Rainbow Wahine finalize sand schedule

New opponents and more home tournaments highlight Hawaii’s third sand volleyball season.

The Rainbow Wahine open March 7 with dual matches against defending national champion Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount and Stanford. The four teams will compete in a pairs tournament the next day.

With the campus courts still under construction, home matches will be played at Queen’s Beach.

Hawaii also will host dual matches with Arizona and USC March 19, and Nebraska March 20. The Rainbow Wahine Spring Challenge will feature those four teams, March 21-22.

The field for the April 5 Hawaii Sand Volleyball Showcase includes Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific and the Rainbow Wahine.

Hawaii also has four tournaments in California during the regular season, competing in the USAV Beach Collegiate Tournament in Chula Vista, the USAV Beach Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach, the inaugural Big West Challenge in Huntington Beach and the Stanford Invitational.

The AVCA national championship will be held in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 2-4, for the third straight year. Six programs will qualify for the team championships with the top 10 tandems invited for the pairs championship.

A total of 41 Division I schools across the country are now sponsoring varsity sand volleyball programs.