HONOLULU – The No. 8 University of Hawai'i water polo team (8-7) opens Big West Conference (BWC) play on the road with two matches this week. The Rainbow Wahine begin the conference slate with a match against No. 6 UC Irvine (13-6) on Friday, March 10 at 5 p.m. HT at the Anteaters Aquatic Complex. Hawai'i will have a day off before heading to Long Beach, Calif. for a match against No. 15 Long Beach State (7-6) on Sunday, March 12 at 9 a.m. HT in the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. The week's events will conclude with a shared alumnae event at LBSU, honoring the 20th season of Rainbow Wahine Water Polo, as well as recognizing the inaugural UH game vs. LBSU in 1998 in Honolulu.

Having lost three-straight matches the last road trip, Hawai'i hopes to find themselves back in the win column this weekend. Heading into BWC play, redshirt junior Chloe Barr leads the team with 23 goals, netting at least one score in each of the previous five matches. Junior goalkeeper Ymane Hage has accumulated 57 saves so far this season.

The Rainbow Wahine will head back to the Anteaters Aquatic Complex to face UC Irvine on Friday afternoon. Hawai'i has already faced the Anteaters twice this season, splitting the matches, 1-1. Hawai'i defeated the Anteaters, 9-8, in the opening match of the 2017 Stanford Invitational on Feb. 4, but fell to them during the last roadtrip on Feb. 25 at UCI's Barbara Kalbus Invitational, 9-8. Rainbow Wahine redshirt juniors Claire Nixon and Barr have each netted five goals overall against the Anteaters, followed by sophomore Irene Gonzalez with four, while Hage has recorded 13 saves.

Following the match in Irvine, the Rainbow Wahine will head up to Long Beach State for a Sunday morning match against the 49ers, who just recently went on a three-game win-streak, at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. Last season, then-No.15 Long Beach upset the then-No.7 'Bows, 8-5, in the regular season final match, but Hawai'i got even in the semi-finals of the Big West Tournament, defeating the Niners, 6-4, and advancing to the finals.

The match against Long Beach will also be celebrating 20 years of women's water polo. The Rainbow Wahine and the 49ers played in the first women's water polo match in NCAA history on January 29, 1998 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex. Hawai'i won the match, 22-7, with All-American Marie-Luc Arpin leading the team with six goals.

Friday, March 10, 2017
Opponent: No. 6 UC Irvine
Time: 5 p.m. HT
Location: Anteaters Aquatic Complex (Irvine, Calif.)

Sunday, March 12, 2017
Opponent: No. 15 Long Beach State
Time: 9 a.m. HT
Location: Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center (Long Beach, Calif.)

Sunday, March 12, 2017
What: Special Shared Alumnae Event Honoring 20th Season Anniversary and 1998 Inaugural Contest vs. Long Beach State.
When: Post-match
Location: Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center (Long Beach, Calif.)