Villanova women’s water polo clinched the No. 2 seed at the Big East Tournament after closing out its 2026 regular season with back-to-back victories against Siena College, Iona University and Mount St. Mary’s.
The ‘Cats opened up the final weekend of conference play on Saturday, March 28, defeating Siena, 15-7.
The Wildcats got off to a strong start, scoring four goals in the first quarter from sophomore attacker Riley Hull, senior center Ella Mattocks, and freshman utility Tessa Pettit.
The second quarter saw more goals from Hull and Mattocks, along with senior attacker Coco Jones and sophomore attacker Layla Canales. Heading into intermission, the Wildcats found themselves ahead, 7-3.
Canales and Mattocks each scored a pair of goals in the third quarter to give Villanova a seven goal advantage, 11-4.
Mattocks scored two more in the fourth. In addition to Mattocks’s two, Canales and Tippy Maguire scored one each, before the Wildcats took the victory, 15-7.
“We keep consistent messaging throughout the course of the game,” Head Coach Gordon said. “We talk about what the offense and defense can do better but we also want to perform consistently across the board to prevent any surprises.”
In front of the net, senior goalie Gracin Kerry collected nine saves, before freshman goalie Reia Kimi saved one at the end of the fourth quarter.
Senior utility Sara Withers collected four assists, while Canales tallied three. Withers and Hull also each collected three steals, while four other players each had one.
“It helps spread the defense out,” Coach Gordon said. “We like to move the ball somewhere where we can attack, whether up the middle or shooting out to a wing. It helps us in a lot of different ways.”
On Sunday, March 29, Villanova faced Iona and Mount St. Mary’s. The Wildcats first played Iona, defeating the Gaels, 13-12.
Canales rallied Villanova’s offense early, scoring two goals in the first quarter. Emmie Mallory scored another in the game’s opening quarter, before the ‘Cats extended their 3-1 lead to 7-3 at halftime.
The Wildcats scored six more goals in the third quarter, but were unable to stretch their offensive run into the final moments of play, going scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Kerry saved nine of 21 shots on net, helping the Wildcats earn the 13-12 victory against their conference rivals.
Villanova played its second game on Sunday, defeating Mount St. Mary’s 16-9.
The game got off to an even start after the first quarter ended tied, 3-3.
After the first half, Villanova collected four more goals, outweighing St. Mary’s three. Canales, Anna Painter, Hull, and Petit all scored to bring the Wildcats ahead.
During the fourth quarter, Villanova took control, completely shutting out the Mountaineers for a 16-9 victory.
“We condition really well,” Coach Gordon said. “We’re ready to play solid defense into the fourth quarter and we really utilize that part of the game. Being the faster and more well conditioned team, we can create steals and bad shots because they’ve now had to switch up their offense.”
Maguire and Painter each had three assists while Canales and Hull both picked up two. Villanova also collected 10 steals with three from Hull and two from both Withers and Painter.
Gracin Kerry once again started in net, before she was replaced by sophomore goalie Rachel Stephens. Stephens saved 7 of 12, including a five-meter save, before Kimi took the final minutes in the goal.
“We wanted to get everyone playing time in our last conference game,” Coach Gordon said. “(Gracin) She’s done a great job leading our entire goalie group and when we pull her out of the game, she’s their biggest cheerleader and fan. She understands the game and I really enjoy her attitude.”
Finishing second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Villanova clinched the No.2 seed at the MAAC Championship Tournament.
The ‘Cats are slated to travel to Poughkeepsie, NY, to face the No. 3 seed Wagner College on April 11th. Swim-off is set for 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
“We’re going in with the underdog mentality,” Coach Gordon said. “There are some that don’t even think we’ll win our first game but we have the confidence and players to take that game from them.”
Should Villanova win against Wagner, it will advance to the championship game, playing the winner of the Marist/LaSalle game.
