LONG BEACH, Calif.  – The No. 15 University of Hawaii beach volleyball team's quest for a fourth conference title got off to a solid start with a pair of wins in the Big West Championship Friday at Rosie's Dog Beach. The No. 3 seed Rainbow Wahine opened with a commanding 5-0 win over No. 6 seed CSUN, before taking down No. 2 seed and host Long Beach State, 4-1.
 
With the two wins, the BeachBows (16-8) advance to Saturday's championship bracket of the double-elimination tournament. UH will face top seed Cal Poly who received a first-round bye before sweeping CSU Bakersfield, 5-0, in its lone match of day one.
 
It was an impressive day for the 'Bows who dropped just one point in 10 chances. In the opening match, UH breezed past CSUN with straight set wins on all five courts. After missing the last eight matches, Kylin Loker returned to the lineup and teamed up with Harlee Kekauoha for an easy 21-18, 21-10 win over Mikaela Maughan and Darbi Honeycutt, one of two wins on the day for the pair at the No. 3 flight.
 
The CSUN win set up a second-round matchup against host Long Beach State (18-13), a squad in which it split four tightly-contested matches in the regular season. It would be competitive again, but the 'Bows would pull of the win by reeling off four straight points after LBSU took the first point of the dual match. Kaylee Glagau and Ilihia Huddleston claimed the third and decisive point with a tight 24-22, 21-19 victory over Emily Mattoon and Jillian Rodriguez at the No. 4 court.  With the match already in hand, top pair Amber Igiede and Brooke Van Sickle capped the match and the day with a thee-set win over Mari Molina and Tyler Spriggs. Igiede and Van Sickle improved their win streak to 10 matches.  

UH has now won nine of its last 10 matches, a string that started with a 5-0 home win against Cal Poly on April 10.
 
Hawai'i 5 CSUN 0
1. Igiede/Van Sickle (UH) def. Victoria Rogers/Meagan Carter (CSUN) 21-15, 21-17
2. Pani Napoleon/Jaime Santer (UH) def. Lexi McLeod/Seyvion Waggoner (CSUN) 21-10, 21-15
3. Kekauoha/Loker (UH) def. Mikaela Maughan/Darbi Honeycutt (CSUN) 21-18, 21-10
4. Glagau/Huddleston (UH) def. Lauren McMurray/Kailey Klein (CSUN) 21-19, 21-7
5. Sofia Russo/Anna Maidment (UH) def. Emily Sparks/True McCullough (CSUN) 21-10, 21-13
Order of finish: 2,5,4*,1,3
 
Hawai'i 4, Long Beach State 1
1. Igiede/Van Sickle (UH) def. Mari Molina/Tyler Spriggs (LBSU) 21-18, 16-21, 15-11
2. Skyler Germann/Makenzie Griffin (LBSU) def. Napoleon/Santer (UH) 21-13, 21-13
3. Kekauoha/Loker (UH) def. Nicci Reinking/Katie Kennedy (LBSU) 21-17, 21-14
4. Glagau/Huddleston (UH) def. Emily Mattoon/Jillian Rodriguez (LBSU) 24-22, 21-19
5. Russo/Maidment (UH) def. Kenzie Holtz/Alice Pratesi (LBSU) 22-20, 21-19
Order of finish: 2,5,3,4*,1