IRVINE, Calif.- The University of Hawai'i women's water polo team placed fourth at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational after a split weekend of wins and losses. On Sunday morning, UH dropped their final match to Southern California 11-8 at the Anteater Aquatic Complex.
 
The No.5 Rainbow Wahine won their first two matches in the tournament against Loyola Marymount and Michigan, followed by their close loss against No. 1 UCLA on Saturday, setting them up for a third-place match-up against No. 2 USC.
 
The opening frame started with freshman Morgan McDowall as she recorded the match's first goal. Fellow freshmen Paula Prats Rodriguez found the back of the net during a penalty shot, ending the first frame with USC leading 4-2.
 
Sophomore utility Lara Luka ignited the 'Bows momentum in the second frame as she tallied two goals. During a power play with :36 left in the half, McDowall found the back of the cage and tied things up at 5-5.
 
In the third frame, the 'Bows and the Trojans battled defensively, with Hawai'i forcing five turnovers from USC. Luka added another goal to round out her trio of scores with less than two minutes left in the third. Despite beating the goalie two more times in the final frame, Hawai'i fell short of the win with a final score of 11-8.
 
Sophomore goalie Bridget Layburn saw another full-action game as she recorded five saves, putting her at 4-3 on the year.
 
Hawai'i will see Southern Cal again when they host the Trojans on Mar. 18 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.
 
The Rainbow Wahine return to action in two weeks, where they will be on the road at UC Davis on Fri. Mar. 11 at 4:00 pm HT.