Pepperdine University
UCLA
No. 13 Water Polo Prepares to Host No. 1 UCLA
9/25/2026 12:35:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 13 Pepperdine water polo (6-8) returns home Saturday to host No. 1 UCLA (12-0) at 1 p.m. from Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
The Waves return home after spending the last two weekends on the road while marking Pepperdine's last non-conference tilt before an upcoming stretch of four straight WCC matchups to begin conference play.
Live streaming is available on ESPN+ for the contest with live stats on the FOSH.
Pepperdine most recently hosted the No. 1 team in the country on Sept. 10, 2023, falling in overtime to No. 1 Cal.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Waves posted a 2-2 record this past weekend at the MPSF Invite at Stanford.
- Pepperdine recorded a 14-10 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
- The Waves finished the weekend with a 15-10 triumph over No. 14 UC Santa Barbara.
- Erik Ionescu paced Pepperdine on the weekend with 10 goals and 10 assists across the four games.
GAME NOTES
- Pepperdine enters the week as the No. 13-ranked team in the CWPA poll.
- The Waves swept the WCC weekly awards following the MPSF Invite, with Erik Ionescu winning WCC Player of the Week and Hunter Danko claiming WCC Newcomer of the Week.
- Ionescu logged three or more points in all four contests, including a season-high nine-point effort against LMU.
- Danko recorded nine goals across the weekend, scoring multiple times in each tilt.
- Ionescu has led the Waves with 35 goals and 27 assists this season.
- Ionescu ranks third in the WCC with 62 points on the season.
- Danko and Brian Barnuevo are each tied for ninth in the WCC circuit with 25 goals so far this season.
- Max Smirnov has commanded the cage for Pepperdine this season, totaling a 12.4 GAA with 20 steals and seven assists in 13 appearances.
- Smirnov leads the WCC with 122 saves while ranking second with a .449 save-percentage.
- Cade Anderton ranks third on the team with 29 points, having logged 14 goals and 15 assists.
- Tyce di Pretoro has registered a point in 13 of 14 games this season.
- Jon Carcarey totaled six goals, four assists and three steals at the MPSF Invite.
- Carcarey's five-point effort against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps marked a season-high while he tallied his second hat trick of the season last time out against UCSB.
- Csanád Bella had a career-high four steals against LMU this past Saturday, finishing the tournament with four goals and nine steals.
- Bella ranks second on the Waves with 15 steals and second with 20 drawn exclusions.
- Milo Joseph has paced the squad with 41 drawn exclusions.
- Jackson Benners has contributed nine goals, nine assists, nine field blocks and 11 steals this season.
- Owen Tift posted his first multi-goal effort of the campaign against LMU this past Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Waves have a 31-85-1 all-time record against the Bruins.Â
- This includes a 14-27 mark in Malibu.
- Pepperdine's most recent victory over UCLA came at home in 2008.
- The Bruins earned a 19-8 win at home in the most recent meeting in 2025.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
- UCLA enters play undefeated at 12-0 and ranked as the top team in the country coming off its national championship run in 2025.
- The Bruins secured the win at the MPSF Invite this past week, earning 11-10 victories over No. 4 and No. 2 USC in the semifinal and final, respectively.
- Ryder Dodd (25 goals) and Luka Gladovic (21 goals) have led the way for the Bruins offensively. Dodd is the two-time reigning Cutino Award winner.
- The Bruins have had three goalies start three or more games this season, led by Harper Gardner with an 8.37 GAA and 5-0 record in five starts.
Pepperdine will open up West Coast Conference play next, traveling to No. 11 LMU next Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon.
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
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