LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Water Polo Team is set for its annual trip to California this weekend, as it will face Whittier College and Occidental College on Monday.

Season Stats
Sydney Smith has powered the offense so far this year, netting 23 goals while Sarah Fitzsimmons has found the back of the net 21 times. In total, 11 Keydets have scored this season, with six totaling 12 or more goals. Maddie Day has seen the majority of the time in net so far, totaling 46 blocks while Ysabel Casillas and Taylor Hammond have 19 and 18, respectively.

Players of the Week
VMI was last in action February 14-16, going 3-1 in the Macalester Invite. Due to their impressive performances, Courtney Novotny was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Offensive Player of the Week while rookie Makynna Smith earned Freshman of the Week honors.  

Occidental – 3 PM Eastern, 12 PM Pacific – Live Stats
Occidental is 3-5 so far, but will face Claremont Mudd-Scripps on Saturday. Occidental began the season 2-0, but dropped five straight before an 11-5 win over Redlands. VMI is 4-3 all-time against Occidental, having won the last three contests. The teams have not matched up in six years however, as the Keydets defeated the Tigers 13-6 back in 2019.

Whittier – 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific
VMI has controlled the series, winning all three matchups by an average margin of 10.6 goals. The Presidents have played just four games so far this year, posting a record of 3-1, scoring victories over Gannon, Mercyhurst and Penn State Behrend.