By Lindsey Boyd (@lindsboyd3):
No. 7 Pepperdine (14-10, 1-1 GCC) and No. 1 University of Southern California (19-1, 1-0 MPSF) — the two teams that handed San Jose State water polo (13-8, 1-1 GCC) some of its largest losses this season — will meet the Spartans again Oct. 27 and 28 respectively.
Both of the opposing teams rose in rank since last facing the Spartans in September, but not nearly as much as SJSU. While the Waves and Trojans rose just one spot, the Spartans shot straight from unranked to No. 11.
Then again, the Trojan’s only had to move one spot to become the top team in the country and are on a six-game win streak.
The Spartans are coming off of a killer 4-0 win weekend of its own, but it will be hard to maintain that pace.
SJSU lost 18-9 to USC at the beginning of the season, but freshman Jacob Mercep scored six points against them. USC hasn’t let a single player score that many goals against them since 2013.
Pepperdine will also be an interesting match-up for LA natives like junior drivers Cade Baldridge and Rion Parenteau who have been battling against many of its Southern California players since the age of 10.
While Spartans will be challenged most by USC’s aggression and defense, the Spartans will have to focus more on offense against Pepperdine.
Out of the Spartans’ top 10 players, seven have a shooting accuracy less than 40 percent. Meanwhile, half of the Waves’ top 10 players have an accuracy of 70 percent or more.
Keep in mind, SJSU does have more shot attempts than Pepperdine. In fact, Mercep has taken 149 shots this season, about half the amount the entire Pepperdine team has taken all season.
The Spartans will travel to the pools of Pepperdine, most notably famous from the 1970s and 80s show Battle of the Network Stars for a 7 p.m. game on Oct. 27. They will then travel to USC for a 1 p.m. game the following day.