MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – The No. 13 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 three nationally ranked teams – No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Arizona State, No. 12 LSU, and perennial NCAA Tournament squad Florida International – over the course of the two-day tournament. 

The BeachBows (6-5) started the season with losses to four top 10 teams and an upset over preseason top-ranked UCLA in the OUTRIGGER Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic. UH then reeled off a 5-1 record to capture the Heineken Queen's Cup this past weekend. 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 13
vs. No. 5 Texas............8:30 a.m. HT
vs. Florida International.............12:30 p.m. HT

Saturday, March 14
vs. No. 12 LSU.............7:30 a.m. HT
vs. No. 8 Arizona State.................11:30 a.m. HT

All-Time Series Records: Hawaii will face Texas for the second time in less than a month after the Longhorns edged the 'Bows, 3-2, in UH's season-opening match on Feb. 19 in the OUTRIGGER Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic…UH leads the series 3-2  but Texas has won the last two…UH and Florida International will meet for the ninth-time with the BeachBows winning all but one of the meetings….UH defeated the Panthers, 4-1, in last year's East Meets West……UH is 5-4 against LSU…the teams will meet for the seventh time at the East Meets West…the teams have split the last four meetings in Manhattan Beach…UH faces Arizona State for the 10th time with UH winning eight of the previous nine meetings….the Sun Devils beat UH for the first time in last season's Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic…this will be the first time they meet at the East Meets West Invitational. 
 
Versus Ranked Squads: UH is 108-117 (.480) all-time versus ranked squads, including 1-4 this season…all four of the losses have come against Top 10 squads…UH is 51-50 against ranked squads at a neutral site.  

Versus Unranked Squads: UH is 164-6 (.974) all-time vs unranked squads, including 71-3 at neutral sites. 
 
'Bow Bits: UH has used a total of 14 different combinations through the first two tournaments of the year…the No. 1 pair of Julia Lawrenz and Izadora Stedile and the duo of Sophie Buschmann and Julia Thelle, who have toggled between the No. 2 and 3 courts, are the only pairs to appear in all 11 matches together…Lawrenz and Stedile were a perfect 6-0 at the  Heineken Queen's Cup and have played at the top of the order in the last seven matches…the Brazilian duo went 4-0 in three-set matches this past weekend…overall, the BeachBows are 12-10 this season in three-set matches.