Water Polo Faces UC Santa Barbara on Senior Night - University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics (2024)

Women's Water Polo 04.09.2024

HONOLULU—The second-ranked University of Hawai'i women's water polo team will celebrate Show'UHM Your Aloha Senior Night when the Rainbow Wahine close the regular season with a Big West matchup against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, April 13 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.

The Rainbow Wahine enter regular-season finalehaving clinched at least a share of the Big West regular-season title by sweeping last week's two-game road trip to UC Irvine and Long Beach State. They've also secured the top seed in the upcoming Big West Championship set for April 26-28 in Davis, Calif.

Following Saturday's matchup with the Gauchos, UH will honor its senior class of Alba Bonamusa Boix, Lucia Gomez de la Puente, Emma Gurasich and Lot Stertefeld. The game will also mark the final home game for head coach Maureen Cole, who will retire from coaching following the conclusion of her 13^th season leading the program.

HEAD COACH MAUREEN COLEAt Hawai'i: 221-95 (13th year)

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDSERIES HISTORY: Hawai'i leads 30-8
LAST MEETING: Hawai'i 12-8; March 10, 2023, Santa Barbara, Calif.

OPENING SPRINT
•The Rainbow Wahine have spent seven weeks at No. 2 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Women's Varsity Top 25 this season. The ranking is the highest in program history andthehighest for a Big West team since the conference began sponsoring the sport in 2009.

• UH clinched its sixth Big West regular-season crown and third in the last four years with a 13-6 win at No. 7 Long Beach State on Sunday.

• The Rainbow Wahine enter the regular-season finale on a six-game winning streak.

• UH leads the series with UC Santa Barbara 30-8 and has won the last six meetings with the Gauchos.

•UH is 12-0 against UCSB all-time at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.

• UH is looking to complete an undefeated run through the Big West regular-season schedule for the third time since joining the conference in 2013. The 'Bows went 5-0 in 2018 and 6-0 in 2022.

• UH has not trailed at any point in six Big West matches and were tied twice (1-1 and 4-4 at UC Irvine on April 5). The 'Bows last trailed in the second quarter against USC (3-2) on March 16. UH went on to win 9-8 and has not trailed in 22 quarters since.

• UH has outscored its Big West opponents 88-36, including a 30-4 margin in the first quarter. The 'Bows have posted a shutout through the first period in four conference games.

• The 'Bows are 49-11in Big West regular-season games since joining the conference for the 2013 season and 34-4 since 2017.

• UC Santa Barbara head coach Serela Kay spent two years as UH associate head coach(2013, '14) prior to being hired to lead the Gauchos. Kay and UH head coach Maureen Colewere teammates on UCLA's 2000 national championship team.

ALOHA SENIORS

MAHALO COACH MO

Saturday's match will mark the final home game for UH head coach Maureen Cole, who announced in November she will retire from coaching following the conclusion of this season, her 18th with the Rainbow Wahine program overall and 13th as head coach.

• A former Punahou School standout and three-time national champion at UCLA, Cole joined the UH program as an assistant coach in 2007 and was elevated to head coach prior to the 2012 season. She's the winningest and longest tenured coach in program history and has led the 'Bows to six Big West regular-season titles, four tournament crowns and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

• She was named Big West Coach of the Year in 2013, '15, '19 and '21 and has led UH to four 20-win seasons.

• Since joining the Big West for the 2013 season, UH has finished no lower than a tie for second in the regular-season standings with a conference record of 49-11 (.817) over 11 seasons and advanced to the finals of the Big West Championship eight times, including the last five in a row.

• The program has produced 25 ACWPC All-Americans and 54 all-conference selections during Cole's tenure in Mānoa.

• UH associate head coach James Robinson has been selected as the next Rainbow Wahine head coach starting with the 2024-25 season.

#HawaiiWWP