SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team saw its postseason run come to a close on the second day of the 2026 Big West Championship on Friday. Competing in single-elimination bracket play at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex, the third-seeded Rainbow Wahine swept No. 5 seed CSUN 3-0 in the morning quarterfinal before falling to top-seeded and host Cal Poly 3-0 in the semifinals.

Hawai'i opened Friday's action with a decisive 3-0 sweep over the Matadors (10-23) to comfortably advance to the semifinals. The BeachBows dominated early, clinching the dual before flights two and three could even finish their matches. Julia Lawrenz and Izadora Stedile continued their elite play at the top of the lineup, picking up a decisive 21-11, 21-11 victory over CSUN's Hannah Heflin and Maleya Miles at the No. 1 flight. Lower in the order, the pairings of Kristen Serrano and Caprice Lorenzo at No. 4, and Sarah Burton and Sophie Buschmann at No. 5, secured the remaining points with straight-set victories to seal the sweep and improve Hawai'i's flawless all-time record (13-0) against the Matadors.

In the afternoon semifinal, the BeachBows ran into a buzzsaw against the top-seeded Mustangs (29-8). Cal Poly secured three quick straight-set victories at flights two, three, and four to clinch the 3-0 sweep and end Hawai'i's hopes for a fifth Big West title.

Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter set the tone for Cal Poly with a win over Emily Heintzelman and Kiera Cornman at the No. 2 flight. Quinn Perry and Ashleigh Adams defeated Julia Thelle and Sydney Miller at No. 3, and Julia Westby and Elise Lenahan clinched the dual by besting Serrano and Lorenzo at No. 4. At the top of the order, Hawai'i's Lawrenz and Stedile were ahead by a set on Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep when the match was called unfinished following the Cal Poly clinch.

The semifinal loss concludes the 2026 campaign for the 16th-ranked Rainbow Wahine who made a marked improvement from last year finishing with a 19-14 overall record under first-year head coach Danny Alvarez. 

Hawai'i 3 CSUN 0
1. Lawrenz/Stedile (UH) def. Heflin and Miles (CSUN) 21-11, 21-11
2. Heintzelman/Cornman (UH) vs. Tia Mendiola and Zaria Henderson (CSUN) 21-19, 13-17, unfinished
3. Miller/Thelle (UH) vs. Ava Rogers and Dylan Hall (CSUN) 21-11, 15-21, 0-6, unfinished
4. Serrano/Lorenzo (UH) def. Jill Rodig and Ainsley Patrick (CSUN) 21-15, 21-17
5. Burton/Buschman (UH) def. Haley Coggins and Daysha Halbert (CSUN) 21-14, 21-15
Order of finish: 1, 5, 4*

Cal Poly 3 Hawai'i 0 
1. Lawrenz/Stedile (UH) vs. Connor/Inskeep (CP) 21-18, 17-14, unfinished 
2. Martinez/Walter (CP) def. Heintzelman/Cornman (UH) 21-10, 21-7
3. Perry/Adams def. Miller/Thelle (UH) 21-15, 21-14
4. Westby/Lenahan (CP) def. Serrano/Lorenzo (UH) 21-12, 21-11
5. Peyton Dueck/Katie Clevenger (CP) vs Burton/Buschman (UH) 21-14, 15-18, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 4, 3*