Waves to Play in SoCal Tournament This Weekend
10/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Tournament Central
This Week: The No. 12 Pepperdine men's water polo team plays its final non-conference tournament of the season this weekend then it heads to UCLA for the SoCal Tournament. The Waves open play at the tournament on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. against UC Santa Barbara. Bracket play will continue through Sunday.
Multimedia: Fans can follow @PeppWaterPolo on Twitter for updates. A tournament central page with all the scores and matchups is also available on the men's water polo page at uclabruins.com.
Last Week: The Waves opened last week with a 15-7 loss at No. 1 UCLA and then came home to defeat Concordia, 11-5. Pepperdine has split its matches the last three weeks to stay at .500 overall.
Waves in the Rankings: Pepperdine held at No. 12 in the most recent rankings this week, after its 1-1 weekend. The Waves started the season ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll.
Leading the Charge: Luke Hewko has led the Waves offensively this season, scoring a team-high 34 goals in 12 games played. His 2.83 goals per game are good for fourth in the MPSF. Hewko scored 55 goals last year and recorded 20 steals and eight assists. His brother Adam Hewko was a two-time All-American, playing four years at Pepperdine and is the Waves' 13th all-time goal scorer.
Freshman in Net: Freshman goalkeeper Zack Rhodes has started all 12 games so far for the Waves, recording 96 total saves. His 8.26 saves per game are good for 11th in the conference as he is the only player on the list to start every game in goal for his team.
Follow the Waves: Follow Pepperdine Water Polo on Twitter at @PeppWaterPolo and like the Waves on Facebook at Pepperdine Water Polo to get updates on everything happening with the program. Also follow Pepperdine Athletics on Instagram at @PepperdineWaves.
Schedule Notes:
- · The SoCal Tournament is the final non-conference invite left on the Waves' schedule.
- · Pepperdine has home games against Cal (Oct. 25), Stanford (Oct. 26) and UC Irvine (Nov. 1) left on the schedule.
- · The MPSF tournament will run Nov. 21-23, with the winner advancing to the NCAA tournament Dec. 6-7.
Schroeder File: Water polo icon Terry Schroeder returned last season for his second tour of duty as the Pepperdine men's water polo head coach. In his first stint with Pepperdine (1986-2005) he amassed 340 wins and a national championship in 1997. The head coach for USA Water Polo at the last two Olympics, Schroeder has been inducted into the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame (2013), International Swimming Hall of Fame (2005), U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame (1998) and the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame (1985).
Moses File: Two-time U.S. Olympian (2008, 2012) and former Pepperdine All-American Merrill Moses returns for the 2014 season as an assistant. A 2013 inductee into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame, Moses led the United States to a gold medal at the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games. Moses also led the Waves to the 1997 national championship where they captured their first title.
Broadcast Info: All of the Waves' 2014 home games will be streamed live on PepperdineSports.com. Click on the WaveCasts link to access the live feeds for each game.
About Pepperdine: Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports -- one of just 17 schools to have accomplished this feat -- and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 23 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #54 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
