Except for Mount St. Mary’s, every women’s water polo team in the MAAC playoffs spent at least one week nationally ranked. MAAC teams spent a total of 51 weeks ranked, including all 15 weeks from Wagner and Long Island University (LIU) and 14 from Marist.
MAAC teams reached as high as No. 15 in the polls and defeated a team as high as No. 12 in Indiana University. After the regular season, the polls gave votes to LIU, ranked Marist at No. 23 and left Wagner tied for No. 18.
The action began on Friday, April 25, at McCann Natatorium in Poughkeepsie, NY. Marist has hosted every tournament since the conference introduced women’s water polo in 2003.
In game one, the Iona Gaels (12-15, 6-5 MAAC) opened the tournament facing Villanova (21-11, 7-5 MAAC) on Friday.
The Wildcats kicked off the MAAC tournament with three consecutive goals in the opening six and a half minutes. Villanova never looked back from their hot start and closed out a 9-6 victory. They advance to play the Marist Red Foxes in the later game on Saturday.
Scouting Villanova
The MAAC Preseason Poll ranked the Wildcats sixth, with 39 votes and no All-MAAC Team selections. Villanova finished with the second-best overall record, only behind Marist, and the fourth-best MAAC record.
The Collegiate Water Polo Association last ranked the Wildcats in their week six poll on February 26. They spent five weeks in the polls, ranked highest at No. 23.
Despite the successful regular season, the Wildcats’ win over Iona only marked their fifth victory in the conference tournament since 2003. Before this season, Villanova last made the tournament in 2016, while their last victory came in 2006 and are without a conference title.
However, the Wildcats amassed three victories against ranked opponents: No. 21 Brown, No. 22 Marist and RV Iona. They also lost an overtime contest against No. 24 University of the Pacific, and they only averaged losses by 3.5 goals against ranked opponents, with their largest ranked defeat being by six.
Villanova took home three of the four major awards in the MAAC: Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Michael Gordon secured Coach of the Year in his second season at the helm after amassing 41 wins over his first two campaigns, including an 18-1 record at home. His team recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program history, scored the most goals in school history and he led the Wildcats to a ranked position for the first time in program history.
Though only playing in three games last season before a season-ending shoulder injury, senior center defender Adrienne Grimes earned MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. The Houston native accumulated 16 steals, 16 field blocks, 25 assists and her lone goal in the team’s playoff victory over Iona.
Attacker Riley Hull brought home MAAC Rookie of the Year. She was one of three Wildcats with a multi-goal game to begin their playoff run, which places her tied for third in program history for most goals in a season with 80. The San Diego native tallied 114 regular-season points with 78 goals and 36 assists. Her 65 exclusions drawn ranks tied for sixth in program history, and she finished top-10 in sprint wins with 41.
The other award winner for Villanova, junior center Ella Mattocks, earned All-MAAC Second Team honors. She and Hull mark the first duo since 2014 to receive all-conference honors. In 2025, Mattocks scored her 100th career goal and tallied 58 points from 41 goals and 17 assists.
Junior goalie Gracin Kerry took the bulk of the starts in the regular season, but Villanova elected to start freshman backup goaltender Rachel Stephens for the first MAAC playoff game. Stephens saved eight of 14 shots in the game, and she accumulated two MAAC Rookie of the Week selections and a Co-MAAC Defensive Player of the Week honor. Thus, questions arise about who the Wildcats plan to start against the Red Foxes.
In game 2, LIU Sharks (18-12, 9-3 MAAC) played Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (17-14, 4-7 MAAC) to finish the first round.
Mount St. Mary’s pulled off the upset after falling behind 5-1 after the first period. The Mountaineers tallied four goals in the second period to tie the game before halftime. Three goals within the final four minutes gave The Mount the lead they needed to close out a 13-11 upset win. They advance to face the Wagner Seahawks in the semifinals.
Mount St. Mary’s Outlook
Mount St. Mary’s fell to seventh in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 37 votes, despite earning their way into the semi-finals after an upset victory over LIU. Their 17-14 overall record finished fifth best in the conference, and they had the third worst conference record at 4-7.
The Mount received no votes from the Collegiate Water Polo Association over the 15-week season and finished 0-7 against ranked opponents. The Mountaineers joined the MAAC prior to the 2023 season, but they made the MAAC playoffs each of their first three seasons in the conference. The Mount also defeated LIU last season in the opening round before falling to Wagner in the semifinals.
Only one Mountaineer earned a MAAC award: Sophomore utility/defender Anita Radaelli, who received All-MAAC Second Team honors. The Italy native notched 51 goals, 61 assists, 112 points, 64 steals, 59 exclusions drawn, 27 field blocks and 17 sprint wins in 2025. She also put four goals in the back of the net in The Mount’s game one victory.
Senior utility Beatrice Vieira tallied two goals against the Sharks. The Erie native collected 59 goals, 77 assists, 136 points, 32 exclusions drawn, 62 steals and 31 blocks over her first three seasons in Maryland and earned All-Championship honors after an impressive MAAC Tournament. Her game-winner in last year’s upset over LIU made SportsCenter Top 10.
Junior utility Anna Kegel finished third amongst Mountaineers with 47 goals last season. She recorded 82 goals, 41 assists, 35 steals and four exclusions drawn over her first two seasons with The Mount.
Sophomore Olivia Fernie will handle the duties in the cage after a 12-save performance against the Sharks and two Defensive Player of the Week honors under her belt this season. In 2024, Fernie tallied 79 saves, 18 steals and five assists amidst season-long injury problems. Led by the Australian native, The Mount looks to advance to their first MAAC championship in program history.
Game 1 of Saturday’s semi-finals is No. 1 Red Division Wagner Seahawks (19-9, 11-1 MAAC) against Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (17-14, 4-7 MAAC).
The MAAC semifinals begin with the fifth-ever meeting between Wagner and The Mount. Wagner won every matchup, including their most recent 15-12 victory on April 6 earlier this season.
Searching the Seahawks
Except for one first-place vote in favor of LIU, Wagner received a unanimous first-place selection in the MAAC Preseason Poll with 80 votes, eight of them for first place. They did not disappoint after finishing 19-9 overall and a MAAC-best 11-1 conference record, only losing to La Salle.
Wagner had the most success against ranked opponents, tallying six ranked victories and a near .500 record against ranked teams. In the Midwest Invite on February 8 and 9, the Seahawks picked up victories against No. 16 Michigan and No. 12 Indiana. They also beat No. 22 California Baptist, No. 22 Marist and RV LIU twice.
Wagner spent all fifteen weeks ranked with their bests springing from weeks four, five and eight, ranking 15th in the nation. Wagner also leads the conference with 17 championship game appearances and 11 MAAC titles. The Seahawks defeated Marist for six years in a row from 2014 to 2019 in the conference title game.
Four Seahawks earned a slew of awards, including Co-Offensive Player of the Year, All-MAAC First Team and All-MAAC Second Team. Sophomore attacker Ana Arias earned Second Team honors after notching 40 goals to supplement her impressive rookie campaign. During her freshman year, the Spain native tallied 33 goals, 25 assists, 58 points, 21 exclusions drawn, 21 steals and three field blocks.
The awards committee selected junior attacker Magali Ogg to the MAAC First Team with her 52 goals this season. In her freshman season, the Australia native tallied 41 goals, 12 assists and 53 points.
Senior attacker Carlota Alonso continued her dominant career by earning All-MAAC First Team and Co-Offensive Player of the Year after being named MAAC-Preseason Player of the Year in the Coaches’ Poll. In 2025, the Spain native collected a whopping 105 goals, 44 assists, 149 points, 57 steals and a conference-record five MAAC Player of the Week awards.
Alonso pairs these stats with a sophomore campaign featuring 107 goals, 19 assists, All-MAAC First Team and an Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Honorable Mention All-American selection. During her freshman campaign, she received MAAC Rookie of the Week in the first two weeks of her career, 47 goals, 23 assists, 70 points, 47 steals and seven sprint wins.
In net, Wagner turns to junior Francesca Sena. She earned All-MAAC First Team with over 160 saves and back-to-back Goalie of the Year honors. In 2023, Sena enjoyed MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year honors and three MAAC Rookie of the Week nods. She will look to lead a favored Wagner team back to the NCAA tournament.
To close out the semifinals, the host Marist Red Foxes (23-10, 8-3 MAAC) take on Villanova.
The MAAC semifinals continue with the 45th matchup between Marist and Villanova. Though the Red Foxes lead the all-time matchups 39-5, they dropped the most recent game 16-13 and split the regular season series with the Wildcats. However, Marist leads the all-time matchups 4-1 in the MAAC tournament.
Spying the Red Foxes
Despite not receiving a first-place vote, Marist finished second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll and finished with the best overall record at 23-10. Their 8-3 conference record is third in the MAAC.
Like Wagner, the Red Foxes also played 13 ranked opponents. They finished slightly worse at 5-8 with victories against No. 20 University of the Pacific, No. 23 California State University – Northridge (CSUN), No. 25 Brown, RV LIU and RV Pomona-Pitzer.
However, Marist faced worse-ranked opponents compared to the Seahawks, which could explain their absence from the Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings during week one. The Red Foxes did spend the next 14 weeks ranked, including at the No. 21 spot during weeks five, six, nine and 10.
Similarly, Marist trails Wagner in championship appearances and MAAC titles with 12 and five, respectively. Though the Red Foxes spent six consecutive years finishing behind the Seahawks, they won three consecutive MAAC titles from 2008 to 2010 in addition to 2006 and 2021 championships.
When scouting Marist, the cage is the place to start with junior goaltender Inés Sánchez. The Coaches’ Poll split Goalkeeper of the Year between Sena and Sánchez, granting the Spain native a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
Upon the field players, the Red Foxes turn to senior Ella Baumgarten. The Orange County, California native moved to Poughkeepsie and claimed Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-American Honorable Mention, Second Team All-MAAC, MAAC All-Academic Team and two MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors during her 2023 campaign. She paired that with a 40-goal season in 2025 and All-MAAC Second Team selection.
The third player to watch for Marist is the crowd. Hosting the playoffs every season brings sizable crowds to McCann Natatorium, which benefits the Red Foxes. Outside of Baumgarten, the offensive plan will revolve around spreading the ball to get past the Wildcats and back into the MAAC championship for the 13th time.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Eugene Barbieri; Photo from Marist Athletics
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky. Sign up to receive daily alerts here.