SAN DIEGO, Calif. — No. 7 Pepperdine water polo (3-1) split the final day at the Triton Invite hosted by UC San Diego (UCSD), falling to No. 14 UC Davis (3-1) by a score of 13-10 before topping No. 12 UCSD (3-3) 10-9 finish the opening weekend 3-1.
With the game tied at eight in the fourth period against UCSD, Brian Barnuevo and Jon Carcarey scored the late goals to propel the Waves to the victory over the Tritons.
Dane Howell paced the Waves with five goals on the day with four coming in the opener against UC Davis.
Sandor Gal filled the stat sheet with three goals, four assists and a pair of steals on the day as he led the Waves with 16 total points on the weekend.
Matty Walsh and Cade Anderton each chipped in three goals on the day with Walsh adding a pair of steals. Owen Tift added five steals to go along with a pair of goals and assist.
Max Smirnov picked up the win in goal for the Waves against the Tritons, making ten saves while allowing nine goals in the effort.
“We played two very tough opponents today,” noted head coach Merrill Moses. “Unfortunately, in the morning game versus UC Davis, our team started the game off slow and we were playing catch up and could never close the gap. We had a great talk as a team and the team responded very well in our second game vs. UC San Diego. They came out with great energy and stifling defense. We had a very well balanced attack with lots of players scoring goals. Max Smirnov played very well in the cage for our team. Overall, this was a successful weekend with four very tough games to start the season.”
Game One: No. 7 Pepperdine 10, No. 14 UC Davis 13
The Aggies got on the board first on a power play within the first minute of the game, a goal that was answered by a pair from Pepperdine. Matty Walsh continued his strong play at center with a goal before fellow graduate student Dane Howell netted his first of the game as the Waves led early.
UC Davis answered with three straight tallies to jump out in front 4-2, as Howell got one back with another score before a late Aggie goal made it 5-3 heading into the second period.
Walsh got the scoring started in the second with his fifth of the season as UC Davis then put together a 3-0 run to end the half with the third goal coming right at the buzzer. The Waves were held to just one goal in the period as the Aggies led 8-4 at the break.
The Waves began to mount a comeback in the second half, with Cade Anderton and Howell netting consecutive goals to half the lead down two goals. Conor Brough got his first of the season to answer a UC Davis goal which pushed the score to 9-7 in the favor of the Aggies.
Oleg Shatskikh began to take over for the Aggies with consecutive goals as he netted three in the final 11:19 of play. Pepperdine trailed 11-7 heading into the final frame.
UC Davis tacked on another for a game-high five goal lead less than a minute into the fourth. The Waves were able to chip away with two straight goals from Gal and Howell, but the Aggies bled enough clock to bring the game to the final minute where each team scored in the final 25 seconds. The final score was brought to a 13-10 finish following Gal’s second of the game with seven ticks remaining.
Game Two: No. 7 Pepperdine 10, No. 12 UC San Diego 9
The Waves came out determined and led throughout the first half of the game against the Tritons in the first true road contest of the season. Carcarey fed Tift for the first of the game before Walsh got on the scoresheet from close range to make it 2-0 Pepperdine.
The teams then traded goals into the midway point of the second quarter, with the Waves now leading 6-4 as Howell, Tift, Gal and Anderton notched tallies. Smirnov was in form early as the goalie made six saves for the Waves in the first half. Neither team found the back of the cage for the final 5:04 of the half as the Waves took a two-goal lead into halftime.
The teams traded stops to begin the second half before the Aggies broke through on a five-meter attempt at the 5:47 mark to get back within one goal. Pepperdine lost its lead for the first time at the 4:19 mark as Luca Rago put in a five-meter attempt for the Tritons to knot it up at six.
The Waves answered after trailing for the first time all game at 7-6 with back-to-back tallies from Csanád Bella and Cade Anderton. Bella finished off a feed from Charles Warmington for his first of the game as Pepperdine took a one goal lead into the final eight minutes.
In its first one-goal game in a fourth period this season, the Waves responded after allowing the tying goal early, forcing six straight empty possessions on defense. Brian Barnuevo scored the go-ahead goal with 6:50 remaining, with Carcarey providing a cushion at the 3:50 mark with his first goal of the contest.
The Tritons made it a 10-9 game with a conversion from the five-meter, and got the ball back with 37 seconds remaining in need of a goal as the home side called timeout. With the game on the line, the Waves defense held firm, forcing an errant shot from a tight angle to regain possession in the closing seconds to end the game.
Game Notes
Sandor Gal totaled five points through two goals and three assists against UC Davis.
Gal finished the opening weekend with the team high in goals (11), assists (5) and steals (7).
Dane Howell logged his second four-goal effort of the season with his four tallies against UC Davis.
Matty Walsh potted three goals on the day while picking up a pair of steals against the Aggies on the defensive end.
Owen Tift scored a pair of first period goals at UCSD for his first tallies of the season while adding three steals throughout the contest.
Cade Anderton scored a pair at UCSD and has scored a goal in all four games to begin his sophomore season.
Max Smirnov made 10 saves while allowing nine goals to improve to 2-0 on the season in the cage for the Waves.
Charles Warmington added two steals against the Aggies while providing an assist in the win over the Tritons.
Jon Carcarey finished the weekend with five points and six steals, posting a goal and an assist in the win over UCSD.
Csanád Bella is one of five Waves to score at least three goals on the opening weekend and the lone freshman.
Pepperdine has yet to be shut out in a period so far this season.
The Waves move to 2-1 against ranked opponents to begin the year.
Pepperdine moves to 30-6 in the all-time series with UC Davis following the loss.
The Waves are now 53-9-1 all-time against the Tritons.
The Waves will now prepare for the home opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, playing host to No. 2 USC with the opening sprint set for 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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 60 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 36 of 50 seasons.
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MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s volleyball team completed a successful weekend at Worthen Arena, defeating NJIT in four sets (25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 25-15) Saturday evening.
The Cardinals (3-0, 0-0 MIVA) limited the Highlanders (0-4, 0-0 EIVA) to a 0.80 hitting clip while averaging .391 themselves, along with a team block total of 15.5 compared to NJIT’s 3. The evening saw just one lead change, three points into the fourth set, as NJIT recorded an attack error at the end of a Patrick Rogers serve.
Rogers led the way as he matched his kill total from the evening prior, tallying 16 while hitting .522, along with six digs, two assists and a team-leading three aces. Ryan Louis was credited with 11 kills on a .318 clip, two aces, four digs and a career-high seven block assists. Wil Basilio earned nine kills, three digs and four block assists.
Ball State’s defense halted the Highlanders at the net, aided by Jacob Surette who recorded a career-best nine block assists, Louis’ seven and Braydon Savitski-Lynde’s five. Savitski-Lynde also completed five kills while hitting .522. Freshman libero Adir Ben Shloosh led the men with eight digs.
Lucas Machado’s hustle was on full display throughout the match, dishing out 37 assists with three kills.
The Cardinals led by as much as 14 in the opening set, highlighted by an 8-0 run which brought them to set-point. After three-straight points by the Highlanders, Rogers punched a kill to finish it, capping off a set that saw Ball State hit an efficient .688 clip.
Set two was a different story, as the score tied seven times until NJIT’s late momentum pushed them just enough to claim the set.
The men’s squad was unfazed, easily taking sets three and four. Rogers swatted nine kills between the two sets, and claimed two of his three aces in set four, with one of those bringing the Cardinals to match point. Surette’s four block assists were also instrumental, including back-to-back blocks assists by him and Basilio.
In his first career appearance with the Cardinals, sophomore Jason Harris put the exclamation point on the weekend with the final kill of the match, finishing with two.
The Ball State men’s volleyball program ride this momentum into next week when it travels to Phoenix, Ariz. for the First Point Collegiate Challenge Tournament at the Phoenix Convention Center. The men square off against No. 1 UCLA Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. ET, followed by No. 9 Stanford Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. ET.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team defeated Harvard 3-1 Saturday night to close out the final round of the 61st ASICS Invitational. The Gauchos open the 2026 season undefeated, having also beaten Kentucky State and Maryville earlier in the tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Harvard opened the gate with a first-set win, taking it 25-22. The Gauchos hit just 0.074 in the first and were unable to collapse Harvard’s early lead.
The Gauchos finally clicked during the second, bringing it home 25-18. Santa Barbara and Harvard stayed even through the second, with neither team managing to gain more than a three-point lead until the set’s finale. At 19-18, Santa Barbara went on a six-point scoring run that brought them directly to victory.
Santa Barbara shone in the third, capturing a 25-14 success for their cleanest win of the match. The Gauchos made off with a 7-2 head start and stayed at least three points ahead at all times. Senior Owen Loncar sealed the set with a service ace.
Finally, the Gauchos closed out the match by winning the fourth and final set 25-19. They held a slight initial lead before springing multiple points ahead of the Crimson.
Santa Barbara revived their hitting percentage after the grim first set, hitting 57% in the remaining three. As a team, they dug 42 digs and made ten aces.
George Bruening put on a hitting masterclass, annihilating 26 kills and hitting .455. He tied his career record in kills and made ten in the fourth set alone. Ben Pearson delivered the match’s second highest kill count with nine, while Riggs Guy lasered eight. Guy also placed a career-best six assists.
Cole Schobel achieved all over the court, popping 42 assists, five kills, and a block. He also led the match in service aces with four, hit .714, and tied Jason Walmer for the match-high dig count at nine. Joe Wallace followed with seven digs and freshman Dylan Pilkvist made a team leading 5 block assists
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will continue home play for their next match, hosting The Master’s University on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Thunderdome.
UC San Diego men’s volleyball (1-0, 0-0 Big West) kicked off its 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Jessup (0-1, 0-0 MPSF) on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at LionTree Arena.
The key to the Tritons’ victory was the offensive firepower of junior outside hitter Josh Ewert, who racked up a game-high 17 kills, including the final point in two of the four sets. Junior outside hitter Leo Pravednikov added 15 kills of his own.
The first set showcased opening-game jitters with both sides committing a multitude of attacking errors. Ewert came to play from the first serve, racking up five kills in the opening set alone. However, Jessup had its own go-to guy — senior middle blocker Clement Osahon Jr. caused major issues for the Tritons early on. By the end of the set, UCSD shook off its early errors and created some separation. Fittingly, Ewert scored the set point, a kill that pushed his team over the line to clinch the first set with a score of 25-20.
The second set started sloppily, but a vicious kill from Triton junior middle blocker Leo Wiemelt ignited a spark. A sneaky dump set from senior setter John Luers extended the Tritons’ lead to six. Yet, UCSD was plagued by service errors following strong kills, allowing Jessup to remain on the Tritons’ heels.
“[The offense] is so potent at times, and then, at times, we struggled with the blockers and getting the ball in the court consistently,” head coach Brad Rostratter said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “So, our strengths can be our weaknesses.”
Ewert led the Tritons to set point after a crafty tool of the Warriors’ block. Despite a final 3-point push from Jessup, a powerful kill from senior middle blocker Peter Selcho drove UCSD over the line 25-22.
Jessup refused to go quietly in the third. After a couple of early kills from Ewert, the Warriors found their momentum. UCSD responded with a block from Wiemelt and an emphatic kill and ace from junior outside hitter Sebastiano Sani. However, a solo 3-0 run from Jessup’s senior opposite hitter Carter Depue tied the game at 18. Late Triton errors ultimately allowed Jessup to build its lead and eventually take the set 25-22.
“Their middles did a really good job of committing, slowing down our middles, and touching and defending the middle of the court,” Rostratter said. “It’s something they did really, really well. And we struggled; it took a little bit of adjusting to their higher quick set.”
The Tritons decisively regained control in the fourth set, and Ewert set the tone with back-to-back service aces. UCSD went on an 8-2 run, which included a vicious kill from Selcho and another ace from Ewert. For the first time in the match, the Tritons had a comfortable lead at 18-11. Ewert sent one last back-row kill past the unresponsive Warriors to take the fourth set 25-20 for UCSD.
The Tritons stayed hot with a 3-1 home victory against Daemen on Friday, Jan. 9. UCSD will finish off its three-game homestand against Rockhurst on Sunday, Jan. 11, before heading to Utah to face BYU in a two-game road trip from Jan. 16-17.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team collected their first win of the season on Sunday night (Jan. 11), topping NJIT in the Mastodons’ second five set match of the season (25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12).
Owen Banner and Carlo Huisden led the ‘Dons offensively in the match, combining for 43 of the ‘Dons 67 kills. Banner finished with 21 kills, two aces, nine digs and three total blocks. Huisden tallied 22 kills on a .472 hitting percentage, along with seven digs.
Both teams battled early in the first set, until NJIT took the lead with a 5-1 run. Purdue Fort Wayne rallied back midway through the set with their own 6-1 run to claim a 16-13 lead. The Mastodons finished the set on a .481 hitting percentage to take the frame 25-20.
The Highlanders jumped out to an early second set lead, using a 6-2 run. NJIT added onto their lead with the help of another 6-1 run, sitting on top of a 16-9 score. Despite the ‘Dons boasting another high hitting percentage (.429), the Highlanders maintained the lead and finished out the set at 25-18.
Purdue Fort Wayne rallied to begin the third set, shooting out on a 7-0 run. Banner earned nine of his kills and the Mastodons defense rejected four attacks during the frame. The ‘Dons took a 2-1 set lead after a 25-22 conclusion.
The fourth set was highly contested, neither side owned larger than a three point lead. Both teams were held to under .100 hitting percentage. NJIT forced a fifth set after taking the fourth 25-23.
Purdue Fort Wayne dropped the first two points of the final frame, but bounced back with a 6-1 run. NJIT closed the gap to 9-11 after a 3-0 run of their own. The Mastodons managed to hold on to their lead and close out the contest at 15-12.
Hunter Hopkins finished with a near double-double of 53 assists and nine digs. Casey Lyons tied his career-high with eight block assists. Andrew Mayer dug out 11 attacks in the contest.
Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 1-1. NJIT falls to 0-5. The Mastodons will take on the Under Armour Challenge, hosted by Lindenwood, next weekend. The ‘Dons will face off against Menlo on Friday (Jan. 16) and No. 11 CSUN on Saturday (Jan. 17).
Brian Liebowitz during Jan. 10 race. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook men’s track & field competed in its first meet of the New Year on Jan. 9 at the TCNJ Invitational from The Armory in New York City. As a team, the Seawolves recorded eight top-eight placements, including a first-place finish in the 3000m race by Brian Liebowitz.
HIGHLIGHTS
Liebowitz won the 3,000m, with a time of 8:33.52, setting a new PR.
Luca Maneri recorded a third-place finish in the mile run (4:23.26).
Freshman Jamal Joseph finished third in the 200m (22.41).
Cain Lawler placed fourth in the mile run (4:23.42).
Andrew Lawler posted a fifth-place finish in the mile run event, setting a new PR with a time of 4:23.65.
The team of Walesky Nowak, Andres Acosta Mondriguez, Jaden Medrano, and Matthew Brodsky finished fifth in the 4x400m relay (3:23.20).
Chris Tardugno recorded an eighth-place finish in the mile run, setting a new PR with a time of 4:27.64.
Brodsky finished eighth in the 500m and set a new PR in the event (1:06.37).
The team continues its busy January slate returning to The Armory for the Ramapo College Invitation on January 16, with action set to begin at 9:30 am.
Seniors at Quaker Valley who will continue their careers at the next level include, in front, from left, Meredith Fallgren, Alexa Westwood, Makenna Kamnikar; in back, from left, Eoin Parnell, Todd Kagle, Bruce Anderchak, Henry Zupanc, Jayden Juliano and River Capek.
Quaker Valley senior Mimi Thiero signed to play basketball at Maryland. She was joined by her parents, from left, Mariam and Almany. (Photos: Quaker Valley School District)
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Quaker Valley’s college signings for 2025-26 hit double figures in December.
A total of 10 senior athletes at QV finalized their college commitments last month including Todd Kagle (Frostburg State baseball), Meredith Fallgren (Christopher Newport lacrosse), Bruce Anderchak (Mercyhurst wrestling), River Capek (Haverford cross country and track and field) and Alexa Westwood (Grove City lacrosse).
Kagle is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-handed pitcher/shortstop/third baseman. He was recruited as a pitcher by Frostburg State, located in Western Maryland.
“The baseball team has been successful over the past couple years, making a run in the MEC tournament four years in a row,” said Kagle, who has a 3.7 GPA. “It’s a great opportunity and felt like the best overall fit for me. I also really liked the coaches.”
Fallgren is a midfielder/defender on the QV girls lacrosse team. She also participates in Student Council, Key Club and Letters of Love.
The 5-2 Fallgren actually made an early commitment to Christopher Newport, located in Newport News, Va.
“Christopher Newport University has a great balance of academics and athletics. They also have excellent facilities,” Fallgren said. “The lacrosse program is amazing. They are a very competitive team. They have a great team culture that I’m excited to be a part of, and they are a very competitive team.”
Christopher Newport proved to be the frontrunner for Fallgren.
“CNU was the first school I visited,” she said. “After being there, I kept comparing the other schools I visited against it. It always just stood out to me. CNU plays a very challenging schedule, and they often are in the (Division III) NCAA Tournament. I was impressed by how hard they work playing that schedule.
“In addition, CNU is bigger than other schools I looked at, has great academics and offers a lot of majors. It is also beautiful and near the beach.”
Fallgren is looking to majoring in business and also has an interest in sports management.
Capek (5-10, 140) competes mainly in the 400- and 800-meter races on the track. He plans to pursue a double major in biology and psychology on a premed track and has a weighted GPA of 4.54.
“I decided to sign with Haverford because it is an academically strong school and the track team has shown a lot of success over the years,” Capek said. “Haverford is a small liberal arts school outside of Philadelphia and is pretty academically competitive. The track and field and cross country programs have seen a lot of success in the past, including sending many track athletes to NCAA nationals in the past years.
“There are also very strong community and honor values at Haverford, which I appreciate a lot.”
Rounding out the 10-pack of recent college signings at QV are Henry Zupanc (Saint Vincent baseball), Eoin Parnell (West Liberty wrestling), Makenna Kamnikar (Mount St. Mary’s golf), Jayden Juliano (Long Island track and field) and Mimi Thiero (Maryland basketball).
The 6-1, 175-pound Zupanc is a pitcher/outfielder who plans to major in sports management in college.
“I chose Saint Vincent because it felt like the best fit for me with both my academic and athletic goals,” Zupanc said. “I really liked the campus environment and the coaching staff’s approach to the game.
“Saint Vincent emphasizes strong academics, character building and community. The baseball program is competitive and focused on player development on and off the field, and I like the culture around the team that the program promotes.”
Zupanc also was on the boys golf team at QV and participates in the sports medicine club.
“I take pride in working hard, being a good teammate and leader, and I’m excited to contribute to the Saint Vincent baseball program,” he said.
Zupanc was a .300 hitter last season with four triples.
Parnell (5-4, 120) has been a member of the QV wrestling program for four years. He has been unable to compete this season because of an injury that surgery will address.
“However, I’m still going to be as active as possible on the team as a captain,” he said, “and try to do as much as I can with the team.”
Parnell has a 4.18 GPA, is a peer jury member and plans to major in prelaw at West Liberty.
“I felt that the culture they’ve built in their wrestling program would benefit me the most and help me build to my fullest potential,” Parnell said. “I also feel at home there. The people are amazing and overall it just felt right.
“The wrestling program is run by head coach Danny Irwin, who I have known and built a really good connection with over the past few years. I know their assistant coach Alec Cook as well, who I wrestled with at my wrestling club since I was 5. They truly operate as a family and really make you feel comfortable and at home. And to add, signing with West Liberty was not an easy decision, but through their guidance and advice of my parents and my coaches, the answer became pretty clear.”
