MALIBU, Calif. — The #8 Pepperdine men's water polo team hosts four games this weekend. The Waves will host Westcliff and #11 UC Santa Barbara on Thursday and will also compete against California Maritime Academy and Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.
 
GAME #7 — #8 Pepperdine (5-1) vs. Westcliff (1-3) | Thursday, Sept. 14 | Noon | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.
 
GAME #8 — #8 Pepperdine vs. #11 UC Santa Barbara (6-3) | Thursday, Sept. 14 | 5 p.m. | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.
 
GAME #9 — #8 Pepperdine vs. Cal Maritime Academy (0-0) | Sunday, Sept. 17 | Noon | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.
 
GAME #10 — #8 Pepperdine vs. Cal State Fullerton (5-4), faces Chapman on Saturday | Sunday, Sept. 17 | 5 p.m. | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.
 
RANKINGS — New national rankings will be released Wednesday, September 13th.
 
TICKETS — Tickets to all Pepperdine home men's water polo games will be available via e-ticket only. Patrons must purchase tickets to any event prior to arrival. 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: Pepperdinewaves.com/tickets.
 
Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.
 
SEATING —  Bleacher seating at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs and/or blankets to sit on the hillside next to the bleachers.
 
PROMOTIONS — Chicken sandwich coupons will be handed out to the first 100 Pepperdine students who come to the 5 p.m. games on both days.
 
WATCH/ONLINE — All four of Pepperdine's games streamed on ESPN+. Links to broadcasts and/or live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
 
OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 2-0 all-time against Westcliff, having won the last matchup 23-7 in 2022. The Waves 63-57 all-time against UC Santa Barbara, with their last win coming in 2022.

Pepperdine is set to face Cal Maritime Academy for the first time ever this Sunday. The Waves are 17-0 all-time against Cal State Fullerton, with the last matchup occurring in 1986.
 
LAST WEEK — This past weekend, the Pepperdine men's water polo team took care of business against PCH Cup rival #14 Loyola Marymount at Burns Recreation Center Pool on Saturday. The Waves stifled the Lions on defense while also having a strong offensive day, leading to a 17-6 victory.
 
Pepperdine battled against #1 California on Sunday, but ultimately fell short in a double over loss 10-9. For his efforts,  Antonio Knez was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week, while tallying 35 saves in 70 minutes of play, posting a .686 save percentage and only allowing 16 goals all week.
 
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 28-man roster breakdown is four graduate students, five seniors, four juniors, eight sophomores and seven freshmen. Pepperdine returns 19 players from last year's roster, including 2022 All-American honorable mention Adam Csapo. The Waves also add 10 newcomers, including an All-American graduate transfer in Antonio Knez and a sharp-shooting graduate transfer in Ryan Brosnan.
 
SCHEDULE — The Waves will have eight home games in September and October. Three of the six WCC games will be at home. In non-conference play, Pepperdine will host defending NCAA champion California and UC Santa Barbara, and will visit Long Beach State and UCLA.
 
WCC — This will be the first year in the West Coast Conference for the Waves. Pepperdine and Pacific are moving into the WCC, where most of their other athletic programs already reside, and they'll be joined by Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara of the Western Water Polo Association, as well as affiliate members Air Force, California Baptist and San Jose State. Pepperdine will host the inaugural WCC Men's Water Polo Conference Tournament at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
 
POLL —The WCC preseason poll, as decided by the league's coaches, went as follows: Pacific, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, San Jose State, Santa Clara, California Baptist and Air Force.
 
LAST SEASON — Pepperdine finished 13-14 in the fall of 2022 and tied for fourth place in the Gold Coast Conference. The highlight of the season was upsetting #8 UC Santa Barbara 13-12 on Senior Day, overcoming a four-goal third-quarter deficit. The Waves also trailed the Gauchos by two with less than two minutes left to play. Pepperdine's only lead of the game came in the final 11 seconds. Two Waves earned All-American honors, Dennis Blyashov garnered a spot on the third team, while Adam Csapo picked up an honorable mention nod. Blyashov made the All-GCC first team, Csapo earned All-GCC second team and Nico Tierney was an honorable mention. Csapo and Sandor Gal made the GCC All-Freshman team.
 
WATER POLO HISTORY — Pepperdine won the NCAA title in 1997, which 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 46 of the last 47 years and a top-five finish 21 times. Pepperdine has had 61 players earn All-American honors a total of 109 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 20 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, five times (most recently in back-to-back years during the 2022-23 and 2021-22). 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 #55 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.