Sophomore hitter Brook Sedore put down a match-high 15 kills and freshman hitter Siki Zarkovic added 13 but it was not enough as No. 12 Hawaii’s slim playoff hopes took a serious hit tonight when falling to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, 25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Sophomore hitter JP Marks added 12 kills and junior setter Joby Ramos finished with 12 of the Warriors’ 42 digs. Hawaii dropped to 9-15 overall, 8-13 MPSF.

Senior hitter Miles Evans led the Gauchos (13-12, 9-10) with 14 kills and junior opposite Evan Licht added 12. Licht also had 11 of UCSB’s 44 digs.

The teams meet again at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The loss keeps Hawaii in the No. 9 spot for an MPSF tournamet playoff berth. Only eight teams advance.

UCSB remains tied for seventh with Cal State Northridge.