MAAC WATER POLO FIRST ROUND
#5 MOUNT ST. MARY'S (15-10, 7-6 MAAC) vs. #4 IONA (16-12, 7-6 MAAC)
Friday, April 28^th | 4 p.m.
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. | McCann Natatorium  
 
WATCH

EMMITSBURG, Md. (April 27, 2023) – In their first season as a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member, Mount St. Mary's women's water polo enters the postseason championship as the No. 5 seed. They face No. 4 Iona in the first round for the right to advance and play top seeded Wagner in the semifinals.
 
MOUNT UPDATE
 
A 14-9 victory over Siena on April 15^th clinched the Mount's postseason berth, led by five goals from Heather Lock. The win also helped achieve a winning record for MAAC play at 7-6.
 
Finishing up their third season as a program, the team stands one win shy of doubling their total from a season ago. Scoring 306 goals as a unit, the Mount is led by Annefleur ten Bloemendal with 64. Robyn Currie has the highest number of assists at 47, part of 247 for the team. Ana Luisa Cotta joins ten Bloemendal as a 50-goal scorer, posting 55 of them this season. In the net, Pip Piper had the most saves with 166, followed by Samantha Bright with 101.
 
Getting to 15-10 started with an 8-2 start, including a five-game win streak. They went 7-8 down the stretch, wrapping up non-conference play with two tough contests in California. Across the final five games the Mountaineers won four of five, defeating VMI, La Salle and Villanova before the last weekend to put themselves in position for the postseason.
 
SCOUTING THE GAELS
 
Iona also finished at a competitive 16-12, matching the Mount in conference record. The Gaels clinched the better seed by goal differential in head-to-head contests. Also in similar fashion, Iona made a push to the championship by winning four of their last six.
 
Jordan Van Reeken leads the Gaels in goals, scoring 87 times this year. The graduate student also leads in drawn exclusions with 48 and steals with 39. Lily Morris is the primary goalkeeper with 145 saves and 34 steals to go along with a 13-9 record.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
 
Should the Mount advance, semifinal games take place Saturday (Apr. 29).