MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – The No. 5 University of Hawai'i beach split a pair of matches on the second and final day of the East Meets West Invitational Sunday at Manhattan Beach Pier. The SandBows (4-4) rallied past No. 9 Florida International , 3-2,  before falling to No. 6 LSU by the same count. UH finished the tournament – which featured the top teams across the country – with a 2-2 mark.
 
After ending Saturday with a down-to-the-wire loss to No. 4 Florida State, UH started Sunday with another tight battle. This time UH came out victorious, rallying past FIU (5-4). After falling behind, 2-0, UH picked up a pair of three-set wins by Emily Maglio and Hi'ilawe Huddleston on Court 2 and Paige Dreeuws and Pani Napoleon on Court 4 to draw even.
 
It came down to Court 3, where Ari Homayun and Julia Scoles found themselves down 14-11 in the third set. But the pair fought off three match points and out-lasted the Panthers' Lina Bernier and Erika Zembyla, 21-19, in the third set to secure the Rainbow Wahine comeback.
 
In the afternoon match, UH faced LSU for the first time since last year's East Meets West when the 'Bows down the Tigers, 4-1. Maglio and Huddleston put UH up 1-0, but LSU responded with a flurry of  straight-set decisions on Courts 1, 5, and 4 to clinch the dual match. Scoles and Homayun claimed their second three-set match of the day with a 26-24, 16-21, 15-9 win over Toni Rodriguez and Kelli Agnew, but it wasn't enough for the 'Bows who fell to LSU (9-4) for the first time in three meetings.
 
UH now returns home to host Boise State, Cal, and Nebraska in the Heineken Hawaii Invitational, March 16-17,  at Queen's Beach.
 
Hawai'i 3, Florida International 2
1: Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Morgan Martin/Amy Ozee (UH), 21-19, 21-18
2: Maglio/Huddleston (UH) def. Allison Denney/Abbie Hughes (FIU), 21-18, 16-21, 15-11
3: Scoles/Homayun (UH) def. Lina Bernier/Erika Zembyla (FIU), 21-14, 17-21, 21-19
4: Drueews/Napoleon (UH) def. Dorina Klinger/Mariana Dal Pozzo (FIU), 21-23, 21-17, 15-9
5: Katie Friesen/Madison Besterfield (FIU) def. Kylin Loker/Jenna Banz (UH), 21-17, 21-18
Order of finish: 5, 1, 2, 4, 3*
 
LSU 3, Hawai'I 2
1. Claire CoppolaKristen Nuss (LSU) def. Martin/Ozee (UH), 21-14, 21-14
2. Maglio/Huddleston (UH) def. Olivia Powers, Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU), 21-18, 21-12
3. Scoles/Homayun (UH) def. Rodriguez/Agnew (LSU), 26-24, 16-21, 15-9
4. Taryn Kloth/Ashley Allmer (LSU) def. Drueews/Napoleon (UH), 21-12, 21-15
5. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski (LSU) def. Loker/Banz (UH), 21-16, 21-12
Order of finish: 2, 1, 5, 4*, 3