HONOLULU — Before they vie for a fourth-consecutive Big West title, the Hawaii women’s volleyball team will first have to survive a bruising non-conference schedule full of familiar post-season powers. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Rainbow Wahine 2023 schedule includes 17 home matches at the SimpliFi Arena and Stan Sheriff Center, 10 road matches and a pair of neutral-site matches

  • Eight of the 10 non-conference matches will be against teams that advanced to the post-season in 2022, including six Power Five teams

  • The season kicks off with the 33rd Annual Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic from Aug. 25 to 27

  • Head coach Robyn Ah Mow’s 2023 squad features All-American middle blocker Amber Igiede and all-conference first teamers Caylen Alexander, Kate Long and Riley Wagoner

The full 2023 schedule, released Tuesday, includes 17 home matches at the SimpliFi Arena and Stan Sheriff Center, 10 road matches and a pair of neutral-site matches. Eight of the 10 non-conference matches will be against teams that advanced to the post-season in 2022, including six Power Five teams.

The season kicks off with the 33rd Annual Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic from August 25 to 27. The Wahine will open against Northwestern before taking on San Diego, which reached the NCAA semifinals last year. The team will close the tournament against Oregon, which finished last season ranked No. 7 in the AVCA poll.

The following week, the Wahine will host a pair of matches against USC, their third meeting in as many years. The two teams split the previous two series, with Hawaii pulling off a stunning reverse-sweep win over the Trojans last season.

The non-conference schedule continues with the 26th Outrigger Volleyball Challenge, Sept. 7 to 10, which pits Hawaii against 2022 Atlantic Sun Conference champion Liberty, former UH associate coach Scott Wong’s Pepperdine squad and old rival UCLA, led by former UH men’s volleyball standout Alfie Reft.

The non-conference schedule wraps up with the Wahine  in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Fight in the Fort tournament. The Wahine is slated to square off against Texas Christian, Western Carolina and Florida State, each of which reached the post-season last year.

Hawaii’s quest for a fourth consecutive Big West title starts with home matches against Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 22 and Cal State University, Northridge, on Sept. 24.

The Wahine’s first conference road trip will take the team to Long Beach State, UC San Diego and Cal State Fullerton before another pair of home matches against Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine.

The conference schedule continues with five of the next six matches on the road over a 16-day stretch.

The regular season schedule concludes with home matches against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, a final road trip for matches with UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, a home match with UC San Diego and Senior Night against Long Beach State on Nov. 18.

The top six teams in the conference will compete in the first Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship, Nov. 23 to 25, hosted by Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid. The top two seeds earn an automatic bye into the semifinal round.

Head coach Robyn Ah Mow’s 2023 squad features All-American middle blocker Amber Igiede and all-conference first teamers Caylen Alexander, Kate Lang and Riley Wagoner.