(UPDATED FEB. 24)


HONOLULU -  Fierce competition awaits the University of Hawai'i women's water polo team at the prestigious Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, Calif., this weekend, from Feb. 25 to Feb. 27. The Rainbow Wahine last competed in the invitational in 2020, where they placed fourth overall after a tough match against then No. 2 UCLA.  
 
Big West weekly honors senior Elyse Lemay-Lavoie and sophomore Lara Luka prepare to strike as the 'Bows will take on fellow conference opponent UC Santa Barbara to start their tournament. The two teams have not faced each other since a 15-9 UH win in 2019. The Rainbow Wahine currently leads the all-time series record 23-8. 
 
The 15 team field features eight of the nation's top-10 ranked programs, including No. 6 Michigan in the same pool as Hawai'i. The University of California ranked third in country was a late scratch from the tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
 
UH took third place in the Triton Invitational two weeks ago, where their only loss came at the hands of at the time No. 1 ranked USC Trojans. This week serves as another battle test of what may come later in the year
 
The first sprint will occur at Anteater Aquatics Complex at 2:15 p.m. HT on Friday, Feb. 25. The remainder of the matches are determined based on game results. Times and matchups will be updated on hawaiiathletics.com.