Good news came in pairs for the University of Hawaii beach volleyball team this week.

As the Rainbow Wahine prepared for this week’s Big West Championship, word arrived that they had been awarded the top seed in the seven-team bracket, potentially giving them a shorter path to the title.

UH’s outlook beyond this season also brightened with the announcement that the NCAA had granted senior Brooke Van Sickle, half of the BeachBows’ No. 1 pairing, another season of beach volleyball eligibility.

For the moment, the BeachBows are focused on the challenge awaiting them in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

As the Wahine wrapped up their on-campus preparations prior to the trip, it only took a look up on the wall of the Ching Athletic Complex, where the program’s Big West titles and NCAA appearances are displayed, to remind them of the objective for the week.

“We often look up and say, ‘what is going to be our legacy? What have we been able to create this year? What do we want to be remembered for?’” UH coach Evan Silberstein said.

“The girls really want to leave a mark on the program and this is really their first big opportunity to do so.”

As the top seed, the ninth-ranked BeachBows (22-14) will have a bye in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, which opens Friday at Cal Poly’s Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex.

UH will begin its tournament run against the winner of the Friday’s opening match between No. 4-seed UC Davis and No. 5 CSU Bakersfield.

The loser of the second- round match will return later in the afternoon for an elimination match. The winner will play for a spot in Saturday’s championship round in the last of the nine matches scheduled for Friday.

“Just having been around the grind of it all for as long as I have, I know the third match is hard,” Silberstein said. “Obviously it’s a winner’s (bracket) final, it’s a huge moment, but it’s hard to get the body back up, to get the adrenaline back up again, especially after a bit of a break. So I think that’s another big advantage for us to be able to play that important of a match and that kind of opportunity with one less on the day.”

Saturday’s play begins with two elimination matches leading into the championship round.

The tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship, set for May 4-8 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The NCAA field was expanded to 16 teams and Silberstein said three Big West teams could end up in the bracket.

UH’s wins over second-seeded Long Beach State and and third-seeded Cal Poly in the Big West Challenge in late March helped the BeachBows secure the top seed this week.

Last year, the BeachBows won their first three matches to reach the final round undefeated. Cal Poly survived an elimination match then pulled out two 3-2 wins over UH to claim the title.

“It’s definitely motivation,” Van Sickle said. “It was tough. We were in the finals undefeated and they came back and it definitely was heartbreaking for sure. It goes to show if you think you have it, you don’t, and you just have to keep working for it.”

Van Sickle and sophomore Kaylee Glagau are 27-8 at the No. 1 flight and were named the Big West Pairs Team of the Week in four of the season’s nine weeks.

Anna Maidment and Sofia Russo (23-11) have spent the entire season together and have won their last four matches at the No. 4 flight. Riley Wagoner and Ilihia Huddleston have won eight straight at the No. 5 flight.

Silberstein switched up the middle flights during UH’s road trip to Washington to close the regular season with Sarah Penner and Megan Widener and No. 2 and Kylin Loker teaming with Jaime Santer at No. 3.

The BeachBows had a week off following a chilly stay in Seattle, giving the BeachBows a chance to recharge and allow the new pairs “to really find their groove,” Silberstein said.

“The two new pairs … are the ones that really got the chance this week to tune in a little bit more and really start to develop their identity,” Silberstein said.

Big West Beach Volleyball Championship

At San Luis Obispo, Calif.

>> When: Friday and Saturday

>> Streaming video: Saturday’s matches on ESPN+