LONG BEACH, Cailf.  — The University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team claimed the Big West Championship with a pair of wins Friday on the campus of Long Beach City College. The Rainbow Wahine defeated UC Davis, 3-0, in the semifinals before edging host Long Beach State, 3-2, in a dramatic title match.

It marked UH's fourth title in eight seasons of Big West beach volleyball and its first since 2018. In the process the BeachBows (24-11) also earned the conference's automatic bid to next week's NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. UH will enter the NCAAs riding a season-long eight-match win streak after going a perfect 4-0 during the Big West Championship.  

The No. 3 seed Rainbow Wahine cruised past UC Davis (18-17) to advance to the tournament finals for the seventh time in eight tries. There they met  No. 2 seed LBSU who defeated CSUN and upset top-seeded Cal Poly to earn its spot in the finals. It would also be a rematch of Friday's pool play action in which the 'Bows defeated the Beach 4-1.   

LBSU (28-9) took a 2-1 lead in the dual. UH's Sydney Miller and Anna Maidment secured a point at the No. 3 flight, while LBSU claimed points at the top two spots of the order. That left it up to the No. 4 and 5 pairs for UH who ultimately came through in the clutch. 

The No. 5 pair of Sarah Burton and Caprice Lorenzo knotted the dual match, 2-2, following a 25-23, 21-16 win over Megan Widener and Livi Narancich. That set up a climatic finish at the No. 4 court between UH's Riley Wagoner and Sydney Amiatu and LBSU's Haley Carrington and Christine Deroos who engaged in a three-set battle. LBSU took the first set 21-16, but UH rallied to take the next two. The UH duo took the second set 21-15 before outlasting LBSU, 16-14, in the third and final set. Amiatu's kill punctuated a thrilling back-and-forth finish as UH clinched the dual and the team's first Big West crown in six years. 

UH improved to 11-1 all-time against LBSU in the Big West tournament and 4-0 in the title match. The 'Bows also earned redemption from last year when the Beach upset the host Rainbow Wahine in the 2023 Big West semifinals.

The 'Bows will now await their postseason destiny with Sunday's NCAA Selection Show. The show will air at 5:00 am HT on NCAA.com.

Hawai'i 3 UC Davis 0 
1. Jaime Santer/Alana Embry (UH) def. Coleen McGuire/Kylie Miller (UCD) 21-15, 21-14
2. Kaylee Glagau/Pani Napoleon (UH) def. Tabitha Mitchell/Kimi Waller (UCD) 21-16, 21-14
3. Madiment/Miller (UH) vs. Tabitha Mitchell/Kimi Waller (UCD) 15-21, 21-11, 1-3, unfinished
4. Wagoner/Amiatu(UH) vs. Alicia Letvin/Mia Olen (UCD) 21-15, 21-23, unfinished
5. Burton/Lorenzo (UH) def. Anna Braun/Kate O'steen (UCD) 25-23, 21-16
Order of finish: 2, 1, 5

Hawai'i 3 Long Beach State 2
1. Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) def. Santer/Embry (UH) 21-16, 21-11
2. Julia Westby/Savannah Standage (LBSU) def. Glagau/Napoleon (UH) 21-16, 25-23
3. Madiment/Miller (UH) def. Natalie Glenn/Mo Gibson (LBSU) 21-17, 21-18
4. Wagoner/Amiatu(UH) def. Carrington/Deroos (LBSU) 16-21, 21-15, 16-14
5. Burton/Lorenzo (UH) def. Widener /Narancich (LBSU) 24-22, 21-16
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2, 5, 4