With bigger targets in its sights, the Hawaii water polo team wasted no time in dispatching an outclassed foe in the first round of the Big West championships in Davis, Calif., on Friday morning.
UH, the No. 2 team in the country and the top seed in the BWC tournament, routed Cal State Fullerton 19-6 to set up a semifinal match with fourth-seeded UC San Diego at the Schaal Aquatics Center at 9 a.m. Hawaii time.
The Rainbow Wahine (20-3) reached the 20-win mark for the 11th time in program history, and fifth time under coach Maureen Cole, who is retiring after this season.
Alba Bonamusa Boix, Roni Perlman, Lucia Gomez de la Puente and Bernadette Doyle all recorded hat tricks in the win.
Bonamusa Boix, a senior from Spain, became the first player in program history to record 200 goals and 100 assists for a career. She reached the assist milestone on a pass to Bia Mantellato Dias for a goal 19 seconds into the match, and the scoring mark on a shot in the third quarter.
Freshman Daisy Logtens and senior Emma Gurasich split goalkeeper duties by half and combined for eight saves.
CSUF saw its season end at 10-19.
UCSD (18-11) reached the semifinals with an 18-11 win over fifth-seeded Cal State Northridge.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.