It is now official. Last week's blur of conference championships held on the University of Hawai'i campus was an unqualified Rainbow success.

Men's tennis upset two ranked teams — for the second straight year — to win the WAC title Sunday at the UH Tennis Complex. Yesterday, the Rainbow Wahine were given the final at-large bid to the ninth annual NCAA Water Polo Championship by the sport's committee.

Fourth-ranked Hawai'i lost, 8-7, to third-ranked UCLA in the opening round of the MPSF Championship last weekend at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex, then won its last two games to take fifth. The 'Bows (18-8) have won nine of their last 10.

The Rainbow Wahine will be making their third appearance at the NCAA Championship, May 8 to 10 at Eppley Recreation Center in College Park, Md. They are seeded fourth and open against fifth-seeded Loyola Marymount, ranked 11th, next Friday.

"We are all very excited to get a chance to compete at the NCAA Championship," UH coach Michel Roy said. "Now it's time to get back in the pool and prepare for next week."

The championship is an eight-team, single-elimination tournament, with a losers' bracket to determine places three through eight. UH will be making its first national appearance since 2005 and 2006. It finished fourth both years. The 'Bows have participated in seven postseasons overall, going back to the 1998 National Collegiate Championship its inaugural year.

The No. 1 seed was awarded to MPSF champion USC, with Stanford No. 2 and UCLA No. 3. Michigan is No. 6, followed by Marist and Cal-Lutheran.

After Hawai'i edged San Diego State and San Jose State Saturday and Sunday, Roy insisted he was optimistic his team would get the final (of three) at-large bids — despite his shock two years ago when SDSU was chosen ahead of the 'Bows despite losing to UH twice.

Roy believed Hawai'i's upset of UCLA early in the season — its first win in history over the six-time NCAA champ — and 6-5 win over fifth-ranked Cal — on a last-second goal by senior All-American Kelly Mason — during the MPSF season would be decisive. Yesterday, the committee proved him right.

Now the hard part starts. For Hawai'i to be successful in Maryland, Roy said there is only one way to play:

"We have to be perfect," Roy said. "We have to play and win every aspect of the game — man-down, power play, team defense, attack and put the ball in the back of the net."