Break out the Ouija board. That's Charlie Wade's suggestion for those trying to divine what's going to happen these next two nights in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball.

Among the seemingly countless scenarios, No. 5 Hawaii could end up in a five-way tie for first place or the Warriors could finish as low as fifth in the final regular-season standings.

What matters to Wade is having something to play for, including a top-four finish that would bring an MPSF first-round playoff match to the Stan Sheriff Center on April 24. The past two seasons, the Warriors had already been eliminated before the final week of play.

“;This is a pretty exciting time of year,”; the first-year coach said. “;We're playing for the chance to be at home for one more match.

“;I don't sense that there's extra pressure (on the team). We know we've already qualified and, as crazy as it is, we might not have to win both (to host), but we want to win both. We're still more concerned about our side than the other side of the net. We want to continue playing at a high level and make the season go as long as possible.”;

This week couldn't have been scripted any better for Hawaii senior libero Ric Cervantes, a Santa Barbara native. He's been waiting to play the Gauchos ever since the schedule was released last year.

“;When I saw the schedule, I thought, 'How ironic and how perfect,' “; Cervantes said. “;I couldn't ask for anything better from a personal standpoint.

“;The last time we played there (in 2008), I had about 150 friends and family come. I know there's going to be way more this time. It's funny that, when we go on the road, we usually have more fans than the other team does. What a way to end the regular season.”;

It could be the end of the season for UCSB. The Gauchos still are mathematically in the hunt for a playoff berth, but need to beat the Warriors twice and need UC Irvine (9-11 MPSF) to lose once to get the final spot.

UCSB's records (12-15, 8-12) are very deceptive. The Gauchos have played 11 five-set matches, losing eight, six in league play and “;if we win a few of those, then we might be in an entirely different playoff situation,”; UCSB coach Rick McLaughlin said. “;But the bottom line is we weren't good enough to win those. We've accepted that, learned from it, and continue to work on doing what we need to change.

“;We need to win two to have a shot at the playoffs. The rest we can't control. So we're focused on doing everything we can to play well Friday and stay alive to Saturday.”;

McLaughlin said the focus heading into the matches with Hawaii is serving.

“;It's been our weakness most of the year, but we continue to work on it,”; he said. “;Our last match against Penn State was by far our best serving performance of the year.”;

UCSB had six aces and 10 serving errors in sweeping the Nittany Lions 30-26, 30-25, 30-22 last Friday.

The Gauchos will need a big match out of 6-foot-6 junior hitter Jeff Menzel, the MPSF leader in kills (5.15 kps) and points (5.88 pps) who has 38 aces on the season.

“;Every team has a go-to guy and he's their guy,”; Wade said of Menzel. “;When you've got one dominant player, you're always in it.”;

The same can be said for Hawaii freshman Jonas Umlauft. The 6-8 opposite is second to Menzel in kills (5.07 kps) and is third in points (5.75 pps).

McLaughlin is among several MPSF coaches who feel Umlauft is the leading candidate for the league's freshman of the year.

“;I can't see anyone more deserving than Umlauft,”; McLaughlin said. “;He's playing like a fifth-year senior in big matches. We will have our hands full, for sure, trying to slow him down.”;

Waves rally past 49ers

Pepperdine eliminated host Long Beach State from playoff contention with a 29-31, 28-30, 31-29, 31-29, 15-13 win last night at The Pyramid. The Waves kept their hopes alive for a share of the regular-season title.

To create a five-way tie for first at 15-7, Pepperdine would have to beat host UC San Diego tomorrow; Stanford would have to lose two on the road (UCLA tonight, UC Irvine tomorrow); Hawaii would have to win two; and Cal State Northridge and Brigham Young would have to split their matches tonight and tomorrow in Provo, Utah. In that tiebreaker scenario, Pepperdine would be the top seed in the playoffs, followed by Cal State Northridge second, Stanford third, Hawaii fourth and BYU fifth, sending the Cougars to Honolulu next Saturday for the first round.