MALIBU, California — The #12 Pepperdine men's water polo team has a trio of games this weekend. The Waves will first head out to Claremont for the Gary Troyer Tournament, where they'll face #17 Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Then, Pepperdine returns home to face #2 California.

GAME #15 — Saturday (Oct. 2) at Haldeman Pool in Claremont, Calif.: #12 Pepperdine (7-7) at #17 Pomona-Pitzer (7-6) at 11:30 a.m.

GAME #16 — Saturday (Oct. 2) at Axelrood Pool in Claremont, Calif.: #12 Pepperdine at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (4-6) at 4:30 p.m.

GAME #17 — Sunday (Oct. 3) at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool in Malibu, Calif.: #12 Pepperdine vs. #2 California (13-1, plays at UC Irvine on Saturday) at 1 p.m.

WATCH/ONLINE — There will be live streaming for the Gary Troyer Tournament. The Cal game will be streamed via WaveCasts on the WCC Network. Links to broadcasts and live stats will be available at PepperdineWaves.com.

TICKETS — Tickets to all Pepperdine home men's water polo games in 2021 will be available via e-ticket ONLY. Patrons must purchase tickets to any event prior to arriving on campus. Individuals without tickets to an event will not be allowed on campus. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students must show Pepperdine ID card for entry — no ticket purchase is required. To purchase e-tickets and read the spectator guidelines, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early. There is also limited bleacher seating and fans may choose to bring chairs or blankets to sit on the hillside above the pool.

OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 16-0 all-time against Pomona-Pitzer, including a 13-8 win at this past weekend's MPSF Invitational ... Pepperdine is 25-0 all-time against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps ... Pepperdine is 15-61-1 all-time against California. The Waves' last win came in the last meeting in 2019 in Berkeley, 13-12 in overtime. The Waves' last home win over the Golden Bears was in 2008.

LAST WEEK — Pepperdine finished 11th at the MPSF Invitational. The Waves lost to #8 Pacific 20-15, then rebounded to defeat #18 Pomona-Pitzer 13-8. Pepperdine couldn't hold off #11 San Jose State at the end of a 10-9 defeat, but came back to hammer #13 UC Irvine, 18-10, in the finale. It was the most goals ever scored by one team in the Waves-Anteaters rivalry. Nicholas Fichman and Nico Tierney each scored nine goals for the weekend. John Claude Marco made 41 saves, including 17 against UCI.

MILESTONES — On September 18 against Princeton, Balazs Kosa became the 12th Wave ever to record 200 goals ... On September 16 against UC Santa Barbara, Sean Ferrari became the 43rd Wave to hit the century mark in career goals.

GCC STATS — Balasz Kosa is first in assists (23) and tied for fifth in points (42) ... Sean Ferrari is eighth in assists (14), ninth in points (38) and ninth in goals (24) ... Kyle Thomas is tied for sixth in assists (15) ... John Claude Marco is fourth in saves (105).

KOSA — Senior attacker Balazs Kosa is putting together one of the best careers in Pepperdine history. He's a three-time All-American, making the third team in 2018, the second team in 2019 and the first team in 2020-21. He led the country in scoring during the abbreviated spring 2021 season, scoring 39 times in 14 games. He scored 93 goals in the full 2019 season. Kosa ranks tied for 11th all-time at Pepperdine with 204 career goals.

POLLS — The Waves were #5 in the preseason CWPA coaches poll. Outside of the abbreviated spring 2021 season when fewer teams were competing, the last time the Waves started in the top five was 2009 ... The Waves were picked fourth in the preseason GCC coaches poll. The order went UC Santa Barbara, Pacific, Long Beach State, Pepperdine, San Jose State and UC Irvine.

USA WATER POLO — Christian Hosea, Travis Reynolds and Nico Tierney missed the opening weekend of the season as they were competing with the U.S. Junior National Team at the FINA Men's Junior World Championship in the Czech Republic. The U.S. finished in seventh place ... This summer, Pepperdine alum Jesse Smith tied a USA Water Polo record when he competed in his fifth Olympics.

ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 27-man roster breakdown is eight seniors, seven juniors, seven sophomores, one redshirt freshman and four true freshmen. Twenty-two of the 23 letterwinners from the spring season are back this fall, which accounts for 87.9% of the goal-scoring (167/190). One Wave — Coleman Carpenter — is back for a fifth season after utilizing a COVID-19 redshirt year.

SCHEDULE — The Waves will have seven home games spread over five dates in September and October. Their first two GCC games are at home against UC Irvine and Pacific, and then they'll play their final three on the road. In non-conference play, Pepperdine will get Stanford and California at home, and will visit defending NCAA champion UCLA and USC. After only playing 14 times in the spring, the Waves are slated to have a normal schedule of at least 25 regular-season contests.

LAST SEASON — The fall 2020 season was pushed to spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Waves finished with a #5 national ranking and went 11-3 overall. The sport saw a number of opt-outs, and only Pepperdine and San Jose State competed from the GCC. The Waves won the championship series title by taking four of five games. Balazs Kosa led the nation in scoring and made the All-American first team, while Curtis Jarvis and Nico Tierney were honorable mention.

WATER POLO HISTORY — Pepperdine won the NCAA title in 1997. That was the last time a school other than California, Stanford, UCLA or USC won the championship. The Waves' exceptional water polo history also includes 12 conference titles, a top-10 ranking in 44 of the last 45 years, and a top-five finish 21 times. Pepperdine has had 59 players earn All-American honors a total of 106 times. Three Waves — Mike Grier (1984), Geoffrey Clark (1991) and Alan Herrmann (1997) — were named the national player of the year. Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool hosted the 1984 Olympic water polo competition and the 2000 NCAA Championships.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — 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 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 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 26 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, California, 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 #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.