HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i water polo squad (20-4) embarks this weekend on the quest for its third Big West Conference Tournament Championship, taking on the league bracket, Saturday-Sunday (April 28-29) at UC Irvine's Anteater Aquatics Complex.
 
After earning the program's first-ever perfect conference record and the outright Big West regular-season title, the Rainbow Wahine garnered the No. 1 seed and will have a first-round BYE in the Big West Championships.
 
The Rainbow Wahine will face the winner between No. 4 Long Beach State (11-13) and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (15-12), with a first-round meeting scheduled for Friday at 9:00 a.m. HT. Hawai'i's semifinal matchup with the victor will take place at 10:00 a.m. HT on Saturday.
 
The Rainbow Wahine are led by junior attacker Irene Gonzalez, who ranks in the top tier of six Big West statistical categories, ranking second in scoring (49 goals), second in goals per match (2.13), third in assists (33), second in assists per match (1.43), second in steals per match (1.78) and fourth in total steals (41).
 
Unlike many of the league's teams, the Rainbow Wahine have five scorers in excess of 30 goals, including four ranking in the BWC top 10 scorers; Gonzalez, Chloe Barr (44), Maartje Keuning (38), Elyse Lemay-Lovoie (38) and Femke Aan (35). If opponents stall one part of the Wahine offense, UH's 2018 balance has simply opened another scoring avenue. On the year, UH has outscored the opposition by an average of six goals, doubling-up Big West opposition (12-6 on average) to earn the perfect 5-0 league record.
 
UH typically is shooting 42.9 percent, while limiting the opposition to 27.4 percent.
 
Hawai'i registered its last Big West Championship in 2015 (Honolulu, O'ahu) and recorded its first in 2013 (Irvine, Calif.), making NCAA Championships appearances in both seasons. Since joining the conference in 2013, the Rainbow Wahine are 11-3 BWC tournament games.
 
All games at the tournament will have live stats posted to the Hawai'i water polo schedule using FOSH from the Big West Conference. UC Irvine will also be producing a live stream from the tournament; the link will also be listed on the UH water polo schedule page.
 
What: Big West Conference Water Polo Championships
When: Saturday, April 28 – Sunday April 29
Where: Irvine, Calif. (Anteater Aquatics Complex)
Live Stats: FOSH First UH Match: Saturday, April 28, 10:00 a.m.
                              vs. Winner: No. 4 Long Beach State/No. 5 UC Santa Barbara
Following a Hawai'i Win: Sunday, April 29, 11:00 a.m. HT – Championship Match
Following a Hawai'i Loss: Sunday, April 29, 9:00 a.m. HT – Third Place Match