Pepperdine Closes Regular Season at Santa Clara, Pacific
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
This Week: The No. 9 Pepperdine men's water polo team closes regular-season play with a pair of road matches. The Waves head to No. 17 Santa Clara on Friday at 7 p.m. for a non-conference game and then wrap-up MPSF play with a noon game at No. 7 Pacific on Sunday.
Multimedia: Sunday's regular-season finale will be shown live on TheW.tv. Fans can also follow @PeppWaterPolo on Twitter for updates on both games.
Last Week: The Waves played a lone MPSF match last week, picking up a second-straight conference win when they went to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara for a 9-7 victory. The Waves got four goals from Wesley Sherburne to lead the way in the game and scored three-straight goals in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
Postseason Outlook: With the MPSF Tournament set to be played next weekend at Long Beach State, the Waves need a win at Pacific to secure the sixth-seed in the tournament. Pepperdine is still garuanteed to avoid the play-in game at the conference tournament as neither UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara can catch the Waves in the standings.
Waves in the Rankings: Pepperdine moved up one spot to No. 9 in the most recent rankings this week, after its lone win last week. Pepperdine has moved up a spot in the ratings each of the last two weeks. The Waves started the season ranked No. 9.
Leading the Charge: Luke Hewko has led the Waves offensively this season, scoring a team-high 47 goals in 21 games played. His 2.24 goals per game are good for sixth 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 20 games so far for the Waves, recording 208 total saves. His 10.6 saves per game are good for fifth in the conference.
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.
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.
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.
