Holt started before also being forced out when he was repeatedly targeted on serves.

Stevenson replaced Holt, producing perhaps his best match of the season. Stevenson had eight kills, hit .500, served tough and made key passes to trigger the Matadors’ offense.

"If somebody is not playing well or we don’t have that good matchup, we have the depth to make a change," Northridge coach Jeff Campbell said.

Stevenson credited solar power. The Matadors spent Saturday snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.

"That was probably it," Stevenson said. "I like to get in the sun. It recharges my batteries."

Opposite John Baker smashed 15 kills for the Matadors, with eight launched from behind the 3-meter line. Baker is listed at 6-foot-5.

"I’m really 6-31⁄2," he said, smiling. "We like to (inflate the heights). It gives us a little better feeling about ourselves."

Baker does not fit the volleyball-player mode.

"I don’t look like the skinny guy who plays beach (volleyball) all the time," said Baker, who is 230 pounds. "I pride myself from being from Wisconsin and having extra meat on there when it comes to winter time. I pride myself on working out and working hard."

The Matadors, meanwhile, found extra motivation. After winning last night’s match, they chanted: Yard House.

"We have a strict budget when we came here," Baker said. "We wanted to go to the Yard House (restaurant) on Saturday night. They said it was too expensive. They said if we win, we can do Yard House."