No. 5 Hokies travel to No. 10 Lehigh before hosting Duke at MossNo. 5 Hokies travel to No. 10 Lehigh before hosting Duke at Moss
Wrestling

No. 5 Hokies travel to No. 10 Lehigh before hosting Duke at Moss

BLACKSBURG - After coming off a 2-0 weekend at Cassell Coliseum last week, the fifth-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team travels to No. 10 Lehigh for a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Jan. 27, before returning to campus for an ACC dual with Duke at the Moss Arts Center on Sunday, Jan. 29.

The top 10 matchup between the Hokies (13-1, 3-0 ACC) and the Mountain Hawks will be streamed live on PatriotLeague.TV via Campus Insiders. Tickets are still available for Tech’s 4 p.m. match against the Blue Devils at Moss, where the Hokies are 6-0 all-time. Tickets can be purchased through the Moss Arts Center box office. The match is free for students with a VT ID.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Wrestling for the first time at Cassell Coliseum since Nov. 5, the Hokies defeated Pitt on Jan. 20, 38-9, before taking down in-state rival Virginia, 29-14, on Jan. 22.
  • The Hokies have now won 14-consecutive ACC duals and 15 overall against league competition. Tech’s 21-9 victory over Virginia on Jan. 12, 2013 at the Virginia Duals did not count towards either team’s ACC record.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

  • Lehigh enters the weekend with an 8-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the EIWA.
  • The Mountain Hawks lead the all-time with the Hokies, 2-1, but Tech won the last dual by a score of 23-15 at Cassell Coliseum on Jan. 28, 2011.
  • Lehigh placed third overall at the prestigious Southern Scuffle in January and currently have all 10 of their wrestler ranked in the first NCAA coaches panel rankings of 2017.
  • Duke is 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the ACC after falling at Old Dominion, 18-16, this past Wednesday.
  • Sunday’s match could see two ranked bouts between No. 18 Connor Bass of Duke and second-ranked Zach Epperly at 174 and a top five bout between No. 5 Jacob Kasper and the Hokies’ third-ranked Ty Walz at heavyweight.

TECH LOVES IT AT THE MOSS

  • After topping No. 22 Chattanooga at the Moss Arts Center earlier this season, the Hokies are now 6-0 all-time on the stage at Moss.
  • Tech’s first match at Moss was on Feb. 1, 2015 when the No. 9 Hokies topped No. 12 Virginia, 18-16.

THE CORE FOUR

  • Dozens of nicknames have been tossed around to tag the grappler for the Hokies between 174 pounds and heavyweight but it goes without saying that they are the core four in the Tech lineup.
  • No. 2 Zach Epperly at 174, No. 4 Zack Zavatasky at 184, No. 3 Jared Haught at 197 and No. 3 Ty Walz at 285 are all ranked in the top four of their weight classes by InterMat.
  • The foursome is also ranked in the top five of their respective weight classes in the first NCAA coaches panel rankings of 2017.
  • In duals this season, the Tech quartet are a combined 53-1 with Olympian J’Den Cox’s 2-0 decision over Haught at No. 5 Missouri on Nov. 20 serving as the lone loss in the group.
  • Overall, the core four has registered 38 bonus point victories.

HOKIES VS. THE TOP 10

  • The Hokies have faced top 10 teams 24 times over the last 10 years and have gone 8-16 in those duals.
  • The Hokies dropped a tough 23-19 decision at then-No. 5 Missouri on Nov. 20, Tech’s only defeat of the season.
  • Last season, Tech went 2-1 against top 10 foes with wins against NC State and Michigan a loss against No. 2 Penn State at Cassell Coliseum.