Water Polo Hosts Westcliff and UCSB, Competes at WCC-Big West Challenge This Weekend

MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine men's water polo team is set to play five games in three days this week.

Pepperdine will host Westcliff and UCSB on Thursday before competing in the WCC-Big West Challenge on Friday and Saturday, which is hosted by Loyola Marymount. The Waves will face off against the California Baptist Lancers, the UCSB Gauchos and the CSU Fullerton Titans at the WCC-Big West Challenge.

GAME #7 — #4 Pepperdine (5-1) vs. Westcliff (0-5) | Thursday, Sept. 19 | Noon | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.

GAME #8 — #4 Pepperdine vs. #12 UCSB (7-2) | Thursday, Sept. 19 | 5 p.m. PT | Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool | Malibu, Calif.

GAME #9 — #4 Pepperdine vs. #20 California Baptist (3-4) | Friday, Sept. 20 | 4:30 p.m. PT | Burns Recreation Center Pool | Los Angeles, Calif.

GAME #10 — #4 Pepperdine vs. #12 UCSB | Saturday, Sept. 21 | 10:30 a.m. PT | Burns Recreation Center Pool | Los Angeles, Calif.

GAME #11 — #4 Pepperdine vs. CSU Fullerton (4-4) | Sunday, Sept. 21 | 4:30 p.m. PT | Burns Recreation Center Pool | Los Angeles, Calif.

New CWPA rankings will come out on Wednesday, September 18 and can be found here.

SOCIAL MEDIA — Follow @PeppWaterPolo on X for updates and check out PepperdineWaves.com and Facebook (/PeppWaterPolo) for releases and more information. Find the Waves on Instagram @peppwaterpolo.

ONLINE — Along with all home WCC contests, Thursday's matchups against Westcliff and UCSB will be live streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). The games against California Baptist, UCSB and CSU Fullerton on Friday and Saturday at the WCC-Big West Challenge will not be streamed. All five games this week will have live stats, and links to the live stats and streams (if available) can be found on the water polo team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.

WESTCLIFF — Pepperdine is 4-0 all-time against Westcliff including a 23-5 win earlier this season at the Triton Invitational.

UCSB — The Waves are 64-57 all-time against the Gauchos, having won the 2023 matchup 13-8. UCSB is 7-2 and has scored over 20 goals three separate times this year.

CALIFORNIA BAPTIST — Pepperdine is 11-1 all-time against California Baptist with its last win coming in the regular season last year. The Lancers defeated the Waves 20-13 and ended Pepperdine's season in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament last year.

CSU FULLERTON — The Waves are a perfect 19-0 all-time against CSU Fullerton having collected a 23-7 victory at the Triton Invitational earlier this year.

TICKETS & SPECTATOR GUIDELINES — Tickets to all Pepperdine home men's water polo matches in 2024 will be available via e-ticket at tickets.pepperdinewaves.com. Get your tickets for Thursday's games against Westcliff and UCSB here. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students must show a Pepperdine ID card for entry — no ticket purchase is required.

Tickets will not be required for anyone attending the WCC-Big West Challenge on Friday and Saturday. Parking will be enforced with payment required until 8:00 PM on Friday. There is no charge to park on Saturday. All fans should enter campus through the main campus gates at LMU Drive off Lincoln Blvd.

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. Parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.

MOSES — Merrill Moses, a three-time Olympian, former All-American and national champion water polo player for the Waves, was elevated to head coach in March 2024. This season will be his first year as the head coach and his 13th on staff. Over the past 12 years, the Waves are 179-138 (.565) and have won four conference titles, including a most recent regular season crown last season.

HUNGARY FOR SUCCESS — The Waves have three standout players all hailing from Budapest, Hungary in juniors Adam Csapo and Sandor Gal as well as freshman Erik Ionescu.

Csapo is no stranger to success having already been a two-time All-American honorable mention and two-time All-Conference second team award winner. He was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team for the second straight year and has tallied 14 goals, including a game-high five goals against #3 USC.

In his two years as a Wave, Gal has never missed a game and has been a staple in the Pepperdine lineup. He's scored a total of 58 goals and dished out 72 assists in his first two years. Gal has also had a strong start to this season by notching seven goals and six assists in the first six games.

Making an immediate impact for the Waves, Ionescu earned the first WCC Newcomer of the Week award for his performances at the Triton Invitational. He has dished out a team-high eight assists while also tallying 11 goals in his first six games of college water polo.

100 CLUB — Christian Hosea and Adam Csapo have both tallied over 100 career goals having found the back of the net 127 times each. They currently sit tied for 30th on the all-time scoring list for the Waves.

AWARDS — Pepperdine swept the first WCC weekly honors as Jon Carcarey was named the WCC Player of the Week and Erik Ionescu earned the WCC Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 10.

Carcarey totaled 12 goals, two drawn exclusions, two field blocks and one steal in addition to the game-winning golden goal against California at the Triton Invitational.

Ionescu tallied nine goals, two assists, three steals and one field block in his first weekend of collegiate water polo.

WCC HISTORY —Pepperdine won a share of the first regular season WCC Title in 2023, while San Jose State won the inaugural WCC Tournament last year.

ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves' 28-man roster breakdown is two fifth years, four seniors, five juniors, two redshirt sophomores, three sophomores, four redshirt freshmen and eight freshmen. Pepperdine returns 19 players from last year's roster, including 2023 All-American honorable mention Adam Csapo. The Waves also add 9 newcomers, including a freshman goalie from Israel in Max Smirnov.

SCHEDULE — Pepperdine will host eight non-conference games in September and October including three preseason top-five teams as Princeton, Stanford and top-ranked UCLA are slated to make the trip out to Malibu. The Waves are also set to face off against the other two top-five preseason teams in a road contest against USC and a neutral site battle with California. In conference play, Pepperdine will visit Air Force, Loyola Marymount and Pacific, while playing host to Santa Clara, California Baptist and San Jose State.

WCC POLL — The WCC preseason poll, as decided by the league's coaches, went as follows: Pacific, San Jose State, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, California Baptist, Santa Clara, Air Force.

LAST SEASON — Pepperdine went 25-6 in the fall of 2023, won a share of the regular season WCC Championship, and finished ranked tied for seventh in the country in the final CWPA poll of the year. The Waves picked up wins against five top-10 teams last season including #4 Princeton on September 24. Pepperdine also swept the WCC Postseason top honors as Antonio Knez won the Player of the Year, Ryan Brosnan garnered the Newcomer of the Year and Terry Schroeder won the Coach of the Year award. Three Waves earned All-American honors, Brosnan and Knez garnered a spot on the third team, while Adam Csapo picked up an honorable mention nod. Brosnan and Knez also made the All-WCC first team while Csapo and Nico Tierney collected All-WCC second team honors.

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 13 conference titles, a top-10 ranking in 47 of the last 48 years and a top-five finish 21 times. Pepperdine has had 63 players earn All-American honors a total of 112 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.

SEASON TICKETS — Season tickets are now available for all fall sports, including water polo. Additionally, Pepperdine is offering a Fall All-Sport Pass, which grants admission to all fall home sports including women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo - a $525 retail value for just $150. Learn more and access those exclusive season ticket offers here: gowav.es/peppszntix2425.

GROUP OPPORTUNITIES — Interested in bringing your group out to a Pepperdine Athletics event? Unique experiences include anthem buddies, national anthem performances, fan tunnels, halftime performances and more. Group tickets (15+ tickets) and experiences are available, beginning at $5 per person for women's volleyball, men's water polo and women's soccer. Those interested in purchasing group tickets can fill out this form or reach out to the ticket office via e-mail wavestix@pepperdine.edu or phone (866) WAVE-TIX.

JR. WAVES — Register your kid(s) to join Pepperdine's official kids club, "Jr. Waves" for the 2024-2025 academic year. Jr. Waves receive an exclusive t-shirt, membership card and a lanyard that grants free general admission to all Pepperdine ticketed sporting events. Memberships start at $100 per kid.

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, four times (most recently in 2022-23). 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 #76 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.

Water Polo Hosts Westcliff and UCSB, Competes at WCC-Big West Challenge This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Brosnan

Jon Carcarey

Adam Csapo

Adam Csapo

Sandor Gal

Christian Hosea

Erik Ionescu

Antonio Knez

Max Smirnov

Nico Tierney

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