HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team released its 2022 schedule with a return to some familiarity. After a pandemic shortened 2020 and an abbreviated 2021 schedule, the BeachBows return to a slate that will include at least 35 regular-season matches, including a return to world-famous Queen's Beach for the season-opening Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, Feb. 25-26.

"Opening our season back at Queen's in honor of Duke means so much to our program," interim head coach Evan Silberstein said." We've endured lots of changes and challenges these past few years and our student athletes are inspired and ready to bring it for a full competition season versus the best of the best. Our goals are clear this year. We want to reclaim the Big West title and punch our ticket to Alabama to play for the NCAA Championship once again."
  
Queens of The Beach: UH opens the season with the Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, Feb. 25-26, at Queen's Beach with Saint Mary's, Stanford and UCLA joining the fray. It's the fourth time in the last five years that UCLA and Stanford open the season in Honolulu. It will mark UH's first tournament at Queen's Beach in two years. The Rainbow Wahine will also host the Queen's Cup there, March 10-12, with Cal, Nebraska, TCU and UC Davis.
 
Elite Competition: The BeachBows will play 13 teams that finished in the Top 20 rankings and all but one of the teams (Florida State) that finished in the Top 10 and competed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
 
Familiar Faces: UH is scheduled to play 22 different teams in the regular season and the 'Bows have a playing history with just about all of them. The only first-time opponent this year is Colorado Mesa, who UH faces at the Cactus Classic in Arizona on March 4.
 
Familiar Face II: After a two-year hiatus, USC returns to the UH schedule. From 2012-19, the Rainbow Wahine faced the Women of Troy 17 times on the beach, more than any other non-conference opponent. UH will get a crack at the defending NCAA champions at the UCLA Invitational in Manhattan Beach on April 2.
  
The West is the Best: UH will remain West of the Rockies for its entire regular-season slate, playing in Honolulu (three homestands), California (Big West Challenge, March 25-26; UCLA Invitational April 2-3), Arizona (Cactus Classic, March 4-5) and Washington (Akil Tournament, April 16-17).
 
Our House: UH has won 25 of its 32 matches (78 percent) at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex and will look to protect its home court in its final home weekend of the season when it hosts Grand Canyon and Loyola Marymount, April 9-10, on the Mānoa Campus. LMU finished last year No. 3 in the nation, while Grand Canyon placed No. 9 in the final AVCA rankings.  

Quest For The Big West: All seven league teams will converge to Long Beach for the regular-season Big West Challenge (March 24-25), a round-robin event, one month prior to the post-season tournament. The Big West Championship will take place, April 29-30, in San Luis Obispo where UH seeks its first Big West title since 2018. After previously winning four consecutive conference titles, UH has finished runner-up to Cal Poly the last two tournaments in 2019 and '21.
 
Back To 'Bama?: After missing the NCAA Tournament last year, the BeachBows look to make its return to the familiar courts of Gulf Shores, Ala. The tournament will now include 16 teams, expanded from eight, with the first round beginning May 4.