HONOLULU — There was no big roar, only controlled applause.
It was almost as if the Hawaii women’s water polo team expected its placement during the live-streamed NCAA Tournament selection show.
As it turns out, the Rainbow Wahine did.
“I think that is where we expected to be,” coach Maureen Cole said of UH’s unprecedented No. 2 seed in the nine-team field.
Second-ranked UH (22-3), the Big West champion, will face Princeton (23-6) on May 10 at Cal’s Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley, Calif.
UH’s finest season in program history has included wins over then-No. 1 teams Stanford and USC. It featured the first combined unbeaten run through the Big West regular season and tournament. For weeks, the Wahine have been ranked second in the national poll, behind only unbeaten UCLA.
“We’re happy with the seeding,” senior Lot Stertefeld said. “We worked hard for it and we’re excited to work even harder and put our energy into the last few weeks and be the best we can be.”
In an Olympic-impacted NCAA water polo season that has seen two of the traditional “Big Three” – Stanford and USC – appear very mortal, the bracket shaped up in unheard-of fashion. UCLA (23-0), the top seed, is on the same side of the bracket as Stanford and USC.
If UH gets past Princeton, it could face third-seeded Cal – a team UH split two official meetings with this season, plus a win in a neutral-site exhibition that did not count – in the semifinals. Otherwise, its path to a theoretical first national title game appearance is as clear as it’s ever been.
UH beat Princeton 10-6 in its first home match of the season on Jan. 26.
“I think we like any matchup going forward, to be honest at this point,” Cole said. “I think we can play with any team in the country, so we’re excited to give our best against Princeton and hopefully move on from there.
“But,” she acknowledged, “the traditional powers on the same side of the bracket is a little different this year than it has been in years past.”
UH’s previous highest NCAA seed was fourth, on four occasions – 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2013. It finished fourth each time.
Wahine players spoke matter-of-factly about why this group, with its spread-it-around offense and swift counterattacks, has had this degree of success in Cole’s final season as head coach.
Accountability.
“This is probably my favorite team I’ve had in my whole life,” said Bernadette Doyle, who led UH past Long Beach State in the Big West tournament championship. “Everybody has each other’s backs. Everyone merges together inside and outside the pool, and we’re very open to giving feedback and improving with each other, and I think that’s kind of what makes the team culture so strong. Our willingness to learn and achieve our goals.”
UH went 6-3 against the other eight teams on the field.
The team could only help but laugh when an NCAA selection show analyst said that UH’s win over Stanford was the program’s first in 37 tries.
“It’s been magical but it’s not over yet,” Cole said. “I think there’s more to the story that we’re excited to write the chapter to in the next two weeks. The team has been awesome. The journey has been amazing. This group is so special. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. They have. It’s just been one of those seasons where you don’t really want it to end.”
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.