Water Polo Announces 2026 Schedule
7/29/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine water polo head coach Merrill Moses has announced the full 2026 schedule for the Waves.
The 21-date regular schedule features nine home contests, multiple nationally ranked opponents and a new-look West Coast Conference campaign leading into the conference championships held Nov. 20-22.
Pepperdine opens the season at the Triton Invite hosted by UC San Diego on Aug. 29-30, with four games to be announced slated for the weekend. The Waves then return home for a pair of matches on Sept. 3 against Biola and UC Santa Barbara.
The Waves remain in Malibu to host Stanford on Sept. 5 before traveling across town to face USC the following day in Los Angeles.
A two-game east coast trip follows with road contests at Fordham (Sept. 11) and Princeton (Sept. 13). Pepperdine then heads to Stanford for the MPSF Invite on Sept. 18-20 before returning home to take on reigning national champion UCLA on Sept. 26 in Malibu.
West Coast Conference play begins on Oct. 2 when the Waves host LMU from Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Pepperdine then hits the road for its next conference matchup, traveling to Air Force on Oct. 10. The WCC slate continues with Santa Clara (Oct. 17) and San Jose State (Oct. 18) making the trip to Malibu.
The Waves will then play a trio of non-conference games up north, traveling to Cal on Oct. 23 before facing Harvard and Brown on Oct. 24 as part of the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament hosted by Santa Clara.
Pepperdine will then take on UC Davis (Oct. 30) at home in a WCC contest before traveling north again to take on Saint Mary's (Nov. 6) and Pacific (Nov. 8) to close out the conference campaign.
The Waves will close the regular season playing host to Long Beach State on Nov. 14.
The 2026 West Coast Conference Championships will be held Nov. 20-22 at Santa Clara.
Season tickets are available for purchase here, starting at $65, just over $7 per game.
Season-ticket packages remain the best value and the only way to lock in the same cost all season long. Single-game tickets will be dynamically priced throughout the season based on demand, opponent, and other factors.
Game times will be announced and single game tickets will go on sale at a later date.
2026 Schedule
Aug. 29-30 – Triton Invite
Sept. 3 vs. Biola
Sept. 3 vs. UCSB
Sept. 5 vs. Stanford
Sept. 6 at USC
Sept. 11 at Fordham
Sept. 13 at Princeton
Sept. 18-20 – MPSF Invite
Sept. 26 vs. UCLA
Oct. 2 vs. LMU*
Oct. 10 at Air Force*
Oct. 17 vs. Santa Clara*
Oct. 18 vs. San José State*
Oct. 23 at Cal
Oct. 24 vs. Harvard
Oct. 24 vs. Brown
Oct. 30 vs. UC Davis*
Nov. 6 at Saint Mary's*
Nov. 8 at Pacific*
Nov. 14 vs. Long Beach State
Nov. 20-22 – WCC Championships
Home games bold | *WCC contest
The Waves are coming off a 2025 season that saw 11 ranked victories and a final national ranking of No. 9. Pepperdine reached the WCC semifinal for the second straight season and will return four All-WCC selections in 2026.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WATER POLO
Pepperdine water polo has seen success spanning decades under Terry Schroeder who gave the reins to Merrill Moses following the 2023 season. Highlighted by its national championship in 1997 with Moses as the starting goalie, the Waves have reached the NCAA Tournament on 13 occasions and recently won the inaugural WCC Regular Season Championship in 2023. Overall, the program has seen 67 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 37 of 51 seasons.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase season tickets, visit here.
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