TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 14 University of Hawai'i beach volleyball team split a pair of matches to open the Wildcat Spring Challenge at Bear Down Beach on Friday. The Rainbow Wahine (12-11) fell in a tightly contested 3-2 battle to Florida Gulf Coast to start the morning, before bouncing back to defeat Colorado Mesa 4-1 in the afternoon.

In their first match of the day, the BeachBows engaged in a marathon dual with FGCU, with all five flights going the full three sets. Hawai'i's No. 4 pair of Emily Heintzelman and Kiera Cornman picked up the first point with a 21-11, 17-21, 15-10 victory over Kaitlyn Beck and Kristina Gluc. But FGCU then rallied to take courts five, three, and two to secure the dual victory. Julia Lawrenz and Izadora Stedile managed to secure UH's other point with a hard-fought 23-21, 20-22, 15-12 win at the No. 1 flight over Ava Lilliquist and Alexis Keeter.

The BeachBows responded later in the day with an efficient performance against Colorado Mesa. UH was dominant across the board, securing straight-set victories on four courts to easily claim the 4-1 win. Lawrenz and Stedile set the tone at the No. 1 flight, defeating Gracyn Spresser and Ellie Ask 21-11, 21-12. Sydney Miller and Caprice Lorenzo bounced back at the No. 2 court with a 21-16, 21-18 win, while Heintzelman and Cornman continued their dominant run with a 21-14, 21-15 sweep at No. 3. Kristen Serrano and Ayva Moi teamed up at the No. 5 flight for a 24-22, 21-14 victory to round out Hawai'i's scoring.

Heintzelman and Cornman's stellar play has been a major bright spot for the Rainbow Wahine. With their two victories on Friday, the duo extended their current winning streak to six consecutive matches and improved to an impressive 10-2 overall record as a pair this season.

The Rainbow Wahine will conclude the Wildcat Spring Challenge on Saturday with matches against No. 18 South Carolina (6:00 a.m. HT) and host Arizona (9:45 a.m. HT).

FGCU 3, Hawai'i 2
1. Lawrenz/Stedile (UH) def. Lilliquist/Keeter (FGCU) 23-21, 20-22, 15-12
2. Erin Miller/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) def. Miller/Lorenzo (UH) 21-19, 16-21, 21-19
3. Andrea Dietz/Sydney Majick (FGCU) def. Julia Thelle/Sophie Buschmann (UH) 22-20, 20-22, 15-10
4. Heintzelman/Cornman (UH) def. Kaitlyn Beck/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 21-11, 17-21, 15-10
5. Emma Soncrant/Vanessa Moriarty (FGCU) def. Sydney Amiatu/Sarah Burton (UH) 22-20, 14-21, 15-12
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 2*, 1

Hawai'i 4, Colorado Mesa 1
1.  Lawrenz/Stedile (UH) def. Spresser/Ask (CMU) 21-11, 21-12
2. Miller /Lorenzo (UH) def. Ania Swartzendruber / Ewelina Gacek (CMU) 21-16, 21-18
3. Heintzelman/Cornman (UH) def. Addie Ritterbush / Mikala Henderson (CMU) 21-14, 21-15
4. Regan Rothley/Lauren Rohlwing (CMU) def. Thelle/Buschmann (UH) 21-18, 21-19
5. Serrano /Moi (UH) def. Stormi Tadlock/Ava Blanco (CMU) 24-22, 21-14 
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*, 4, 5