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Boston College	0
Virginia Tech	3

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 14th-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team jumped out to a 13-0 lead and held on late to beat 16th-ranked Virginia 19-16 Saturday afternoon in front of a near-capacity and rowdy crowd at Memorial Gym. The win was the second of the year and fourth-straight over the in-state rivals and moved the Hokies to 14-3 overall, 2-0 in the ACC. Virginia fell to 13-4, 1-1 in the league.

The match started at 141 pounds with ninth-ranked Chris Diaz picking up a tough 4-3 win over Derek Valenti, followed by freshman Brian Stephens earning four team points with a 15-6 major decision over back-up Dave Ebbott at 149 pounds. Jesse Dong, ranked fourth in the country, took care of business at 157 pounds by defeating Shawn Harris 9-3. Dong scored an early first-period takedown and racked up 3:55 of riding time in the win. Harris was coming off a win over No. 6 Thomas Scotton of UNC just last night. Matt Epperly made it 13-0 with a 5-2 decision over Pat Riley at 165 pounds. Epperly broke a two-all tie with an escape and late takedown in the third period.

After Tech forfeited at 174 pounds, Tommy Spellman won the rubber match against Mike Salopek at 184 pounds, beating him 3-1. After a scoreless first period, Spellman broke the deadlock with a takedown midway through the second period. Salopek picked up a point after Spellman’s second warning in the second period, but Spellman finished with exactly one minute of riding time to gain that point and win 3-1. The two had split a pair of previous matches this year.

UVa’s Brent Jones picked up a 13-5 major decision over Chris Penny at 197 pounds and then Tim Miller fell to Jack Danilkowicz, but only 5-1 to give the Cavs only three points instead of six for a forfeit.

With two matches left, things moved to the little guys with Tech leading by three. Tech’s Jarrod Garnett, ranked 15th in the country, earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ross Gitomer. The battle was decided when Gitomer was called for his second stall warning, resulting in a point for Garnett and breaking a 1-1 deadlock midway through the third period. Garnett was able to stave off Gitomer’s last-ditch shots to earn the 2-1 win and give the Hokies a 19-13 lead. UVa’s Matt Snyder exacted revenge for an earlier loss to Brock LiVorio, beating him 3-2. But it didn’t matter in the big picture as the Hokies held on for the big win.

“Team-wise, it was a good outing considering the injuries and adversity the team has had last month,” said head coach Kevin Dresser. “Individually, we made some steps. We’re not where we need to be, but we some have guys who have figured out how to beat guys multiple times and that’s what we have to do if we want to have guys win the ACC and be All-Americans this year.”

Tech will return home for its final home match of the season on Friday against No. 7 Central Michigan at 7 p.m. On Sunday, the Hokies will take on Duke as part of the annual “Rumble on the River” to be held at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Va., at 2 o’clock.

#14 Virginia Tech (14-3, 2-0) 19, #16 Virginia (13-4, 1-1) 16
141: #9 Chris Diaz (VT) dec. Derek Valenti, 4-3
149: Brian Stephens (VT) maj. dec. Dave Ebbott, 15-6
157: #4 Jesse Dong (VT) dec. Shawn Harris, 9-3
165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. Pat Riley, 5-2
174: #4 Chris Henrich (UVa) wins by forfeit
184: #20 Tommy Spellman (VT) dec. Mike Salopek (UVa), 3-1
197: #20 Brent Jones (UVa) maj. dec. Chris Penny, 13-5
285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) dec. Tim Miller, 5-1
125: #15 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. Ross Gitomer, 2-1
133: Matt Snyder (UVa) dec. Brock LiVorio, 3-2

For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Wrestling).