Pepperdine Graphic

GCC Championship Beckons to No. 11 Water Polo

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Freshman attacker Adam Csapo looks for an opening in the UC Santa Barbara defense Nov. 11 at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Csapo led the Waves with five goals. Photos by Brandon Rubsamen

No. 11 Pepperdine Men’s Water Polo left it late in their last regular-season game of the year. Against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 12 at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, the Waves scored on each of their last three possessions and overcame a two-point deficit with fewer than two minutes remaining.

The win means the Waves leave the 2022 regular season 13-13 overall with a 2-3 conference record. The last time Pepperdine had a losing record overall was in 2015.

Up next for the Waves is the GCC Championship, which pits Pepperdine against its five conference rivals. Thanks to their Nov. 12 victory, Pepperdine earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament.

The GCC Championship is a tournament of recent invention. The NCAA founded the conference in 2013 as a women’s only competition, according to the GCC website. When six members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation — Long Beach State, Pepperdine, San Jose State, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific — broke away in 2016, they joined the GCC and formed the men’s division.

Pepperdine is no stranger to success in the GCC Championship — the Waves won the tournament in 2016 and 2019. Along with Long Beach State, who won the tournament in 2018 and 2021, the Waves are joint leaders in GCC Championship trophies.

During the inaugural 2016 season, Pepperdine finished fourth place in the GCC with a 2-3 record. The Waves ousted the regular season champions, UC Santa Barbara, on their way to becoming the first men’s GCC tournament champions.

The GCC Championship’s importance, beyond conference bragging rights, lies in its relation to the NCAA tournament — the winner receives an automatic bid to the most prestigious collegiate water polo tournament in the country. Pepperdine last won the NCAA tournament in 1997.

UC Santa Barbara is hosting the 2022 GCC Championship, meaning all the matches will be played at their facilities in Santa Barbara, Calif. The tournament kicks off Nov. 18, when Pepperdine takes on UC Irvine in the first round at 5 p.m.

Fans can watch Pepperdine’s match live on the GCC website.

ball(s)
A bright yellow water polo ball awaits the players in the middle of Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on Nov. 12. Water polo balls have a uniquely-grippy design, which allows them to be held in one hand despite their immense rotundness, according to Water Polo Ball 101. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen
Graduate student attacker Dennis Blyashov readies a shot against the UC Santa Barbara defense in Malibu on Nov. 12. Blyashov had two goals in what was otherwise an uninspiring first half from the Waves.
Graduate student attacker Dennis Blyashov readies a shot against the UC Santa Barbara defense in Malibu on Nov. 12. Blyashov had two goals in what was otherwise an uninspiring first half from the Waves. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen

 

team fan-boying on sidelines
The Waves bench gets emotional during their Nov. 12 triumph against the visiting Gauchos. It was all going downhill for the Waves — until it wasn’t. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen
"he look at how long my arms are!" -uCsB goalie"...if only you could actually block a shot with &squot;em" -me
A Waves shot sails past UC Santa Barbara’s goalie in the second half of their win Nov. 12, in Malibu. The Waves scored 10 of their 13 goals in the second half. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen

 

fans doin fan tings
Fans cheer No. 11 Men’s Water Polo during their match against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 12, in Malibu. The fans were an active force during the contest. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen
22 lines up shot
Redshirt senior attacker Curtis Jarvis lines up a shot against the Gaucho defense Nov. 12, in Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Jarvis had two goals and three assists. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen

 

team celebrates after winning block
The Pepperdine bench erupts after a late blocked UC Santa Barbara shot during the Nov. 12 game in Malibu. The Waves’ only lead in the match came with 11 seconds left and proved decisive.

 

#23 admires that oh-so-soft and warm robe that #9 decided to show off
Freshman attacker Adam Csapo and senior center Austin Smit congratulate each other after the Waves’ Nov. 12 win in Malibu. Csapo was immense for the Waves with five goals and seven shots. Photo credit: Brandon Rubsamen

 

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Email Alec Matulka: alec.matulka@pepperdine.edu