SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The No. 10 University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team rolled to a pair of shutout wins on the opening day of The Challenge, a round-robin tournament of Big West schools at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex on the campus of Cal Poly. The Rainbow Wahine (4-2) swept both UC Davis and CSUN by identical 5-0 scores while winning in straight sets in eight of 10 matchups.
 
In the BeachBows' first match, they faced a familiar foe in UC Davis (1-8) with the third meeting in UH's first five matches of the season.  The results were the same as the previous two meetings. However, UH did so with a re-tooled lineup. All five flights featured different pairings from the opening four matches of the season. UH swept three of the courts, including a 21-9, 21-11 shellacking by Pani Napoleon and Jaime Santer over Madelin Smith and Alicia Letvin at the No. 3 court.
 
UH found themselves in three-set battles on the No. 1 and No. 4 courts against the Aggies. In the end though, the 'Bows left little doubt. Amber Igiede and Brooke Van Sickle trounced Paloma Bowman and Colleen McGuire, 15-5, in the decisive third set, while Kaylee Glagau and Ilihia Huddleston took care of Jane Seslar and Ashlee Goycoochea, 15-6, in the final frame.
 
In the second match of the day, UH cruised past the Matadors (5-6). The BeachBows won in straight sets on all five courts, including dominant wins at the top two flights. Igiede and Van Sickle rolled past CSUN's Meagan Carter and Lauren Eknoian, 21-11, 21-10, while Harlee Kekauoha and Lea Kruse (UH) crushed Lexi McLeod and Seyvion Waggoner,  21-15, 21-5
 
The Rainbow Wahine will compete in Day 2 of The Challenge on Saturday with a trio of matches versus CSU Bakersfield (8:45 a.m. HT), No. 19 Long Beach State (12:30 p.m. HT) and No. 5 Cal Poly (3:00 p.m HT).
 
Hawai'i 5, UC Davis 0
1. Igiede/Van Sickle (UH) def. Bowman/McGuire (UCD) 23-21, 11-21, 15-5
2. Kruse/Kekauoha (UH) def. Megan Luly/Heather Reed (UCD) 21-14, 21-15
3. Napoleon/Santer (UH) def. Smith/Letvin (UCD) 21-9, 21-11
4. Glagau/Huddleston (UH) def. Seslar/Goycoochea (UCD) 20-22, 21-16, 15-6
5. Sofia Russo/Anna Maidment (UH) def. Savanah Schroeder/Sam Lazenby (UCD) 21-10, 21-14
Order of finish: 5,3,2,1,4
 
Hawai'i 5, CSUN 0
1. Igiede/Van Sickle (UH) def. Carter/Eknoian (CSUN) 21-11, 21-10
2. Kekauoha/Kruse (UH) def. McLeod/Waggoner (CSUN) 21-15, 21-5
3. Santer/Napoleon (UH) def. Darbi Honeycutt/Mikaela Maughan (CSUN) 21-15, 21-18
4. Glagau/Huddleston (UH) def. Lauren McMurray/Kailey Klein (CSUN) 21-14, 21-8
5. Riley Wagoner/Kylin Loker (UH) def. True McCullough/Emily Sparks (CSUN) 21-5, 21-15
Order of finish: 1,2,4,5,3