HONOLULU – A day after wrapping up an intense and tightly-contested  three-match dual series, the University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team and Cal Poly enjoyed some friendly competition in the BowStang Pairs Challenge Sunday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. A total of 15 pairs – eight from Cal Poly and seven from UH – played for the tournament title.
 
Cal Poly advanced two pairs to the finals of the double-elimination tournament. Kalee Graff and Vanessa Roscoe suffered an opening-round loss but navigated their way all the way through the elimination bracket and semifinals. Meanwhile, Piper Naess and Josie Ulrich took a more direct route to the finals with four straight wins. In the end, the finals were not played and the pairs were declared co-champions.
 
UH's Lea Kruse and Harlee Kekauoha made the deepest run of any Rainbow Wahine pair making it to the semifinals after winning three of four matches. However, they ultimately fell short with a 21-16 loss to Naess and Ulrich. All matches during the tournament were played to one set.
 
With their brief 2021 home schedule completed,  the Rainbow Wahine will now head to the Pacific Northwest where they will play a series of dual matches at Alki Beach in Seattle. The weekend will start with the Husky Invitational April 16-17 as UH takes on Oregon, Portland, and host Washington.
 
Round of 15
Ilihia Huddleston/Kaylee Glagau (UH) def. Erika Foreman/Amanda Walker (CP) 21-12
Amber Igiede/Sabrina Hardisty (UH) def. Kalee Graff/Vanessa Roscoe (CP) 21-18
Piper Naess/Josie Ulrich (CP) def. Jaime Santer/Sydney Rau-Kim (UH) vs. 21-14
Amy Ozee/Eleonore Johansen (CP) def. Lily Johnson/Janelle Gong (UH) 21-8
Kruse/Kekauoha (UH) def. Laurie McGrath/Marissa Harrison (CP) 21-13
Tia Miric/Delaney Peranich (CP) def. Riley Wagoner/Tiffany Westerberg (UH) 21-13
Sam Strah/Hannah Rogers (CP) def. Anna Maidment/Sofia Russo (UH) 22-20
Emily Sonny/Jayelin Lombard (CP) bye
 
Winners Bracket Quarterfinals
Igiede/Hardisty (UH) def. Huddleston/Glagau (UH) 23-21
Naess/Ulrich (CP) def. Ozee/Johansen (CP) 21-17
Kruse/Kekauoha (UH) vs. Miric/Peranich (CP)  21-17
Sonny/Lombard (CP) def. Strah/Rogers (CP) 21-6
 
Winners Bracket Semifinals
Naess/Ulrich (CP) def. Igiede/Hardisty (UH) 21-14
Sonny/Lombard (CP) def. Kruse/Kekauoha (UH) 21-16
 
Elimination Bracket Matches
Graff/Roscoe (CP) def. Foreman/Walker (CP) 21-12
Santer/Rau-Kim (UH) def. Johnson/Gong (UH) 21-10
McGrath/Harrison (CP) def. Wagoner/Westerberg (UH) 21-16
Graff/Roscoe (CP) def. Strah/Rogers (CP) 21-13
Ozee/Johansen (CP) def. McGrath/Harrison (CP) 21-18
Huddleston/Glagau def. Maidment/Russo (UH) 21-14
Miric/Peranich (CP) def. Santer/Rau-Kim (UH) 21-13
Ozee/Johansen (CP) def. Huddleston/Glagau (UH) 21-13
Graff/Roscoe (CP) def. Miric/Peranich (CP) 21-14
Kruse/Kekauoha (UH) def. Ozee/Johansen (CP) 24-22
Graff/Roscoe (CP) def. Igiede/Hardisty (UH) 21-18
 
Championship Semifinals
Graff/Roscoe (CP) def. Sonny/Lombard (CP) 21-15
Naess/Ulrich (CP) def. Kruse/Kekauoha (UH) 21-16
 
Finals
Not played, Graff/Roscoe (CP) and Naess/Ulrich (CP) declared co-champions