SAN JOSE, Calif. - Lisa van Raalte scored four goals and Kelly Mason added three to lead the fifth-ranked University of Hawai`i women's water polo team to an 11-9 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory at No. 11 San Jose State today held at The Aquatics Center to open its 2007 campaign.

Hawai`i improves to 1-0 on the season and 1-0 in MPSF play, while San Jose State falls to 1-1 and 0-1.

UH got goals from six different athletes led by van Raalte's four and Mason hat trick. Emily Cox, Anna Sieprath, Kristy Bagnall and Angela Turnbull each tallied one goal apiece.

UH jumped out to a 2-0 lead as Sieprath scored at 6:31 in the first quarter on a man-up situation while Mason found the back of the net a minute and 20 seconds later. SJSU trimmed the margin to 2-1 with a goal on a 6-on-5, but UH went up by two on its next possession on Bagnall's goal. SJSU mounted a mini run scoring two more times during the quarter to knot it at three.

In the second, the lead changed hands seven times with UH outscoring the Spartans 4-3 to go to the half leading, 7-6.

SJSU tied it at seven to open the scoring in the third quarter, but van Raalte's goal a minute later put UH up 8-7. The Spartans would then score two unanswered goals to hold a 9-8 lead. Mason scored with 2:30 left as the teams went to the fourth quarter tied at nine.

The fourth quarter was all defense until UH's Mason and Cox broke the deadlock in the final 2:08 to seal the win for the Rainbow Wahine, 11-9.

Hawai`i travels to take on No. 3 Stanford Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. PST (2:00 p.m. HST).

-UH-