INDIANAPOLIS — The No. 4 seed University of Hawai'i water polo team will face California in the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship quarterfinals on Friday at 2 p.m. ET (8:00 a.m. HT) at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

UH earned an automatic berth and its ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament after winning the Big West Championship title against Long Beach State in Irvine, Calif. The Rainbow Wahine claimed back-to-back conference tournament titles for the first time in program history, and will make consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005 and '06.

In last year's NCAA tournament, UH defeated Princeton (11-6) in the quarterfinals, and fell to Cal (9-6) in the semifinals.

The 'Bows defeated the Golden Bears 12-11 earlier this year, in the quarterfinals of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Feb. 22, at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, Calif.
 

No. 4 HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (21-4, 7-0 Big West) vs. CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (19-5, 3-3 MPSF)
Date | Time				Friday, May 9 | 2:00 p.m. ET (8:00 a.m. HT)
Location				Indianapolis — IU Natatorium
Live Streams				NCAA.com
Live Stats				6-8sports
Game Notes				Hawai'i
Championship Central				NCAA.com
Social Media				Instagram | Twitter/X | Facebook

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDUH is 14-36 all-time against Cal (0-2 in the NC Women's Water Polo Championship)
Last Meeting: Hawai'i 12, Cal 11 (Feb. 22, 2025; Irvine, Calif.)

OPENING SPRINT

• The Rainbow Wahine earned the No. 4 seed in the nine-team bracket after claiming the Big West tournament title for a second straight year, defeating Cal State Fullerton (16-6), UC San Diego (11-9) and Long Beach State (8-6). Daisy Logtens was named the tournament's most valuable player with 29 saves (61.7% SV) and two steals and an assist.
• The Rainbow Wahine will make the program's ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and earned back-to-back berths for the first time since 2005 and '06.
• In last year's NCAA tournament, UH defeated Princeton (11-6) in the quarterfinals, and fell to Cal (9-6) in the semifinals.
• Bernadette Doyle was named Big West Player of the Year, ranking second on the team with 91 total points with 53 goals and a team-high 38 assists. She's also tied for the Big West lead with 51 steals and is second on the team with 13 field blocks. The senior is making her third appearance in the NCAA Championship (2019, '24) and will face Cal for the third time in the tournament.
• Ema Vernoux claimed three Big West honors, including Freshman of the Year, and All-Big West First Team and Freshmen Team selections. Her 75 goals leads the team, ranks fourth in the league, and is the fourth highest single season total in program history. She is just shy the program-record with 3.00 goals per match, only trailing Monika Eggens (3.06).
• Vernoux also leads UH's offensive attack with a team-high 16 hat tricks this season.
• James Robinson was named Big West Coach of the Year in his inaugural season as head coach. He led UH to a 21-4 record, sweeping through the conference's regular-season schedule for the second straight year and retained the Big West Championship title. Robinson will make his NC Women's Water Polo Championship head coaching debut after three season and one tournament appearance as an assistant coach to Maureen Cole.
• Logtens made the All-Big West first-team for the second consecutive season and leads the conference with a 9.02 goals-against average and ranks fourth with 193 saves in her sophomore season.
• Wedderburn earned All-Big West honors for the first time in her career while anchoring the middle of the UH attack. She's second on the team 65 goals, tied for UH's eighth highest single-season total, and created power-play opportunities with a team-high 69 drawn exclusions.
• Roni Perlman also earned conference honors for the first time after posting 32 assists to rank second on the team to go along with 15 goals.
• Gabrielle Doyle was named to the All-Big West Freshmen team and ranks second on the team with 34 steals, trailing her older sister. She also has 14 goals and 10 assists.
• UH is 3-4 against teams in the NCAA Championship bracket this season (Stanford, 0-1; Loyola Marymount, 1-0; USC, 0-2; California, 1-0;  UCLA, 1-1).

THE MATCHUP
California

• UH fell to Cal, 9-6, in last years NC Women's Water Polo Championship semifinals on May 11, 2024 at the Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkley, Calif.
• UH defeated Cal 12-11 in the quarterfinals of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Feb. 22, at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, Calif. Vernoux scored the game-winning shot with 42 seconds left, and led the team with four goals in the match.
• UH and Cal are 3-3 in six meetings over the last six seasons.
• Cal Head Coach Coralie Simmons began her coaching career in 2005 as an assistant coach at UH. The 'Bows finished in the top-four of the NC Women's Water Polo Championship for the first time in program history that season.
• Cal was awarded one of three at-large berths into the NCAA tournament bracket coming off a third-place finish in last weekend's MPSF Championship in Los Angeles.
• Cal attacker Ruby Swalding leads the team in goals (55), and goalie Talia Fonseca ranks second in the MPSF in saves (172).

NC WOMEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Opening Round - Wednesday, May 7
Wagner vs. McKendree, Noon HT (ncaa.com)

Quarterfinals - Friday, May 9
No. 1 Stanford vs. TBD, 6 a.m. HT (ncaa.com)
No. 4 Hawai'i vs. California, 8 a.m. HT (ncaa.com)
No. 2 UCLA vs. LMU (CA), 10 a.m. HT (ncaa.com)
No. 3 USC vs. Harvard, Noon HT (ncaa.com)

Semifinals - Saturday, May 10
Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 6 a.m. HT (ncaa.com)
Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 8 a.m. HT (ncaa.com)

Championship - Sunday, May 11
Championship, 6 a.m. HT (ESPNU)