SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The fifth-seeded University of Hawai`i women's water polo team suffered an 8-6 loss Saturday to top- seeded UCLA in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship at the Aztec Aquaplex. The Rainbow Wahine drop to 20-9 overall, while the Bruins remain undefeated.

Hawai`i dominated the first period with freshman goalie Serena Bredin holding the three-time defending national champion scoreless. UH's Kelly Mason and Angela Turnbull scored once each to give the Rainbow Wahine an early two-point lead.

The Bruins remained scoreless in the second until Brittany Kraus scored the team's first goal on a six-on-five advantage at 1:58. UCLA went on to score three unanswered goals, leaving the match tied at three at the half.

UCLA's Courtney Mathewson scored the first goal of the third to give the team its first lead of the match, but UH's Mason and Anna Sieprath quickly answered to give Hawai`i a 5-4 lead. Two late UCLA goals allowed them to gain a slim 6-5 lead.

The Rainbow Wahine were unable to regain their lead, while the Bruins found the net two consecutive times in the final period to give them a 8-5 advantage. Hawai`i's Leonie Van Der Molen scored the final goal of the match at 1:47, but that wasn't even to stop the Bruins from securing an 8-6 victory and a spot in the finals.

Hawai`i will compete in the third place match in the MPSF Finals Sunday against the loser of the Stanford-USC match at 2:50 p.m. PDT (11:50 a.m. HT) at the Aztec Aquaplex.

Match Results
Hawai`i 2-1-2-1=6
UCLA 0-3-3-2=8

Hawai`i Goals: Kelly Mason 2, Angela Turnbull 2, Anna Sieprath 1, Leonie Van Der Molen 1
UCLA Goals: Courtney Mathewson 4, Gabrielle Domanic, Brittany Rowe, Jillian Kraus, Tanya Gandy

Hawai`i Saves: Serena Bredin 6
UCLA Saves: Brittany Fullen 8

-UH-