West Virginia Falls to No. 10 Virginia Tech

By Amy Salvatore
December 22, 2017

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Dec. 22, 2017) – Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey won his second straight dual match of the season, as the West Virginia University wrestling team (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) dropped a 30-6 contest to No. 10 Virginia Tech (5-1, 0-0 ACC) at the Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Friday evening.  

Wrestling at 125 pounds, No. 19 Moisey hit Kyle Norstrem with a trio of takedowns as well as two nearfall points early in the first period for the 9-1 advantage. Starting on the bottom in the second, Moisey quickly notched the escape to ride him through the period and make the score 10-1. The two went to their feet for the start of the third, with Norstrem earning a takedown to end the bout in favor of Moisey, 10-3, giving the Mountaineers a 3-0 match advantage.  

At 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Mathew Schmitt went head-to-head with No. 14 Dennis Gustafson of Tech for the second time in as many as weeks. After a scoreless first period, Gustafson chose bottom and earned the escape for the 1-0 advantage heading into the final period. Trailing 1-0 in the match, Schmitt used an escape to knot the match at 1-1, but it wasn't enough, as Gustafson scored four nearfall points and a takedown for the 7-1 decision.  

With the match tied at three-all, junior Christian Monserrat dropped a 13-4 major decision to Tech's Brent Moore, pushing the Hokies' lead to four at 7-3.  

Redshirt freshman Kyler Rea cut the Mountaineers' deficit to one, down 7-6, with a 5-0 decision over Andrew Mehrholz. However, West Virginia dropped the remaining six matches to Virginia Tech to close out the evening.  

The Hokies added a pair of major decisions and a win by fall before the most anticipated match-up of the day at 197 pounds.  

The 197-pound featured a pair of nationally-ranked West Virginia natives in No. 5 Jacob A. Smith of Charleston and No. 3 Jared Haught of Parkersburg. Haught earned the 1-0 advantage in the first following two stalling warnings on Smith. Smith chose bottom to start the second and quickly used an escape to tie the match at 1-1. However, it was Haught's choice in the third, as he notched an escape to put the score at 2-1. Unfortunately, Smith couldn't get a takedown and dropped the bout, 2-1.  

Despite the loss, West Virginia still holds a 12-9 advantage in the Black Diamond Brawl all-time.  

Following a holiday break, West Virginia will take on back-to-back Big 12 foes in Oklahoma and North Dakota State on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively. The Sooners currently rank at No. 19 nationally, while North Dakota State received two votes during the week of Dec. 19.  

Family Day is scheduled for the 7 p.m. Oklahoma match on Thursday, Jan. 4. Families can purchase four tickets and a $15 concession voucher for $25. The Mountaineers last Dollar Day of the season will follow three days later, as the team takes on Big 12 foe North Dakota State in a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 7.  

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  

No. 10 Virginia Tech 30, West Virginia 6
125: No. 20/19/- Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Kyle Norstrem (Tech), 10-3
133: No. 14/14/15 Dennis Gustafson (Tech) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 7-1
141: Brent Moore (Tech) major dec. Christian Monserrat (WVU), 13-4
149: Kyler Rea (WVU) dec. Andrew Mehrholz (Tech), 5-0
157: B.C. LaPrade (Tech) dec. No. -/18/20 Zachary Moore (WVU), 8-2
165: No. 3/4/3 David McFadden (Tech) major dec. Nick Kiussis (WVU), 14-6
174: Hunter Bolen (Tech) won by fall Parker VonEgidy (WVU), F 4:48
184: No. 7/7/7 Zack Zavatsky (Tech) major dec. Brenden McRill (WVU), 14-2
197: No. 3/3/4 Jared Haught (Tech) dec. No. 5/5/9 Jacob A. Smith (WVU), 2-1
HWT: No. 17/17/19 Andrew Dunn (Tech) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 2-1 [TB-2]

  *Rankings are listed as followed: FloWrestling/Intermat/The Open Mat*
 
 

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