HONOLULU — The Big West champion University of Hawai'i women's water polo team will open the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship by facing fourth-seeded California in a first-round match on April 24 in La Jolla, Calif.

The nine-team bracket was revealed during the NCAA selection show on Monday, a day after the Rainbow Wahine captured their third consecutive Big West Championship title in Long Beach, Calif., to claim the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Rainbow Wahine (16-5) will take on the Golden Bears (14-7) at UC San Diego's Canyonview Pool at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (11:00 a.m. Hawai'i Time).

The NCAA Tournament matches will be streamed on ncaa.com until the national championship match on April 26, which will be televised on ESPNU.

Led by second-year head coach James Robinson, the Rainbow Wahine will make the program's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and earned three consecutive berths for the first time in program history. UH retained the Big West crown in sweeping through the regular season and conference championship for a third straight year, culminating with a 14-9 win over host Long Beach State on Sunday in the Big West Championship final.

UH and Cal will meet in the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and for the fourth time this season. Cal defeated UH 9-6 in the 2024 national semifinals in Berkeley, Calif., and the 'Bows eliminated the Bears 8-7 in last year's quarterfinal round in Indianapolis.

This season, Cal has won all three meetings with UH. The Bears picked up a 14-9 win at the season-opening Fresno State Polo-palooza on Jan. 17 and a 16-8 victory in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Feb. 13 in Irvine, Calif. Cal also edged UH 10-8 in a stand-alone game in Berkeley on March 15.

Cal enters the NCAA tournament at 14-7 overall and went 3-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season.  The Bears placed fourth in the MPSF tournament over the weekend.

UH has reached the national semifinals each of the last two years. UH defeated Princeton in the quarterfinals of the 2024 NCAA tournament held at Cal's Spieker Aquatics Center in Berkeley, Calif. The 'Bows edged the Bears in last year's quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the semifinals.

The tournament opens on Wednesday, April 22, with a matchup between Wagner and Concordia Irvine with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Stanford. UH or Cal would face the winner of that match in the semifinals. 


National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship
At Canyonview Pool; La Jolla, Calif.

Hawai'i Times listed

• Opening round game | April 22

  • Wagner vs. Concordia Irvine, 3 p.m.

• First round | April 24

  • No. 1 Stanford vs. Wagner/Concordia Irvine, 9 a.m.

  • No. 4 California vs. Hawai'i, 11 a.m.

  • No. 2 UCLA vs. Harvard, 1 p.m.

  • No. 3 USC vs. LMU, 3 p.m.

• Semifinals | April 25

  • 1 p.m., 4 p.m.

• National championship | April 26

  • 3 p.m. | ESPNU

April 24-25 matches will be streamed on ncaa.com

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