IRVINE, Calif. — Following a two-week break, the second-ranked University of Hawaii water polo team returns to action in the high-powered Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, Calif.

The field for the 16-team tournament includes the top eight teams and 13 of the top 16 teams in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association poll. The event runs from Friday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 25 with games held at UC Irvine's Anteater Aquatic Complex and Corona del Mar High School's Marian Bergeson Aquatic Complex.

UH (8-1) will open the tournament against Pomona-Pitzer (3-3) at 11:15 a.m. Pacific Time (9:15 a.m. Hawai'i time) Friday at Anteater Aquatics Complex. The 'Bows will face No. 7 Arizona State or No. 12 Long Beach State in their first match on Saturday at UCI or Corona del Mar. Teams will play twice on Saturday and placement games are scheduled for Sunday.

BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL: NO. 2 HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (8-1) vs. POMONA-PITZER (3-3)
Date | Time				Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 | 11:15 a.m. Pacific Time (9:15 a.m. Hawai'i time) Saturday, Feb. 24- Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024 | Opponents and Game times TBD
Location				Irvine, Calif. — Anteater Aquatics Complex, Corona del Mar High School
Full Schedule				Tournament Central
Live Stats				TheFOSH.net: Hawaii vs. Pomona-Pitzer
Game Notes				Hawai'i

HEAD COACH MAUREEN COLEAt Hawai'i: 211-93 (13th year)

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDHawai'i leads Pomona-Pitzer 3-0
Last meeting: Hawai'i 16, Pomona-Pitzer 2 (March 21, 2015)

OPENING SPRINT• UH has played in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational (formerly the UC Irvine Invitational) each year since 2007, with the exception of the shortended 2021 season. UH is 34-30 in the event all-time and went 3-1 last year to place fifth.

• UH has held the No. 2 spot in the Collegate Water Polo Association Women's Varsity Top 25 for the last three weeks. The ranking is the highest in program history.

• UH has seven wins against teams in the CWPA Top 25 this season, three of them coming in the Triton Invitational.

• The Rainbow Wahine had a break from competition since placing third in the Triton Invitational Feb. 2-4 in La Jolla, Calif. UH defeated No. 22 San Diego State and No. 16 UC Davis before falling to No. 3 UCLA 13-12 in overtime in the semifinals. The 'Bows closed the tournament with a 10-6 win over then-No. 1 USC. 

• The win over USC was UH's second victory over a top-ranked opponent this season and marked the first 'Bows' first win over the Trojans since April 29, 2006, snapping their 27-game losing streak in the series.

• Lucia Gomez de la Puente enters the week as UH's points leader with 34 (20 goals, 14 assists). She's tied with Alba Bonamusa Boix for second on the team in goals.

• Gomez de la Puente and fellow senior Lot Stertefeld are tied for the team's assists lead followed by Bonamusa Boix with 11.

• Center Bia Mantellato Dias leads the team with 25 goals, scoring 13 in the Triton Invitational. She has five hat tricks this season and scored at last four goals in three.

• UH freshman goalie Daisy Logtens posted 15 saves in UH's win over then-No. 1 USC, tied for the third most blocks in a single game in school history. Logtens alternated starts with Emma Gurasich early in the season.


BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL FIELD

The 16-team Barbara Kalbus Invitational is divided into four groups and opens with pool play on Friday and Saturday. Groups A and D will cross over for bracket play Saturday afternoon as will Groups B and C. Placement games are scheduled for Sunday.

Group A — No. 1 UCLA, No. 8 Michigan, No. 10 UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton

Group B — No. 2 Hawai'i, No. 7 Arizona State, No. 12 Long Beach State, Pomona-Pitzer

Group C — No. 3 Fresno State, No. 6 Cal, No. 13 UC San Diego, Biola (RV)

Group D —No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 USC, No. 13(t) Indiana, No. 13(t) UC Santa Barbara

UH SWEEPS FIRST THREE BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

UH claimed the first three Big West Women's Water Polo Player of the Week awards of the season, marking the first time the Rainbow Wahine earned the conference honor in three consecutive weeks since joining the Big West in 2013.

• Sophomore Bia Mantellato Dias won this season's first award on Jan. 24 after helping the Rainbow Wahine to a historic opening weekend in the Polo-Palooza in Fresno, Calif. Mantellato Dias scored a total of six goals and had two assists in two official matches in the tournament and earned the conference's Player of the Week award for the fourth time in her career.

• Junior Bernadette Doyle made it back-to-back Big West honors for UH on Jan. 31. She scored five goals, assisted on five others, and swiped seven steals to help UH go 3-0 in the Rainbow Invitational. The Big West award was the first of her career.

• Senior attacker Lucia Gomez de la Puente picked up UH's third straight Big West honor on Feb. 7. She accounted for 19 points with 11 goals and eight assists in the Triton Invitational and was instrumental to UH's attack throughout a 3-1 weekend in La Jolla, Calif., which was capped by a victory over then-No. 1 USC. The Big West Player of the Week award is the first of Gomez de la Puente's career.

ALOHA SEASONUH head coach Maureen Cole announced in November she will retire from coaching following the conclusion of this season, her 18^th with the Rainbow Wahine program overall and 13^th as head coach.

Cole joined the UH program as an assistant coach in 2007 and was elevated to head coach prior to the 2012 season. She's the winningest and longest tenured coach in program history and has led the 'Bows to five Big West regular-season titles, four tournament crowns and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVORThe Rainbow Wahine again feature an international lineup with eight countries represented on the 21-player roster. A team dinner with players preparing a dish from their respective countries annually highlights "aloha week" leading up to the season opener. Blending various styles in the pool has also been a longstanding staple of the UH program and the 'Bows enter the season looking to integrate nine newcomers into the mix.

A total of nine Rainbow Wahine representing six countries competed in the recently completed FINA World Championships in Doha — Mirella Coutinho (Brazil, 2014), Elyse Lemay-Lavoie (Canada, 2018-19, '22), Camille Radosavljevic (France, 2022-23), Szonja Kuna (Hungary, 2020), Maartje Keuning (Netherlands 2017-18), Maxine Schaap (Netherlands, 2019), Bernadette Doyle (New Zealand, 2019-20, present), Libby Gault (New Zealand, 2019-23) and Bridget Layburn (New Zealand, 2019-23)