Waves Post Big Rally to Beat SJSU in GCC Opener

Sunday, October 9

Malibu, Calif.

12:00 p.m. PT

Pepperdine University

11-9, 1-0GCC

San Jose State

5-10, 0-1GCC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
San Jose State	3	4	2	1	10
Pepperdine	3	2	3	5	13

Dennis Blyashov

Photo by: Charlie Blake

10/9/2022 2:33:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

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By: by Athletic Communications

MALIBU, California – Facing a 9-5 deficit midway through the third quarter, the #11 Pepperdine men's water polo team rallied with eight unanswered goals to defeat #15 San Jose State 13-10 in the Golden Coast Conference opener for both schools on Sunday afternoon.

The victory improves the Waves' record to 11-9 overall and 1-0 in the GCC, while the Spartans drop to 5-10, 0-1.

BIG WAVES

Graduate attacker Dennis Blyashov (Carlsbad, Calif./Harvard) had three goals and three assists.
Junior attacker Christian Hosea (San Clements, Calif./San Clemente HS), junior center Travis Reynolds (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif./Loyola HS) and junior center defender Nico Tierney (Sierra Madre, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) each scored two goals. Hosea also had three steals.
Senior goalie Spencer Tybur (The Woodlands, Texas/Golden West College) came in at halftime and made four saves en route to earning the win.

GAME RECAP

The game was tied 3-3 after one quarter and Blyashov gave the Waves a 4-3 lead early in the second quarter. But the Waves would only score one goal over about a 10-minute period, and the Spartans would go from a one-goal deficit to a 9-5 lead with 5:25 remaining in the third period.

But that would be the Spartans' final goal for more than 14 minutes. Tierney, Reynolds and senior center Austin Smit (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS) scored the final three goals of the third quarter to make it a 9-8 game heading to the fourth quarter.

Tierney tied the game up on a 6-on-5 with 7:23 to play, and senior center Nicholas Fichman (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Golden West College) put Pepperdine in front 10-9 with 6:38 to go. Freshman attacker Sandor Gal (Budapest, Hungary), Blyashov and Reynolds made it a run of eight straight goals, putting Pepperdine ahead 13-9 with 1:27 left. San Jose State finally broke its drought with 1:02 to go, but that would be the game's final tally.

SJSU 3-4-2-1---10
PEPP 3-2-3-5---13
Pepperdine goals: Dennis Blyashov 3, Christian Hosea 2, Travis Reynolds 2, Nico Tierney 2, Nicholas Fichman 1, Sandor Gal 1, Kaden Kaneko 1, Austin Smit 1.

UP NEXT

Next weekend, Pepperdine's second GCC matchup is at #4 Pacific on Saturday (Oct. 15) at 1 p.m.