Pepperdine University
McKendree
No. 8 Water Polo Set to Begin Season at Triton Invite
8/27/2026 3:00:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 8 Pepperdine water polo begins the 2026 campaign with four games in two days this weekend at the Triton Invite, hosted by UC San Diego in La Jolla.
The Waves will take on McKendree (8 a.m.) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1:20 p.m.) Saturday, before matchups with No. 7 Long Beach State (10:40 a.m.) and No. 12 UC San Diego (4 p.m.) Sunday.
All games will be streamed live on Overnght (subscription required) and live stats for the contest against UC San Diego will be available on the FOSH.
"The team came back in great shape from their short time off this summer which allowed us to get right into training and preparing for our season and this first weekend of games," said head coach Merill Moses ahead of the season opener. "We can already see all of the hard work that we put in this summer is paying off. We do have some players coming back from injury, but we have an extremely talented team with depth at every position. We start off the season with four games this weekend at the Triton Invite. It will be a good test for our team to see where we are at and what we need to work on. Our goal as a team and coaching staff is to be our best at the end of the season and win our Conference Championship and be competing for an NCAA Championship. We are very excited about our upcoming season and hope to see as many of you that can make it to our games cheering the team on in the stands."
Pepperdine Schedule
Saturday, August 29
No. 8 Pepperdine vs. McKendree — 8 a.m.
No. 8 Pepperdine vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps — 1:20 p.m.
Sunday August 30
No. 8 Pepperdine vs. No. 7 Long Beach State — 10:40 a.m.
No. 8 Pepperdine vs. No. 12 UC San Diego — 4 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- The Waves came in at No. 8 in the Preseason Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Poll announced last week.
- Pepperdine was then selected No. 3 in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Senior Jon Carcarey was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, following a 2025 campaign that saw him post 34 goals, 24 assists, 26 steals and 10 field blocks.
- Junior Erik Ionescu was a Second Team All-WCC selection in 2025, having led the Waves with 100 points through 57 goals and 43 assists.
- Junior Owen Tift and sophomore Brian Barnuevo join Caracarey and Ionescu as returning Waves that posted at least 20 goals and 20 assists this past season.
- Tift totaled 22 goals and 24 assists while Barnuevo logged 23 goals and 22 assists.
- Junior Cade Anderton (24 goals) and sophomore Csanad Bella (25 goals) also return coming off 20+ goal campaigns.
- Junior Max Smirnov returns between the pipes for the Waves for his junior campaign. Smirnov was named Second Team All-WCC in 2025 after registering a .460 save-percentage and 12.65 GAA in 23 appearances.
- Freshman Ivan Khramtsov totaled 23 goals in six games this summer at the World Aquatics U18 World Championships, representing Canada who earned an 11th-place finish.
- Bella helped lead Hungary to a 5th-place finish earlier this month at the European U20 Championships in Bulgaria.
- Ionescu and Carcarey will serve as team captains this season.
- Head Coach Merrill Moses enters his third season at the helm of the Waves, having posted a 40-21 recordÂ
SERIES HISTORY
- Pepperdine's matchup with McKendree marks the first time that the two programs will meet.
- The Waves hold a 29-0 all-time mark against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, with the series dating back to 1976.
- The Waves hold a 77-42 lead in the all-time series with Long Beach State, having taken down the Beach in sudden death overtime this past fall in Long Beach.
- Pepperdine has a 53-9-1 record all-time against UC San Diego, including a 13-4 record on the road.Â
- The Waves have won four straight against the Tritons, including a 10-9 win in 2025 at the Triton Invite.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
- McKendree was selected to finish fifth in the WWPA Preseason Coaches Poll and are coming off an 11-13 2025 campaign.
- Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is coming off a Division III national championship in 2025, and were selected at No. 2 in the Preseason CWPA DIII Poll.
- Long Beach State comes in at No. 7 in the national rankings while being selected to win the Big West, coming off a regular season conference championship in 2025. Juniors Gabi Acosta and Corbin Stanley were selected to the Preseason All-Big West Team.
- UC San Diego was selected at No. 12 in the CWPA while coming in at No. 3 in the Big West Coaches Poll. Utility Landon Akerstrom and goalie Alex Hegeman also claimed spots on the Preseason All-Big West Team.
The Waves will return for the home opener next Thursday, Sept. 3. Pepperdine will host Biola at noon before a matchup with No. 15 UC Santa Barbara at 5 p.m. from Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
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 on upcoming home events and to purchase tickets, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine water polo news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMWP.
