HONOLULU – The No.5 University of Hawai'i water polo team (16-4, 1-0 BWC) will continue Big West play at home this week in the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center, playing host to No. 10 UC Davis (16-7) on Saturday.
 
A 4-2 record and 28 days removed from their last Big West match, the Rainbow Wahine are coming down the home stretch of 2018 with only conference play on the slate, and look to separate themselves from UCD, the other 1-0 team, as well as Long Beach State and UC Irvine, who each have a league win.
 
Junior attacker Irene Gonzalez remains atop the Big West scoring board with 45 goals, averaging 2.37 scores per match. In addition, she also ranks second in assists per match (1.42) and third in steals per match (1.68). In goal this season, the Rainbow Wahine have been tough defenders, holding the opposition to 6.28 goals per outing, with 8.1 saves per match. On the attack, Hawai'i averages 11.8 goals, but has only allowed 6.3 per match on average.
 
On the opposite end of the pool, Aggies senior utility Paige Virgil ranks just behind Gonzalez in goals (43) and goals per match (2.15). An offensive attacking team, the Aggies average 11.6 goals per outing, while allowing 9.2 scores per contest. In the cage, Caitlin Golding has had the lion's share for the Aggies, logging 163 saves (7.7 p/m).
 
UC Davis comes to Manoa riding a five-match win streak.
 
The Aggies and Rainbow Wahine meet for the 28th time in a series commanded by Hawai'i with a 21-6 advantage. UH has topped UCD in each of the last 14 meetings, dating back to 2008. However, three of the last five have been single-goal difference, including a pair of 10-9 double-overtime UH wins. Last year at Davis, the Rainbow Wahine edged out the Aggies in a 10-9 road win in regulation.
 
Saturday's face-off with the Aggies is set for first sprint at 6:00 p.m. HT at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center. Live stats for the game will be provided on HawaiiAthletics.com.

Saturday, March 31
Opponent: No. 10 UC Davis Aggies
Live Stats: FOSH
Time: 6:00 p.m. HT
Where: Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex (Honolulu, O'ahu)