HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i women's beach volleyball team split a pair of dual matches on Day 2 of the Outrigger Beach Volleyball Challenge in a picture-perfect day at Queen's Beach.
 
With temperature rising on the sands, the Rainbow Wahine posted 5-0 sweep of Arizona State in a morning dual before dropping a tight 3-2 decision to UCLA in a rematch of a Bruin victory in Zuma Beach last month.
 
Against the Sun Devils, Ginger Long and Mikayla Tucker easily handled the No. 5 ASU pair while Hawai'i's No. 4 pair of Ari Homayun and Hannah Zalapony fought off a pesky ASU pair and rallied for two come-from-behind victories to bring the lead to 2-0 to close the first round. The SandBows top 3 flights took next to the courts and easily dispatched the Devils in due course with straight set victories across the board for the sweep.
 
After UCLA claimed a victory over the Sun Devils, the stunning Waikiki Beach stage was set for the dual of the day between the longtime volleyball rivals. First round action saw matches played at Nos. 4 and 5 with Long and Tucker easily beating their UCLA No. 5 counterparts in convincing fashion and for a 1-0 Hawai'i lead. The battle for the second point went to the Bruins' No. 4 team of Zana Muno and Riley Bucheler. UH's Zalopany and Homayun held strong in their second day of competition before falling in straight sets.
 
With the score notched at 1-1, action turned again to the top three seeds to settle the day. First to finish was No. 3, where UCLA edged past UH's Hannah Rooks and Ka'iwi Schucht in a critical overtime first set and then stayed steady enough in the second to give UCLA the 2-1 lead.
 
Court 1 was a seesaw battle of epic proportions with UH's Lara Schreiber and Nikki Taylor taking on UCLA's twins Nicole and Megan McNamara. It was the first match of the weekend for Nicole, who suffered sat out due to illness. The 'Bows capitalized early staking a first set victory and then got out to a commanding lead in the second behind Taylor's booming spikes and serves and Schreiber's defense. However, their experienced foes battled back valiantly and staged a late comeback to clinch the second set and force a deciding third where they pulled away for the 15-6 victory and give UCLA the team win.
 
Last to finish was perhaps the most exciting match of the day. Fresh off their Outrigger Beach Volleyball Pairs title, UH's Katie Spieler and Emily Maglio matched up against UCLA's No. 2, whom they beat in straight sets in Friday's semifinal.
 
The Bruins played a flawless first set as Spieler struggled to sideout. But it wasn't long until she rebounded and helped the pair surged forth to notch a 21-14 win in Set 2 and force a tie-breaking third set. Despite UCLA's late surge, the effort and execution of Spieler and Maglio ruled the day as they pulled out a 15-12 victory.
 
The powerhouse pair of Spieler and Maglio has now notched wins over nationally renowned pairs from USC, UCLA, FSU, Stetson, and FIU. Their only loss on the season was against defending Pairs National Champions Sarah Hughes and Kelly Claes of USC.
 
The loss puts Hawai'i in the front runner position for one of two wildcard berths for the NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 6-8. The 'Bows have notched wins over several top 10 opponents including 4-1 victories over previously unbeaten No. 3 Florida State and rival No. 7 Long Beach State.
 
UH will be back in action April 12 for its home finale under the lights at Ching against Boise State. Seniors Spieler, Ginger Long and Heather Boyan will be honored during the Senior Night ceremony. UH concludes its regular season as distinguished guests at Queen's Beach for the coveted "Battle For the Paddle" at the nationally televised Aloha Invitational, April 22 and 23.