HONOLULU — After sweeping a four-game homestand, the second-ranked University of Hawai'i women's water polo team embarks on a pivotal Big West road trip to face No. 8 UC Irvine on Friday, April 5 and No. 7 Long Beach State on Sunday, April 7.

Friday's matchup at the Anteater Aquatics Complex is set for 7 p.m. Pacific Time (4 p.m. Hawai'i time). The Rainbow Wahine then take on the Beach on Sunday at noon Pacific time (9 a.m. Hawai'i time). Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

With three games remaining in their Big West regular-season schedule, the Rainbow Wahine enter the week atop the Big West standings at 4-0. Long Beach State (3-0) is the only other undefeated team in conference play and UC Irvine (2-1) is tied for third with UC San Diego.

NO. 2 HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (16-3, 4-0 BIG WEST) vs. NO. 8 UC IRVINE (14-9, 2-1)  |  NO. 7 LONG BEACH STATE (18-6, 3-0)
Date | Time				UC Irvine: Friday, April 5, 2024  |  7 p.m. Pacific Time (4 p.m. Hawai'i Time) Long Beach State: Sunday, April 7, 2024  |  12 p.m. Pacific Time (9 a.m. Hawai'i Time)
Location				Irvine, Calif. — Anteater Aquatics Complex Long Beach, Calif. — Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center
Live Stream				UC Irvine: ESPN+ Long Beach State: ESPN+
Live Stats				UC Irvine: TheFosh Long Beach State: TheFosh
Game Notes				Hawai'i

HEAD COACH MAUREEN COLEAt Hawai'i: 219-95 (13th year)

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDSUC Irvine
SERIES HISTORY: Hawai'i leads 27-14
LAST MEETING: UC Irvine 10-9 (April 30, 2023; Santa Barbara, Calif.)

Long Beach State
SERIES HISTORY: Hawai'i leads 35-7
LAST MEETING: Hawaii 17-8 (Feb. 24, 2024; Irvine, Calif.)

OPENING SPRINT 
• The Rainbow Wahine remained at No. 2 in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association Women's Varsity Top 25. UH has spent seven weeks at No. 2 this season, which is also the highest ranking for a Big West team since the conference began sponsoring the sport in 2009.

• UH defeated No. 12 UC San Diego 18-8 last Friday to remain undefeated in conference play and complete a 4-0 homestand.
 
• UH's victory over UCSD earned the team its 13th victory over a CWPA top-25 opponent this season.

• UC Irvine enters the week tied with Fresno State for eighth in the CWPA poll. Long Beach State was tied for sixth last week and is No. 7 in this week's poll.
 
• UH leads the series with UC Irvine 27-14. The Anteaters have won three of the past four meetings, two coming in the Big West Championship title game.
 
• UH and UC Irvine have met in the final of the Big West Championship each of the last five tournaments.
 
• UH leads the series with Long Beach State 35-7 and has won the last 11 meetings with the Beach. The 'Bows defeated LBSU 17-8 on Feb. 24 in a nonconference meeting in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.
 
• LBSU enters the week on a 10-game winning streak and faces UC Davis on Friday before hosting UH.

• UH is averaging 15.5 goals in its first four Big West matches and 13.2 overall. The 'Bows lead the conference with 62 goals in Big West play.
 
• The 'Bows are 47-11 in Big West regular-season games since joining the conference for the 2013 season and 32-4 since 2017.

UH CLAIMS 5 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

UH has claimed a program-record five Big West Women's Water Polo Player of the Week awards this season, surpassing the program's previous high of four awards 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. She scored six goals and had two assists in a weekend highlighted by UH's first-ever win over then-No. 1 Stanford.

• Junior Bernadette Doyle made it back-to-back Big West honors for UH on Jan. 31 following UH's 3-0 weekend in the Rainbow Invitational. Doyle scored five goals, assisted on five others, and swiped seven steals in the home-opening tournament.

• Senior attacker Lucia Gomez de la Puente picked up UH's third straight Big West honor on Feb. 7 after accounting for 19 points with 11 goals and eight assists in the Triton Invitational.

• Goalkeeper Daisy Logtens earned her first Big West award after helping lead the Rainbow Wahine to a runner-up finish in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. The freshman from the Netherlands recorded 37 saves over four tournament matches.

• Jordan Wedderburn picked up UH's fifth award on March 20 after posting her third hat trick of the season to lead the 'Bows to their second win over No. 5 USC this season.
 SHARING THE WEALTHThree UH players have scored at least 30 goals to lead the UH attack and another three have at least 20. In all, 16 players have at least one goal and 20 have at least one assist.

• Alba Bonamusa Boix enters the week as UH's points leader with 69. Bonamusa Boix has 38 goals and 31 assists. Lucia Gomez De La Puente is next with 65 points with 34 goals and 31 assists.

• Center Bia Mantellato Dias leads the team with 49 goals. She scored in 18 of 19 games and has at least three goals in nine games this season, at least four goals in five games and scored five goals three times this season.

• Attacker Bernadette Doyle ranks third on the team with 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) and leads the 'Bows with 30 steals.

DEFENDING THE NETUH has allowed a Big West-low 140 goals overall this season, holding opponents to 7.4 goals per game. UC Santa Barbara is next at 7.7 goals allowed per game followed by Long Beach State at 7.9.

• UH goalkeeper Daisy Logtens leads the conference with a .599 save percentage and ranks second with 9.4 saves per game. Graduate student Emma Gurasich has 39 saves this season.

• Doyle leads the Big West with 1.8 steals per game followed by Lot Stertefeld at 1.4. Bonamusa Boix is second in the conference with 14 field blocks.

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