MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- The No. 18 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine beach volleyball team embarks on its first road trip of the season when it travels to Southern California for the East Meets West Invitational. UH will play four nationally ranked teams – No. 8 Florida State, No. 11 LSU, No. 12 Texas and No. 19 Florida International – over the course of the two-day tournament. 

The BeachBows (5-7) started the season with six losses to a bevy of top 10 teams in the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic before bouncing back last weekend with a 5-1 record in the Heineken Queen's Cup. All seven of UH's losses have come against Top 20 teams as the BeachBows look to take down a ranked opponent for the first time this season while doing it on the road.
 
This Week's Schedule
East Meets West Invitational  (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Friday, March 14
vs. No. 19 Florida International.............8:00 a.m. HT
vs. No. 8 Florida State.................12:00 p.m. HT
 
Saturday, March 15
vs. No. 11 LSU.............9:30 a.m. HT
vs. No. 12 Texas............12:00 p.m. HT
 
All-Time Series Records: UH and Florida International will meet for the eight-time with the BeachBows winning all but one of the meetings….FIU defeated UH for the first time ever, 3-2, in the last meeting between the teams at the 2023 East Meets West…UH is 4-10 against Florida State...FSU has won the last five meetings, four of them coming in the East Meets West…UH is 5-3 against LSU…the teams will meet for the sixth time at the East Meets West with UH winning in each of the last two years…UH faces Texas for the third straight season and the first time in the East Meets West…the BeachBows defeated the Longhorns twice in their inaugural season in 2023 and edged them, 3-2, in the 2024 TCU Invitational.
 
Versus Ranked Squads: UH is 104-100 (.510) all-time versus ranked squads, including 0-7 this season…five of the seven losses have come against Top 10 squads…UH is 48-32 against ranked squads at a neutral site.  

'Bow Bits: UH has used a 11 different combinations through the first two tournaments of the year…the No. 1 pair of Sarah Burton and Caprice Lorenzo and the duo of Jesse Mann and Jasmine Wandeler, who have toggled between the No. 3 and 4 courts, are the only pairs to appear in all 12 matches together…both pairs are 6-6 on the season…Alana Embry and Julia Lawrenz were paired together for the first time during the Heineken Queen's Cup and have won five straight matches, all by straight sets…the BeachBows are 1-13 this season in three-set matches.