VILLANOVA, Pa. – The 2023 Villanova Water Polo season opens this weekend with a trip to the Bloomington, Ind. for the Hoosier Invite. The Wildcats will play four games over the span of Jan. 28-29 at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
Villanova opens the weekend against the hosting Indiana Hoosiers (2-2) on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for the first meeting between the two sides since 2020. The Wildcats are still in search of their first win in the 10-game series that dates back to 1998. The first day comes to a close as the 'Cats take on Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Marist (1-2) at 3:30 p.m. Villanova has lost back-to-back games in the series.
Sunday brings an early start for the Wildcats as they face Harvard at 8 a.m., a team they faced three times last season. The Invitational wraps up for the crew at 12:30 p.m. with a contest against Cal State East Bay. Villanova has met the Pioneers two other times before this weekend, the most recent time being in 2016.
Fans can find more information, including live stat links throughout the weekend,
on the tournament central page.
Head coach Larry Sanders' group was slated to finish sixth in the MAAC preseason coaches' poll after going 20-15 last season. The team did say goodbye to standouts
Amanda Rice and All-MAAC and ACWPC All-American
Kaysie Stuba to graduation but the 'Cats return three of their five top scorers from last year, including
Stella Byles,
Allie Hansen and
Emily Morrissey.
Abigail Shelby and
Sarah Shaw are both back in front of the net this season after combining for 325 saves last season. This season brings six new faces to the roster, including
Gracin Kerry,
Coco Jones,
Sara Withers,
Anna Painter,
Isabel Foley and
Ella Mattocks.
For all of the latest news and updates surrounding the program, follow Villanova Water Polo on
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