VMI Water Polo Season Preview
LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI women's water polo team opens the 2019 season this weekend at the Laker Classic, hosted by Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa. The Keydets are scheduled to play five games Friday, Saturday and Sunday against Salem International, Gannon, St. Francis (Pa.), Bucknell and the host Mercyhurst.
All five matches will be available to watch live.
Head coach Ryan Pryor answered questions about the upcoming season.
Who are this year's team captains? What are your expectations of them to lead this team?
Our three captains this year are seniors Sarah Dolitsky & Caroline Wojtas and junior Emma Perez. The main expectation I've had for them since the beginning was to help hold the team accountable to our team expectations as well as leading by example. They have done a fantastic job with that and have helped to establish a very strong culture within the team.
What is your outlook for your offensive attack?
Our offense is capable of scoring in a variety of ways. We have added two very good centers this year in sophomore McKenna Imset, who is coming off a red-shirt year, as well as true freshman Kiara Anguiano. They will help give us a strong interior presence along with senior Sarah Dolitsky, who will also play some center for us. In addition to our center play, we have a number of attackers who can create opportunities with the drive. I expect to have a very balanced offense, with many different players scoring for us. I would list everyone on the roster among our key contributors on the offensive end but a couple notables are sophomores Zoe Salafatinos, who has taken a big step forward this year and Amber Hamil, who will help provide balance to our offense as a left-handed attacker.
How is our defense coming along?
Our defensive communication has been very good so far in practice, which is a big key. I'm very excited to be returning both our starting goalie (Issi French) and our starting center defender (Emma Noble). Those are two extremely important positions and freshmen Bridget Hughes (Goalie) & Makenna Moore (Center Defender) will provide further strength in those areas. Our defense has been cohesive thus far in practice, with Caroline Wojtas & Emma Perez being two of our more vocal players leading the perimeter defense.
How do you feel about the schedule? What is your outlook for conference play?
I believe our non-conference schedule will do a great job of allowing us to prepare for MAAC play. I expect the MAAC to be more competitive than ever this year. The league has gotten stronger across the board every year and that should make for a very exciting season.
The roster has five freshmen and one red-shirt freshman. How is this young group coming along thus far?
Our freshmen have done a great job and have gotten up to speed very quickly. I expect them all to make significant contributions. They are a very hard-working group that have great attitudes and that has enabled them to integrate seamlessly into what we want to do as a team. I mentioned McKenna Imset, Kiara Anguiano, Bridget Hughes, & Makenna Moore and their expected contributions to the center, goalie, and center defender positions. Along with those four are Gen Petrassi and Maddie Berry, who will add versatility and high water polo IQ to both our offense and defense.
VMI hosts MAAC weekend this year in early March. What can the fans expect?
All eight MAAC teams will be playing here the second weekend of March. There will be a total of 14 games played over two days including four involving us. Over the years, the corps has done a tremendous job creating a home environment that I believe is unmatched by any school in the country. That will be great opportunity to watch some exciting water polo and support the team as we open league play.
