HONOLULU – The No. 4 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine water polo team (18-6, 3-1 Big West) will host the No. 17 Long Beach State 49ers (15-9, 2-0 Big West) in their final match of the regular season, Saturday, April 16 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex (DKAC).
 
After suffering the first conference loss of the season, as No. 14 UC Santa Barbara snapped UH's five-match win streak this past weekend on the road, the 'Bows fall behind Long Beach State in vying for the top seed of the Big West Championships, setting up a key season-finale showdown with the 49ers this weekend in the friendly confines of the DKAC, where UH is 4-1 this season.
  
The Rainbow Wahine started the weekend off strong with a high-scoring conference victory over No. 25 Cal State Northridge, 17-11, on Saturday afternoon. Barcelona, Spain freshman Irene Gonzalez, who is currently ranked second in scoring in the Big West and first in scoring average, tallied a game-high six goals.
 
On Sunday, the 'Bows found themselves in a back-and-forth first half with No. 14 UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos' third quarter run proved to make all the difference as the Rainbow Wahine fell to UCSB, 7-5, for the first time since 2004.
 
Long Beach State comes to Honolulu riding a three-game winning streak with victories over Brown (7-4), CSUN (10-4), and Pomona-Pitzer (18-4). The 49ers are currently the only remaining undefeated Big West team.
 
The Rainbow Wahine hold a dominating 22-5 all-time record over LBSU, most recently defeating the 49ers in the first round of the 2015 Big West Tournament, 7-5. UH went on to win the conference title. The 'Bows haven't lost a match to the 49ers since 2008 when the then-No. 13 'Beach upset then-No. 4 Hawai'i, 10-9, when both were still part of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).
 
After taking on the 49ers, the Rainbow Wahine will head back out on the road for post-season and the 2016 Big West Tournament, scheduled for April 29-May 1 in Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Rainbow Wahine matches at the DKAC are open to the public with free admission. With no seniors on this year's team, the Rainbow Wahine will not hold their traditional Senior Day following the finale.
 
Saturday, April 16
What: No. 4 Hawai'i vs. No. 17 Long Beach State
Where: Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center
Time: 6:00 p.m.