MALIBU, California — The #11 Pepperdine men’s water polo team kicks off the final season of the Golden Coast Conference when the Waves host #15 San Jose State on Sunday. Three of the five league games and five of the remaining seven regular-season competitions will be played in Malibu. Adam Csapo is the GCC player of the week.
GAME #20 — Sunday (9 Oct) at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool in Malibu, California: #11 Pepperdine (10-9, 0-0) vs. #15 San Jose State (5-8, 0-0, at USC on Saturday) at 12 p.m
TICKET — Tickets to all Pepperdine Home men’s water polo games are available ONLY by e-ticket. Guests must purchase tickets for all events prior to arrival. Pepperdine faculty, staff, and students must present a Pepperdine badge for entry—no ticket purchase required. To purchase e-tickets and read the viewer policy, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to construction on campus, parking nearby may be limited and early arrival is recommended. There is also limited seating in the stands and fans can bring chairs or blankets to sit on the hill above the pool.
WATCH ONLINE – The San Jose state game will be streamed on the WCC network. Visit PepperdineWaves.com for links to broadcasts and/or live statistics.
OPPONENT – Pepperdine is 21-7 all-time against San Jose State. However, the Spartans won all three meetings last season by a goal or two. The Waves are 9-1 at home to the Spartans after winning nine straight games. The loss of the lonely house came in 1975.
LAST WEEK – The Waves scored a perfect 4-0 in the Gary Troyer tournament, although it wasn’t easy. Pepperdine then came home and played one of his best games of the season, albeit by a loss, as the UCLA No. 2 won 10-8 on Sunday. At Claremont, Pepperdine defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 15-7 (despite falling 4-3 at halftime), Pomona-Pitzer 17-10 and Air Force 17-15 in overtime (despite falling by three was behind and didn’t take their first lead (staying in the rule by 38 seconds) and Concordia 21-8. Against the Bruins, Pepperdine led 5-3 at halftime and 8-7 after three quarters, but UCLA scored all three goals in the fourth quarter. Adam Csapo had a team-high 12 goals for the weekend while Curtis Jarvis had 10
AWARDS — Adam Csapo received the program’s first GCC Player of the Week award of the season on October 6 after a performance of 12 goals and six assists in five games, including a 4-0 record at the Gary Troyer tournament and a narrow home loss to #2 UCLA.
LANDMARKS – Adam Csapo leads GCC in goals (41) and is second in points (61) and sixth in assists (20)… Curtis Jarvis leads GCC in assists (30) and is third in points (57)… Dennis Blyashov leads GCC in points (65) and is second in goals (37) and assists (28)… Sandor Gal is third in assists (27) and eighth in points (42)… Nico Tierney is fourth in assists (24), fifth in points (52), and tenth in goals (28)… Pepperdine’s 34 goals against Whittier in the season opener was a school record, surpassing the previous high of 31 against Occidental in the 1997 national championship season.
CHECKOUT NUMBERS — The Waves’ 27-man roster consists of one graduate student, seven seniors, six juniors, five sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and six true freshmen. 16 of the 26 postmen from the spring season are back this fall, accounting for 58.0% of last year’s goals (200/345). Last year’s top three scorers are gone, but the other nine who finished in double figures have returned (led by 35 goals apiece). Nicholas Fichman and Nico Tierney). Pepperdine also got the 2020 All-American back Curtis Jarviswhich sat out last year and added the Harvard grad transfer Dennis Blyashova two-time All-American.
SCHEDULE – The Waves have eight home games in September and October. Three of the five GCC home games are played at home. In non-conference games, Pepperdine will host UCLA and USC at home and visit the NCAA champions in California and Stanford.
GCC TO WCC — This will be the seventh and final year for the Golden Coast Conference as both the West Coast Conference and Big West Conference will begin in 2023. Pepperdine and Pacific will be relocating to WCC, where most of their other athletic programs are already based, and they will be joined by WWPA’s Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara, as well as affiliate members Air Force, California Baptist and San Jose State.
OPINION POLL – The GCC preseason poll, a poll of the league’s coaches, was as follows: Pacific, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara, San Jose State, Pepperdine, and UC Irvine.
LAST SEASON – Pepperdine finished 14-13 in Fall 2021 and placed fifth in the GCC. The highlight of the season was a 16:14 home win against eventual national champions California. Balaz Kosa became only the fourth four-time All-American in program history and formed ACWPC’s second team. Kosa made the All-GCC First Team while SeanFerrari, Nicholas Fichman and Nico Tierney were honorable mention.
WATER POLO HISTORY — Pepperdine won the NCAA title in 1997, 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 finish in 45 of the last 46 years and a top 5 finish 21 times. Pepperdine has had 59 players earn All-American honors a total of 107 times. Three Waves – Mike Grier (1984), Geoffrey Clark (1991) and Alan Herrmann (1997) – were named International Player of the Year. Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool Hosted the 1984 Olympic water polo competition and the 2000 NCAA championships.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine has a unique athletic department with unparalleled success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men’s sports — one of only 20 schools to have accomplished the 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 not affiliated with a “big” conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also received the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success and given three times (most recently in 2021-22) to the top non-football school. Located in picturesque Malibu, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the university’s campus and athletic facilities are consistently voted among the most beautiful in the country. Pepperdine, affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks 55th overall on US News and World Report’s list of the best colleges.
