IRVINE, Calif. » The members of the University of Hawaii volleyball team walked toward the locker room in stunned silence following a 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-16 loss to Pepperdine in the Bren Center on Thursday night.

The match ended with the Waves scoring seven of the final eight points in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoff semifinal.

It ended with Punahou School graduate Josh Taylor, summoning whatever strength remained from a sore right am, finishing with 22 kills.

It ended with UH’s Alex Jones, who had not missed a serve during the regular season, failing to clear the net at aloha ball.

But was this the end for the Warriors?

"It’s not over until it’s over," UH setter Jennings Franciskovic said.

UH’s pretty-please hope is that top-ranked UC Irvine, which beat USC in the other semifinal, wins the MPSF title match on Friday night, earning the league’s automatic berth in next week’s NCAA tournament. UH coach Charlie Wade believes his team has the advantage over Pepperdine for an at-large berth.

"I think our resume has been impressive," said Wade, whose Warriors were ranked No. 1 for five weeks through the final day of the regular season. "Of the criteria (the NCAA listed), we’re the next-best team from the MPSF, barring someone other than Irvine winning (the league tournament). If Irvine wins, we have a very realistic shot."

The Warriors finished second to Irvine during the regular season. The Warriors won both regular-season matches against Pepperdine.

"In the head-to-head, we still have a two-to-one advantage (over Pepperdine)," Wade said. "We still have a higher RPI, and wins against teams that will be in the tournament."

The Warriors will remain in Orange County through Saturday, when the NCAA field will be announced.

"If we’re in, we’ll play on Tuesday," Wade said. "If not, we’ll head home."

The Warriors could have solidified plans with a victory on Thursday. The Warriors easily won the first set, then scored four of the first five points of the second.

That is when the Waves were instructed to crank up their serves. It was a high-risk, high-reward strategy for the usually cautious Waves, who had placed 85.4 percent of their serves in play entering the match.

The Waves missed 17 serves, putting 82.3 percent in play, and managed one ace. But the Waves forced enough so-so passes to disrupt the Warriors’ rhythm and minimize the middle attack. Taylor Averill, who was hitting .499, had seven kills in 17 swings, hit .235 and was blocked three times. Davis Holt had five kills in nine swings and hit .222.

In the third set, setter Matt West serve the Waves’ final two points to break a 24-all tie.

In the fourth set, Pepperdine middle Matt Tarantino missed his first two serves, then served five points in a row to extend the lead to 24-15.

"We do a ton of reps serving every day," Tarantino said. "We like to say: ‘Be comfortable being uncomfortable.’ We don’t really feel the pressure. Every serve is important. Each toss is important. We have to focus on that, and be ready for each upcoming point."

Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy said: "You always hear how important serving and receiving is. It is. I thought when we sustained our serves, our block defense was good. We turned some points."

The Waves also managed to dig some of the Warriors’ most powerful swings. UH opposite Brook Sedore hit .160, but 12 of his spikes were dug, including a blistering shot in the third set.

"They had my number," Sedore said. "That one D ball was probably my hardest hit ever, and they made it look easy. I was frustrated. They did their job on me."

UH’s Kupono Fey, who plays a ball-control position, conceded the Warriors passed "decent" but not "perfect." That meant Averill and Davis were not consistent options for quick, low sets. That meant the blockers had a nano-second start on covering UH’s pin hitters.

"They made some good plays down the stretch," UH outside Siki Zarkovic said. "That third set was crucial. That was the tipping point. They won that set, and got the advantage. When you have the advantage, you play with more confidence."

There had been concerns about Pepperdine’s Taylor, who has a torn labrum in his right (hitting) shoulder.

"I can’t do much therapy on it," said Taylor, who is restricted to stretching and warm-up exercises. Once every set, Max States will serve for Taylor.

Taylor said he relies on "pain management when I play. God’s been taking care of that pain for me."

Taylor is known for his wicked angle shots. But on Thursday, he often hit line shots, as well as blasts from behind the 3-meter line. He even mixed roll shots and tips.

"He definitely found his groove," Fey said. "He had different shots. He played a great game."

Sedore lamented: "When they’re on fire, they’re very good."

Wade added: "I was most impressed with their defense. They had 44 digs in a four-set match. That’s a huge number, way above their average."

And now the Warriors must wait.

NO. 5 PEPPERDINE DEF. NO. 3 HAWAII 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-16

Key — s: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct: hitting percentage; d: digs; bs: block solo; ba: block assists. Service Aces — 

Pepperdine 1 (Rhein). Hawaii 1 (Sedore). Service errors — Pepperdine 17 (Rhein 4, Tarantino 4, West 4, Taylor 3, Antonijevic, Kalmbach). Hawaii 14 (Sedore 5, Averill 3, Franciskovic 3, Hartley, Jones, Zarkovic). Assists — Pepperdine 57 (West 50, Anderson 3, Rhein 3, Taylor). Hawaii 44 (Franciskovic 43, Kanetake). 

T — 2:24. A — 1,254. Referees — Tony Chan, Louis Ventura, Rosie Sintop.