DAVIS, Calif. — The second-ranked University of Hawai'i women's water polo team will face No. 8 Long Beach State in the final of the Big West Championship on Sunday, April 28 at the Schaal Aquatics Center in Davis, Calif. The matchup between the top-seeded Rainbow Wahine and third-seeded Beach is set for noon Pacific Time / 9 a.m. Hawai'i time. The conference champion will also claim the Big West's automatic berth to the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship.
| No. 2 HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (21-3) vs. No. 8 LONG BEACH STATE BEACH (22-8) |
| Date | Time |
Sunday, April 28, 2024 | 12 p.m. Pacific Time (9 a.m. Hawai'i Time) |
| Location |
Davis, Calif. — Schaal Aquatics Center |
| Live Stream |
ESPN+ — Greg Mescall (play by play), Brenda Villa (analyst) |
| Live Stats |
The FOSH |
| Game Notes |
Hawai'i |
| Championship Central |
BigWest.org |
HEAD COACH MAUREEN COLEAt Hawai'i: 224-95 (13th year)
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDHawai'i vs. Long Beach State
SERIES HISTORY: Hawai'i leads 36-7
LAST MEETING: UH 13-6, April 7, 2024, Long Beach, Calif.
BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULEFriday, April 26
Quarterfinals
No. 1 seed Hawai'i 19, No. 8 seed Cal State Fullerton 6
No. 4 seed UC San Diego 18, No. 5 seed CSUN 11
No. 2 seed UC Irvine 9, No. 7 seed UC Davis 6
No. 3 seed Long Beach State 8, No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara 6
Saturday, April 27
Semifinals
Hawai'i 17, UC San Diego 10
Long Beach State 9, UC Irvine 7
Sunday, April 28
Championship
Long Beach State vs. Hawai'i, 12 p.m. PT (9 a.m. HT)
OPENING SPRINT
• UH is seeking its fifth Big West Championship title and first since 2021.
• UH
defeated fourth-seeded UC San Diego 17-10 in the semifinals on Saturday and enters the final with a nine-game winning streak.
• UH seniors
Lot Stertefeld and
Lucia Gomez de la Puente both had three goals and three assists in the semifinal victory. Gomez de la Puente leads UH with six goals in the tournament.
• UH is 21-6 all-time in the Big West Championship and is making its sixth consecutive appearance in the tournament final.
• UH is 4-4 in the final round of the Big West Championship. The 'Bows won the 2021 final in La Jolla, Calif., then fell to UC Irvine in the last two title games, including a 10-9 overtime loss last year.
• The 'Bows' quarterfinal win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday gave UH the program's 11th 20-win season overall and fifth under head coach
Maureen Cole.
• The Rainbow Wahine entered the tournament as the top seed and Big West regular-season champion after going 7-0 in conference play.
• UH went undefeated in the Big West regular-season schedule for the third time since joining the conference and claimed its sixth regular-season championship.
• UH has paired the Big West regular-season and tournament championships three times (2013, 2019, 2021).
• The 2024 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Selection Show will air Monday, April 29 at 2 p.m. HT on NCAA.com.
THE MATCHUP
• Long Beach State advanced to the final with a 9-7 win over two-time defending champion UC Irvine on Saturday. Elisa Portillo posted a hat trick for the Beach and scored the go-ahead goal with 2:25 left. Chelsea Oliver made six saves.
• UH defeated Long Beach State twice in the regular-season — a 17-8 non-conference win in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Feb. 24 in Irvine, Calif., and a 13-6 Big West victory on April 7 in Long Beach.
• UH has won the last 12 meetings with Long Beach State and leads the all-time series 36-7. LBSU's last win in the series came on April 29, 2017, 8-7 in overtime in the Big West tournament semifinals, also in Davis.
• UH is 7-1 against Long Beach State in the Big West Championship. The 'Bows held off the Beach 13-12 in last year's semifinals.
• Long Beach State is making its first appearance in the Big West final since 2017 and is seeking the program's first tournament title. The Beach won the 2016 regular-season championship.
• Former Rainbow Wahine Lara Luka leads Long Beach State and ranks second in the Big West with 85 goals and 53 assists. Her 138 points leads the conference. Luka played two seasons at UH and led the 'Bows with 55 points (37 goals, 18 assists) in 2022.
#HawaiiWWP
