LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Siena women’s lacrosse begins its’ MAAC Championship quest Friday. The Saints take on third-seed Niagara in the semi-finals of the MAAC Tournament – the team they lost to to end the regular season.

16 days will have expired from that April 19 tilt with the Purple Eagles to Friday’s rematch, but the Saints have done their best to make the most of the time off.

“It can be really difficult to stay healthy, and to feel like you’re still fresh,” said Sophomore attack Grace Dobrzynski. “So, 16 days off has been so awesome. Obviously, we’ve still been practicing really hard every day, but I think this has given us a great advantage with just the health of our bodies.”

“It should be a good thing,” added head coach Abigail Rehfuss. “University of Virginia men won the national championship (in 2021) after having a two-week break before going into the NCAA Tournament. So, you don’t lose because you have time off; you lose for other reasons. We’ve made some adjustments; got some new sets. We feel really good about what we’re doing. We’ve been practicing really well, and the girls are in great spirits. So, I think that’s a recipe for success.”

Opening draw from Conway Field in Fairfield, Connecticut, home of top-seeded Fairfield University and the site of the MAAC Tournament, is set for 3:00 p.m. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+.