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No. 5 Hokies Await Blue Devils Sunday
1/28/2017 9:30:00 AM | Wrestling
DURHAM, N.C.—The Blue Devils resume their ACC wrestling slate this Sunday when they travel to No. 5 Virginia Tech. Duke is coming off of a thrilling victory at Old Dominion Wednesday night, while the Hokies are aiming to remain unbeaten in conference action. The dual is set to start Jan. 29 at 4 p.m., at the Moss Arts Center.
About the Match
- Duke and Virginia Tech get the match going at 4 p.m. at the Moss Arts Center. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
- Private boxes, which include four seats, are available to purchase for $140 per match. The boxes must be reserved by calling the Moss Arts Center box office at 540-231-5300. Attendants are available to take orders from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
Looking at the Blue Devils
- Duke improved to 3-5 on the year with an 18-16 comeback victory over Old Dominion this past week. The Blue Devils, sparked by a pin from heavyweight Jacob Kasper, rallied from 10 points down to beat the Monarchs.
- Kasper headlines the Duke lineup with a 22-1 overall record and a No. 5 national ranking. The redshirt junior is riding a 16-match win streak dating back to Nov. 18. He has five falls in that stretch, four ranked wins and ultimately a Southern Scuffle title.
- Connor Bass is ranked 18th nationally at 174 pounds and sports a 15-7 overall record. It will be his first ACC dual of the year and he will likely face his eighth top 20 opponent in No. 2 Zach Epperly.
- Cole Baumgartner picked up arguably his biggest win of the season Wednesday night, winning the clinching match to lead the Blue Devils to the come-from-behind victory over the Monarchs. Baumgartner was outstanding on top in the bout, picking up a 2-0 win.
Duke (3-5, 0-1 ACC) Probable Lineup
125: Thayer Atkins (17-6, 1-0 ACC)
133: Cole Baumgartner (15-8, 0-1)
141: Zach Finesilver (12-8, 0-1)
149: Xaviel Ramos (3-11, 0-1)
157: Jake Faust (6-1, 0-1)
165: Garrett Neff (1-5, 0-0)
174: No. 18 Connor Bass (15-7, 0-0)
184: Alec Schenk (7-10, 0-1)
197: Alex Belaia-Martiniouk (1-6, 0-0)
285: No. 5 Jacob Kasper (22-1, 1-0)
Scouting the Hokies
- Virginia Tech is having a stellar year, sporting a 13-1 overall record and 3-0 mark against ACC foes. The Hokies are ranked fifth as a team and seven of the 10 starters are ranked in the top 15. Six of those are in the top 10 and five among the top five in their weight classes. Virginia Tech's lone loss was a 23-19 loss at then No. 5 Missouri.
- Leading the talented group with unblemished records are second-ranked Joey Dance at 125 and No. 2 Zach Epperly at 174. Jared Haught comes in at No. 3 with a 17-2 mark at 197, while heavyweight Ty Walz (16-1) and 184-pounder Zack Zavatsky round out the Hokies among the nation's top five.
- The Hokies are 6-0 when competing at the Moss Arts Center. The quartet of Hokies between 174 and heavyweight are an incredible 53-1 in duals this season.
Virginia Tech (13-1, 3-0) Probable Lineup
125: No. 2 Joey Dance (18-0)
133: Dennis Gustafson (13-2)
141: Brendan Ryan (2-12)
149: No. 7 Solomon Chishko (14-3) or Mattheos Lozier (1-1)
157: No. 14 Sal Mastriani (11-4) or Ryan Blees (4-3)
165: David Bergida (11-10)
174: No. 2 Zach Epperly (14-0)
184: No. 4 Zack Zavatsky (18-1)
197: No. 3 Jared Haught (17-2)
HWT: No. 3 Ty Walz (16-1)
Featured Matches
- Sunday's dual could have the featured heavyweight match of the year in the ACC and perhaps nationally at this point in the season with No. 3 Walz set to face Duke's No. 5 Kasper. Walz is 16-1 with a loss to Missouri's J'Den Cox, while Kasper is 22-1 with his loss coming to Wisconsin in an unlucky break. The dual is likely to be a preview to the ACC Championship match.
- Bass will face a tough task when he goes up against No. 2 Epperly at 174. Epperly is 14-0 overall and 10 of those victories came with bonus points.
Up Next
- The Blue Devils kick off February at Gardner-Webb Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. Duke will celebrate senior night Feb. 5 against Virginia.
#GoDuke
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