The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is very unforgiving when it comes to volleyball. One off night and a team can go from second to fifth; two off nights, and it’s down to seventh.

Such is the case for No. 4 Hawaii, which also is likely to drop several spots when the national poll comes out today. The Warriors and their three-match losing streak flew down to Los Angeles Sunday following two losses at No. 6 Stanford.

Hawaii finishes out its four-matches-in-five-days trip at struggling USC (2-10, 2-8) with two at the Galen Center today and Tuesday. Both teams are desperate to get back on the winning track, the Trojans having lost their past two and four of five.

“In this league, all matches are ‘must wins,’” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “We have no easy ones the rest of the season.”

And to think that, within a span of eight days, Hawaii went from being a set away from moving into first place on Feb. 6 — falling to then-No. 1 UCLA in five after being up 2-1 — to seventh in the 12-team MPSF after Saturday’s second loss to the Cardinal. Saturday’s match was much closer than Friday’s, where the Warriors scored their fewest points (53) since 2013 in an 85-minute sweep.

Despite being down 6-1 in Set 3 on Saturday, Hawaii rallied to tie at 24 and 25 behind reserve freshman setter Joe Worsley. The Warriors had a swing at ending it when a kill by senior hitter Siki Zarkovic gave them the lead at 26-25 but the Cardinal scored three straight to take the 2-1 lead.

“To win that would have been huge, we would have been up one with the momentum on our side,” Wade said. “It just shows how hard it is to win on the road.”

Hawaii is 1-3 this season away from the Stan Sheriff Center, the lone win coming on the second night at Pepperdine to open the MPSF season. USC is 1-4 at home, its only victory coming in a five-set upset of Pepperdine on Jan. 26.

Wade said he is unsure if he’ll give Worsley his first start today or go back to junior Jennings Franciskovic, saying it might be a game-time decision.

“Joe played great,” Wade said. “He plays with a lot of confidence and I knew he’d give us a lift.”

As for the Trojans, “I don’t think anyone is feeling sorry for them,” Wade said. “SC has a lot of really good players, a lot back from last year’s team that finished fourth (in the MPSF), and a lot of guys on the roster that we recruited.

“No one will be surprised if they start winning.”

The Trojans are off to their worst start since 2013 when they went 6-19, tying for 11th in the MPSF. Their big losses, however, came in May with the graduation of All-American Micah Christenson, the national team setter, and coach Bill Ferguson’s contract not being renewed after nine seasons.

“I think they’re missing Micah’s leadership, he was the heart and soul of that team,” Wade said. “He’s a bigger loss than Fergie (Ferguson) leaving.”

SC promoted from within, naming former UCLA All-American Jeff Nygaard head coach after five seasons as Ferguson’s assistant. The Trojans also are looking at two setters, redshirt sophomore Jack Yoder has started seven matches and sophomore Gert Lisha, who transferred from NCAA runner-up Lewis, has five starts.

Sophomore opposite Jon Rivera leads the SC attack with 3.14 kps, and Yoder’s cousin Lucas, a junior hitter, is second at 2.61 kps.

SC lost in five to CSUN Wednesday and in three on Friday to No. 1 Long Beach State.

“Even if they are struggling, the fact is we’re playing them there after we’ve played back-to-back nights on the road,” Warrior assistant coach Joshua Walker said. “It’s not about how they’re playing. We have to execute how we want to play.”