HONOLULU — University of Hawai'i junior Jordan Wedderburn was named the Big West Women's Water Polo Player of the Week on Wednesday after helping to power the Rainbow Wahine to a historic victory over Southern California last weekend.
 
Wedderburn is the fifth Rainbow Wahine player to earn the honor this season and UH's total surpassed the program's previous high of four conference Player of the Week awards in 2013.
 
Wedderburn posted her third hat trick of the season to lead the 'Bows to their second win over No. 5 USC on Saturday at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex. Following the 9-8 win, UH (13-3) moved up a spot to No. 3 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Women's Varsity Top 25 released on Wednesday.
 
The utility player from Johannesburg, South Africa scored on three of her five shots, delivering a tie-breaking goal on each occasion in the victory. Wedderburn scored her first goal with 14 seconds left in the second quarter to send UH into halftime with a 4-3 lead. Her second pushed UH ahead 5-4 and her final goal gave the Rainbow Wahine the lead for good at 7-6 with 19 seconds left in the third quarter. She also drew two exclusions in the game and the 'Bows went on to post the program's first home win over USC in 21 all-time meetings with the Trojans at the DKAC.

UH entered the season 3-48 all-time against USC and snapped a 27-game losing streak in the series on Feb. 4 in the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif. The win in Saturday's rematch gave UH consecutive wins over the Trojans for the first time in program history.
 
Wedderburn now has 22 goals on the season as the Rainbow Wahine prepare for his weekend's Big West contests with Cal State Fullerton on Friday and CSUN on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. at the DKAC.

UH's Bia Mantellato Dias, Bernadette Doyle, Lucia Gomez de la Puente and Daisy Logtens previously earned the Big West Player of the Week award this season.