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Matmen drop nailbiter

Squad captures victories in four weight classes but loses at home, 18-13

The Virginia wrestling team gave the 1,652 fans in attendance at John Paul Jones Arena much to cheer for throughout much of its match yesterday against Virginia Tech, but ultimately suffered an 18-13 defeat to the resilient Hokies.

The No. 15 Virginia Tech squad (2-1) clung to a 15-13 lead against No. 22 Virginia (2-1) heading into the final match of the day. The highly anticipated dual between bitter ACC rivals did not disappoint, coming down to the heavyweight match between Virginia freshman Ethan Hayes and Virginia Tech junior Chris Penny.

After falling behind 5-4 in the third period, Hayes broke free from Penny's grasp to tie the match with seven seconds remaining. The crowd roared as time expired, and the match entered a sudden-death overtime. Penny took down Hayes midway through the one-minute period, cementing the Hokies' 18-13 win.

"We came here to win and we had them right where we wanted them," Virginia coach Steve Garland said. "We were right in there until the last match."

The Cavaliers won four of 10 weight classes and virtually every match was close, as nine bouts came down to decisions. Redshirt sophomore Jon Fausey scored the lone major decision against Virginia Tech junior John Dickson. Fausey dominated from the first whistle, eventually winning 11-3.

"[Fausey] wrestled as well as you'll ever see a guy wrestle," Garland said. "[Dickson] is tough and [Fausey] major decisioned him, which in our world is an impressive win."

Redshirt junior Matt Snyder kicked off the day with a thrilling 9-8 win in the first overtime tiebreaking period. After a scoreless sudden death period, Snyder managed to escape three times and forfeit only one takedown. The 125-pounder's close victory foreshadowed how the rest of the dual would play out.

"It was an amazing match, every single bout was so close," Garland said. "I told my guys, 'I'm so proud of you guys, I'm proud of this program and I'm so blessed to be a part of this, but I don't want you guys to ever think it's OK to lose either.'"

Redshirt senior Shawn Harris also eked out a tight 5-3 victory, while redshirt senior Nick Nelson handily won a 10-5 decision.

Yesterday's dual at John Paul Jones Arena in front of a crowd of more than 1,600 fans provided a stark contrast to a typical Virginia wrestling match at Memorial Gymnasium. The atmosphere was electric throughout the hotly contested match.

"It's exciting for the sport to see a great, action-packed match," Fausey said. "We set this event up because it's a challenge. Virginia Tech is a very good team and it's pretty exciting when it's not just a match, but it's a high-intensity rivalry ... Win or loss, that's something that's going to live with me forever because of the fans, the crowd and the support. There's nothing like it."

The Cavaliers will travel to State College, Pa. next weekend to compete in the Penn State Open. Virginia will rest a majority of its more experienced wrestlers, Garland said. The full squad will return to action Dec. 18 for a dual at Drexel.

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