Courtesy: Siena Athletics
LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following a premature ending to its Spring 2020 campaign, Siena Water Polo will return to the pool in 2021 with a full slate of action. The Saints will face off against MAAC opponents in a 10-match season that is set to begin in March, following the approval of spring competition schedules by the MAAC Council of Presidents last month.
“Our program is grateful and thrilled for the opportunity to compete this spring,” Head Coach Alex Williams said. “The path to get to this point has been challenging for our student-athletes, but their ability to place the team above individual priorities is a big reason why we are able to play. I’m grateful to our department’s administration and the MAAC for the effort they have put in to keep our student-athletes safe and deliver them a season. We are all ready to do our part to make 2021 a success for all.”
The Saints will kick off the 20th season in program history with a pair of home matches, marking the first time in three seasons the team will host competition at the Siena Swim Center. Conference rivals Iona and VMI will visit Loudonville to begin play on Saturday, March 20, while Siena takes to the road for the first time at Marist the following day.
The Green and Gold will return home to wrap play in the Capital Region the following weekend, playing host to LIU and Wagner on Saturday, March 27, and wrapping a home-and-home series with the Red Foxes the following day.
Siena will then conclude the 2021 regular season with four road bouts during the month of April, beginning with a trip to VMI on Saturday, April 3. The Saints will travel to Iona on Saturday, April 10, and will finally head to Philadelphia to face Villanova and La Salle on Sunday, April 18.
The 2021 MAAC Championship will take place in Poughkeepsie, New York and will feature the top two teams from each division within the MAAC this season (MAAC Red & MAAC Blue). The single elimination format will take place on Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2. Game times for all matches this season will be announced at a future date.
The Saints will look to build off their most successful showing to-date, a 7-6 record during the abbreviated 2020 season which marked the first time in program history that the team finished with a winning mark. The squad concluded their campaign by setting program records in goals scored and margin of victory during a 27-5 rout of Connecticut College on March 8, 2020. Siena is expected to return 12 letterwinners from last season, while welcoming in five newcomers.