North Carolina
Virginia Tech
No. 25 Tar Heels Fall To No. 9 Hokies, 21-12
February 21, 2015 | Wrestling
CHAPEL HILL – Despite big upsets by Tar Heel wrestlers Troy Heilmann and Christian Barber, the No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies defeated No. 25 North Carolina, 21-12. With the loss, North Carolina (10-5, 2-3 ACC) dropped their second dual meet out of their last ten matches, while Virginia Tech secured a perfect ACC record for the year.
The Heels and the Hokies traded matches until the final weight class, but bonus points for the Hokies at 125 gave Virginia Tech (14-2, 5-0 ACC) an early lead that they would not relinquish. Joey Dance controlled the match from the first whistle with a pair of takedowns in the first period. After a dominant second period, Dance pinned Cody Karns at the beginning of the third period to put up the first points of the match for VT.
The Heels responded with a couple big upsets, winning at 133 and 149 by close margins. Troy Heilmann upset No. 19 Kevin Norstrem in a dramatic 5-4 match. After a scoreless first period, Norstrem managed a quick reversal followed by a takedown to go up 4-2. Heilmann escaped at the beginning of the third to close the match to one point and spun around a failed Norstrem shot in order to take the lead, 5-4. He kept Norstrem on the mat for the remaining minute to take the match and put the Heels on the board.
At 141, No. 3 Devin Carter pulled out the decision over No. 11 Joey Ward in a brutally contested 7-4 match. Tied at three going into the third period, Carter stretched out a lead with a late ankle pick to go up 6-3, solidify the win, and give Virginia Tech a 9-3 lead over the Heels.
In yet another close match, Christian Barber upset No. 9 Sal Mastriani by a margin of 5-3 at 149. Mastriani came out strong early, taking Barber down in the first. However, Barber responded with a takedown of his own and an escape to go up 3-2. After Mastriani escaped to equalize the match at three, Barber countered with an escape in the third and added riding time to win the match and bring the Heels back within 3 points of the Hokies.
At 157, No. 5 Nick Brascetta scored first with a takedown in the first and maintained control for the remainder of the match, defeating Chris Mears 7-2 and putting Virginia Tech up 12-6.
Ethan Ramos, coming off ACC Wrestler of the Week honors, won his 12th bout in a row at 165. Ramos picked up points from Virginia Tech's Chad Strube on a penalty and a stalling call, but Ramos' late takedown with eight seconds remaining on the edge of the mat broke the match open in exciting fashion, as he went on to win 4-2.
In the bout at 174, both wrestlers were extremely evenly matched and the narrow score margin, 2-1 reflected that parity. No. 7 Zach Epperly for Virginia Tech pulled out the win over No. 18 John Michael Staudenmayer due to riding time, as both wrestler traded escapes for the only other points of the match.
North Carolina again closed the deficit with Virginia Tech to three points as Scott Marmoll defeated Tae Leary by a margin of 3-0 in a hard-hitting match. At 197, Jared Haught took down Chip Ness four times to secure a 10-5 decision. Haught locked in a three-point lead after the first period and didn't look back after capturing that lead.
In the final bout of the night, No. 8 Ty Walz defeated Frank Abbondanza 4-2. Walz took down Abbondanza in the second period, which proved the deciding move.
The Heels will wrestle next against Oklahoma State on Sunday at 2 p.m. and the Citadel at 4 p.m. in the Eddie Smith Field House in their final home dual meets of the year. Seniors Frank Abbondanza and Chris Mear, alongside classmate Andrew Barksdale, will be recognized before the Sunday matches.
No. 9 Virginia Tech 21, No. 25 North Carolina 12
125: Joey Dance (VT) pinned Cody Karns (NC), (5:27) – VT leads 6-0
133: Troy Heilmann (NC) dec. #19 Kevin Norstrem (VT), 5-4 – VT leads 6-3
141: #3 Devin Carter (VT) dec. #11 Joey Ward (NC), 7-4 – VT leads 9-3
149: Christian Barber (NC) #9 Sal Mastriani (VT), 5-3 – VT leads 9-6
157: #5 Nick Brascetta (VT) dec. Chris Mears (NC), 7-2 – VT leads 12-6
165: #10 Ethan Ramos (NC) dec. Chad Strube (VT), 4-2 – VT leads 12-9
174: #7 Zach Epperly (VT) dec. #18 John Michael Staudenmayer, 2-1 – VT leads 15-9
184: Scott Marmoll (NC) dec. Tae Leary (VT), 3-0 – VT leads 15-12
197: Jared Haught (VT) dec. Chip Ness (NC), 10-5 – VT leads 18-12
285: #8 Ty Walz (VT) dec. Frank Abbondanza (NC), 4-1 – VT leads 21-12
Players Mentioned
