HONOLULU – The sixth-ranked University of Hawai'i water polo team kicks off its 2018 season starting on Saturday as host to the Rainbow Invite, set to square off with No. 4 California, No. 22 Loyola Marymount and No. 23 Marist. The Rainbow Invite runs from Jan. 20-21 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.
 
Opening the season at home for the first time since the 2000 season, the Rainbow Wahine begin the year against California at 12:00 p.m. HT on Saturday, Jan. 20. UH will return to action in the day's final match, meeting Loyola Marymount at 6:00 p.m. HT. On Sunday, UH and Marist will meet in the invitational's final match, with the first whistle at 10:15 a.m. HT.
 
The Rainbow Wahine finished 15-11 last season, with a 4-1 Big West mark, ranking second in the league standings. UH returns 13 lettermen from a year ago, including five of the top six scorers and the starting goalkeeper. The squad will also see eight newcomers looking to make their first collegiate appearances this weekend.
 
Redshirt senior All-American Chloe Barr (Adelaide, Australia) leads an exceptionally seasoned group of Rainbow Wahine back into the pool in 2018. Barr paced UH with 45 goals last season, ranking ninth in the Big West with a 1.73 goals per game average. Barr was previously named Big West Player of the Year (2015) and Big West Freshman of the Year (2014) and has accrued 128 career goals to start the year ninth in UH career scoring.
 
Junior All-American Irene Gonzalez also returns for UH after logging 40 goals for a 1.9 GPG average. In 2016, Gonzalez was BWC Freshman of the Year after leading the team with 73 goals and a 2.61 average, including a team-high 14 hat tricks.
 
In addition, three members of all-Big West teams return for UH, senior Claire Nixon (Staffordshire, England), junior Femke Aan (Oostzaan, Netherlands) and junior Carla Abellan (Sabadell, Spain). Nixon recorded 27 goals, 16 assists and 22 steals last season. Aan recorded 29 goals last season, while Abellan ranked second on the team with 24 assists and notched 14 goals. Sophomore Maartje Keuning (Stompetoren, Netherlands) returns after a 23-goal rookie season.
 
Plenty of offensive weapons return for UH, but the Rainbow Wahine get a huge boost from the cornerstone of having a two-year full-time starter back in the cage. Senior goalkeeper Ymane Hage (Montréal, Québec) made 160 saves a year ago to rank fifth among Big West goalkeepers with a 6.96 SPG average. She begins the season with a UH fourth-most 355 career saves after serving Team Canada over the summer at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, as well as the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan.
 
The Rainbow Invite will open on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. HT with Loyola Marymount facing Marist. Additional neutral site games are set between Marist and Cal (Jan. 20, 4:30 p.m. HT), as well as Cal and Loyola Marymount (Jan. 21, 9:00 a.m. HT).

Hawai'i Athletics will be sending live stats throughout the invitational, to be available on HawaiiAthletics.com with specific match links to come.
  Saturday, January 20, 2018
Duke Kanahamoku Aquatic Complex (Honolulu, O'ahu)
Promotions: UH sports marketing staff will be in the stands registering fans for a chance to win free food coupons each time UH scores a goal. Also, t-shirts will be thrown into the stands between each quarter of the UH matches.

Who: Loyola Marymount vs. Marist
When: 10:30 a.m. HT
Live Stats

Who: Hawai'i vs. California
When: 12:00 p.m. HT
Live Stats
 
Who: California vs. Marist
When: 4:30 p.m. HT
Live Stats
 
Who: Hawai'i vs. Loyola Marymount
When: 6:00 p.m. HT
Live Stats
 

---

Sunday, January 21, 2018
Duke Kanahamoku Aquatic Complex (Honolulu, O'ahu)
Who: California vs. Loyola Marymount
When: 9:00 a.m. HT
Live Stats
 
Who: Hawai'i vs. Marist
When: 10:15 a.m. HT