IRVINE, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i water polo team got off to a fast start on Friday on the first day of the Barbara Kalbus Tournament hosted by UC Irvine with a 17-7 victory over No. 16 UC San Diego.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (9-1) have won back-to-back matches since dropping their first match of the season to No. 3 UCLA on Feb. 4 in the Triton Invitational. The Tritons (4-9) have dropped four in a row, with all four coming against teams in the top-15 nationally.
 
Not only did UH get off to a fast start with a victory, but equally got off to a fast start against the Triton with seven goals in the first period for a 7-2 advantage. Seven different 'Bows scored in the first eight minutes, and the momentum followed into the second period as UH tallied five more goals while holding UCSD scoreless.
 
With a 12-2 lead in the second half, UH worked in different lineups to give others rest, as they'll play three more matches over the next two days. Leading to UCSD matching UH in the final two frames with five goals a piece.
 
Junior Lucia Gomez de la Puente tied her career-high in goals scored with three, a mark she has hit four times in her career. Seniors Emma van Rossum, Libby Gault, junior Lot Stertefeld, and sophomore Jordan Wedderburn tallied two goals each. As a team, UH accounted for eight assists by eight different players.
 
Defensively goalie Bridget Layburn spent all 32 minutes in the cage, tallying seven saves, and only allowed the Tritons to shoot .280 on the day, compared to the 'Bows hitting .486 on their shot percentage.
 
As a result, UH will do battle with No. 4 California Saturday at 7:15 a.m. HT. Depending on if the 'Bows wins or loses, they'll play in either the winner's bracket at 12:45 p.m. HT or 11:30 a.m. HT is in the loser's bracket.