The No. 16 Pepperdine Waves men’s water polo team (9-12, 2-2 WCC) will host the No. 9 UC Davis Aggies (14-8, 4-0 WCC) on Friday, October 30, 2026, at noon at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool in Malibu, California. This West Coast Conference contest highlights the Waves’ penultimate home game of the regular season.
Pepperdine holds a 30-7 all-time advantage over UC Davis, although the teams have split their last ten meetings with five wins apiece. This matchup marks the first true WCC home game for UC Davis since joining as an affiliate member prior to this season.
The Waves are led by senior attacker Erik Ionescu, who has scored 54 goals and recorded 39 assists this season, nearing a 100-point campaign and ranking third in the WCC with 93 points. Freshman Hunter Danko leads all conference freshmen with 46 goals and has earned multiple WCC weekly honors. Utility Milo Joseph has contributed 28 goals and leads the team with 66 drawn exclusions.
Pepperdine recently split games at the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament, falling to No. 4 Cal before defeating No. 20 Brown 17-10. The Aggies come off a narrow 11-10 overtime loss to No. 6 Princeton and remain undefeated in conference play.
The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with live statistics available through the FloSports platform. Following this home game, Pepperdine will play on the road against Saint Mary’s and Pacific before hosting its senior day against Long Beach State on November 14.
CSB Take
This crucial West Coast Conference game represents an important opportunity for Pepperdine to assert its position in the standings against a top-ranked UC Davis squad. The leadership and scoring ability of Erik Ionescu, paired with the promising freshman Hunter Danko, will be vital for the Waves as they seek to finish the regular season strong and prepare for the upcoming conference championships. Fans should anticipate a highly competitive and strategic contest between two well-matched teams.
Source: Original report
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