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Wrestling

No. 11 Hokies set for top 15 dual at No. 15 North Carolina

BUY MOSS ARTS CENTER TICKETS! VT-NORTH CAROLINA MATCH NOTES VT-NORTH CAROLINA ACC NETWORK STREAM

No. 11 Virginia Tech at No. 15 North Carolina
Date: Feb. 8
Match Time: 6 p.m.
Stream: ACC Network Extra (WatchESPN)
Live Updates: @HokiesWrestling
 



HOKIES SET FOR TOP 15 DUAL WITH UNC

  • After a convincing 40-3 win over Duke last Friday, No. 11 Virginia Tech returns to the Research Triangle this week for a 6 p.m. dual on Friday vs. 15th-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
  • The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and live updates can be found on Twitter on @HokiesWrestling.
  • After dropping its first two duals of the season at Missouri and Northwestern, the Hokies (8-2) are riding an eight-match win streak heading into this weekend.
  • Tech is 2-0 on the season against ACC competition and its won 20 of its last 21 matches against conference foes.
  • All four of the Hokies' remaining opponents this season are nationally ranked – No. 15 UNC, No. 10 Cornell, No. 23 Virginia and No. 8 NC State.
  • Seven Hokies are slotted in this week's FloWrestling rankings – No. 10 Korbin Myers (133), No. 20 B.C. LaPrade (157), No. 10 Mekhi Lewis (165), No. 8 David McFadden (174), No. 3 Zack Zavatsky (184), No. 9 Tom Sleigh (197), No. 18 Billy Miller (285) – with Zavatsky being the biggest mover up three spots to third. 

SHORT TIME – UNC

  • The Hokies are 37-31-2 all-time against North Carolina in a series that dates back to 1924.
  • The Hokies have won their last 10 matches against the Tar Heels dating back to a 19-15 win in 2008-09.
  • UNC is led by Coleman Scott, who's in his fourth season as head coach and his fifth campaign overall in Chapel Hill.
  • Scott and Tech assistant coach Jared Frayer were teammates on the United States' Olympic Teamin 2012 with Scott competing at 60kg and Frayer at 66kg.
  • Friday's dual should see a ranked matchup at 184 pounds between fourth-ranked Zack Zavatsky and No. 14 Chip Ness.
  • UNC also has ranked grapplers at 149 in No. 4 Austin O'Connor and at 165 in No. 15 Kennedy Monday. 

ZAVATSKY WINS NO. 100

  • Zack Zavatsky's 18-9 major decision over Duke's Kaden Russell last Friday marked his 100th career victory.
  • Zavatsky is the 12th Virginia Tech wrestler to eclipse the 100-win plateau and he currently ranked 12th on the program's all-time wins list.
  • 46 of Zavatsky's 100 wins have gone for bonus points.
  • The Latrobe, Pa., native is a two-time ACC champion, a three-time NCAA qualifier and was an All-American in 2018 who placed sixth in the country at 184.  

ALL HE DOES IS PIN!

  • Mitch Moore's win by fall over Duke's Josh Finesilver 45 seconds into the bout was the freshman's team-best ninth pin of the season.
  • Seven of Moore's nine pins this year have come in the first period, with his fastest fall coming at 17 seconds against Franklin & Marshall's Patrick Quinlan on Jan. 5.
  • With four duals and the postseason still to come, Moore is one more fall away from tying Bill Pfeffer (1979-80) and Jarrod Garnett (2008-09) for 10th in single season pins.
  • Moore's nine falls are the most in a single season since Devin Carter registered 11 pins in 2011-12.