Box Score HONOLULU - On Senior Night, the fifth-ranked University of Hawai'i women's water polo team finished the regular season on a winning note, defeating No. 11 UC Santa Barbara, 15-9, on Saturday at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. With the win, UH clinched at least a share of the Big West Conference Regular Season Championship.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (16-5, 4-1 BWC) powered past the Gauchos (19-7, 2-2 BWC) behind solid play from Elyse Lemay-Lavoie and Femke Aan, netting four and three goals, respectively.
 
Hawai'i's offense clicked from the get-go, finding the back of the net four times in the opening period, while holding the Gauchos to one goal. Senior Irene Gonzalez put the game's first goal in at the 5:55 mark before UCSB responded. The 'Bows went on a 3-0 scoring run to close the period, 4-1.
 
In the second period, the 'Bows continued their dominance on the defensive end, blanking the Gauchos, who shot 0-10. The Rainbow Wahine extended their lead, connecting on 4-8 shot attempts to take an 8-1 advantage into halftime.  
 
The Gauchos flipped the switch in the second half, outscoring the Rainbow Wahine 8-7 in the last 16 minutes but were unable to get the UH lead under five goals.
 
Defensively, the Rainbow Wahine recorded 11 steals, with Gonzalez leading the way with four takeaways.
 
In the cage, playing the first half, Molly DiLalla finished with six saves and one goals against, while Bridget Layburn played in the second half, notching five saves and eight goals against.
 
The Rainbow Wahine locked up one of the top two seeds entering the 2019 Big West Tournament held in Long Beach, Calif. at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center from Friday April 26 – Sunday April 28.
 
Following Saturday's game, UH honored Carla Abellan, Aan, Gonzalez and Lemay-Lavoie for their dedication to the program with a Senior Night ceremony.