GULF SHORES, Ala. – The University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team gears up for another postseason run as it heads to the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, May 3-5, in Gulf Shores, Ala. The seventh-seeded Rainbow Wahine (26-9) open tournament action on Friday, May 3 at 11:00 a.m. CT (6:00 a.m. HT) against No. 2 seed and defending national champion UCLA (31-3).
The winner will advance to the 4:00 p.m. CT (11:00 a.m. HT) game against the winner of No. 3 Florida State and No. 6 Cal Poly. The Sandbows are making their fourth straight appearance in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. UH has advanced to Championship Sunday and finished third in each of its last two years.
Hawai'i enters the NCAAs as one of two at-large bids. After winning three straight Big West titles, the Rainbow Wahine finished runner-up to Cal Poly at this year's league tournament at Zuma Beach in Malibu, April 26-27. UH has won 25 or matches in three straight seasons.
A familiar foe awaits in Alabama. This will be UH's fourth meeting against UCLA in the NCAAs. The Bruins have ousted UH twice, including last year's epic semifinal matchup in which UCLA squeezed by with a 3-2 win. The team's met also earlier this year in the season-opening Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic in Honolulu. UH fell, 5-0, a score that did not reflect the competitiveness of the match. UCLA won Courts 3 and 4 in straight sets to go up 2-0, but the other three courts went the distance with the match's ultimate outcome riding on the results of a trio of three-set matches.
The NCAAs will be televised live by ESPN networks, with ESPNU providing live coverage on Friday, May 3 starting at 4 a.m. HT. Live coverage will continue Saturday, May 4 on ESPN2, starting at 8 a.m. HT and Sunday, May 5 at 4:30 a.m. HT on ESPN2. The championship dual will air on ESPN Sunday, May 6, at 8 a.m. HT. Additionally, live streaming coverage of every court throughout the tournament will be available on ESPN3.
Quick Set
What: 2019 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship Opening Round
Who: (7) Hawaii vs. (2) UCLA
Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT/6:00 a.m. HT
Where: Gulf Shores, Ala.
Twitter: @UHBeachVolley @NCAAVolleyball
Television: ESPNU
Streaming: WatchESPN.com (all courts)
Series History: UCLA leads, 7-6
#HawaiiBVB
