LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Water Polo team wrapped up its inaugural weekend in the VMI Aquatic Center Pool on Sunday, falling to St. Francis College before a down-to-the wire match against Mount St. Mary's that came up just short.

Senior Day
Prior to the last match of the day, Gia Donatelli, Katie Lloyd and Sydney Shettleroe were honored for their contributions to the Keydet Water Polo program over the years.

Stats
- Courtney Novotny, Sydney Smith register hat tricks against Mount St. Mary's
- Lloyd ties season-high with 10 saves
- Donatelli nets three goals on Senior Day, Shettleroe has two

Match 1 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
St. Francis Brooklyn took an early 5-0 lead, adding six in the second quarter but the Keydets got their scoring going, finishing three chances. Gia Donatelli netted two goals in the first match against St. Francis, with four of her teammates scoring once. The Terriers would begin to distance themselves before ultimately taking the game 22-6.

Match 2 vs. Mount St. Mary's
Mount St. Mary's scored first but Courtney Novotny equalized just seconds later. With the score 2-2, Novotny gave VMI a 3-2 advantage two minutes into the match. Sadie Smith scored two goals to make the lead 5-2. The Mount answered to take a two-goal advantage but Gia Donatelli buried one off the inside of the post to cut the deficit to one. As the game moved into the third quarter the teams traded scores with Smith scoring her third to make the score 9-8 in favor of the Mount. Mount St. Mary's slowly took control to the tune of 13-8, but the Keydets battled to the end getting goals from Novotny and Smith before dropping the match 14-10.

What's Next
The Keydets make another trip to Philadelphia, facing Iona on Friday and Siena on Saturday.