Pepperdine men’s water polo wins consecutive Player of the Week honors

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Pepperdine men's water polo player Adam Csapo won the GCC Player of the Week honor on Oct. 6. Photo by Jeff Golden.

The Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week was a Pepperdine Waves men’s volleyball player for two straight weeks this month. Attacker Dennis Blyashov, a graduate student, received the honor on Oct. 13. Freshman attacker Adam Csapo garnered the weekly award seven days earlier.

Blyashov, a two-time All American at Harvard before graduating in 2021, was named the GCC Player of the Week after he recorded three goals and three assists in Pepperdine’s conference-opening win over San Jose State on Oct. 9. Blyashov rang up two goals in the first half. During Pepperdine’s 8-0 scoring run to take control of the contest after halftime and secure the 13-10 victory, Blyashov assisted on the tying and go-ahead goals and tossed his third score in the net.

Dennis Blyashov was named the GCC Player of the Week on Oct. 13. Photo by Charlie Blake.
Pepperdine men’s water polo player Dennis Blyashov was named the GCC Player of the Week on Oct. 13. Photo by Charlie Blake.

Csapo, a member of the Hungarian National Team system since he was 8, won the player of the week recognition on Oct. 6, four days after he had 12 goals and six assists in a five-game stretch. He had a team-high 18 points in the Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 Gary Troyer Tournament, in which Pepperdine went 4-0, and the Waves’ loss to UCLA on Oct. 2.

Csapo recorded three goals in the loss to UCLA. In the tournament, he had six goals and three assists in a victory over Pomona-Pitzer, tallied three goals and two assists in a defeat of Air Force, and recorded one assist in a triumph over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He didn’t register a goal or assist in the downing of Concordia. 

Blyashov had three goals in the Waves’ 18-13 loss to Pacific on Oct. 15. 

Csapo was scoreless. 

Csapo has 41 goals and 20 assists this season, while Blyashov has a team-leading 43 goals and is second on Pepperdine with 31 assists. Pepperdine had an 11-10 record going into their game against Princeton on Tuesday. The Waves host USC Saturday at 12 p.m.