HONOLULU – Holding the top spot in the Big West standings, the No. 5 University of Hawai'i water polo team (18-4, 3-0 BWC) heads to southern California for a crucial regular season-closing weekend with the final two Big West contests at UC Santa Barbara (14-11, 1-2 BWC) on Saturday and CSUN (15-14, 0-3 BWC) on Sunday.
 
Already climbing to sixth on the UH career scorers list (162 goals), junior attacker Irene Gonzalez paces the Rainbow Wahine and the Big West conference with 49 goals and a 2.33 GPM average. In addition, she's topping the UH charts with 33 assists and 35 steals, ranking top four in the Big West in both stats. In addition, she's 13-1 in sprints for the 'Bows in 2018.
 
Also one of the top-10 career program scorers, senior Chloe Barr has 37 goals and 25 assists on the year. Sophomore Maartje Keuning rounds out three 'Bows among the top-10 Big West scorers, netting 36 goals, as well as 21 assists and 31 steals.
 
Coming down the stretch, all four of UH's losses this year have come at the hands of the nation's top four teams. In wins this season, Hawai'i is outscoring the opposition by an average of 7.5 goals (13-5.5) and have only surrendered double-digit scoring twice in 22 matches.
 
The 'Bows and Gauchos will meet Saturday at 9:00 a.m. HT (12:00 p.m. PT) at the Campus Pool. UC Santa Barbara defeated CSUN on April 7, and are 1-2 in league play. Sophomore Sarah Snyder and junior Kate Pipkin provide the scoring leadership for the Gauchos. Snyder ranks third in the BWC with a team-high 45 goals and 16 steals. Pipkin is sixth in the league with 39 goals, adding a BWC fourth-best 31 assists to lead UCSB. The Rainbow Wahine hold a heavy 24-8 lead in the overall series and won the last meeting, but dropped the last two outings in Santa Barbara to snap a 12-game series win streak.
 
The regular season finale, UH meets the Matadors on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. HT (12:00 p.m. PT) at Matador Pool. CSUN has lost three of their last four and meet UC Davis on Saturday at home. Seniors Katelyn Fairchild and Shannon Hovanesian set the tone for the Matadors. Fairchild has ranks fourth in the BWC with 43 goals, tabbing a league-high 44 steals. Hovanesian ranks second in the BWC with 43 steals, also chipping in 28 goals and a team-high 36 assists. The 'Bows lead the series with a 14-4 advantage, including the last three straight.
 
Gunning for the No. 1 seed in the league tournament, this weekend's results are crucial for the Rainbow Wahine. Hawai'i will head back to California for the Big West Championships at UC Irvine, April 27-29, pursuing the program's third Big West title.

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Saturday, April 14
Opponent: No. 17 UC Santa Barbara
Live Stats: FOSH
Time: 9:00 a.m. HT (12:00 p.m. PT)
Where: UCSB Campus Pool (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
 
Sunday, April 15
Opponent: No. 20 CSUN
Live Stats: FOSH
Time: 9:00 a.m. HT (12:00 p.m. PT)
Where: Matador Pool (Northridge, Calif.)