A road-heavy schedule once raised questions. Now, with five duals remaining, Virginia wrestling faces a decisive stretch where every matchup carries postseason implications.
Following an extended road trip, the Cavaliers (8-4, 0-1 ACC) finally return to Charlottesville Friday — for the first time since their intrasquad match Oct. 24 — to host their second conference matchup against No. 13 North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A win would even their conference record at 1-1 after a narrow loss to then No. 9 NC State (9-3, 1-0 ACC).
After finishing sixth in the ACC last season, Virginia entered this year with higher preseason expectations than previous years. With a roster featuring five national qualifiers — one more than last year — the Cavaliers were positioned to compete at the top of the conference, a benchmark that frames their narrow losses and close contests this season.
A victory over the Tar Heels would mark Cavaliers’ first win over a ranked team this season, as three of its four losses came against ranked opponents.
Despite prior defeat, however, the Cavaliers have remained highly competitive. Excluding their blowout loss to Michigan, they were outscored by just 14 points total across the other three matches, showing just how tight these duals have been.
That same competitiveness has also carried over into their victories. Four of Virginia’s eight wins have been shutouts — already three more than last season. They have allowed an opponent to score more than 10 points only once — Bucknell was the only team to surpass this mark in a dual Virginia still won.
These numbers underscore just how difficult Virginia can be to beat when the Cavaliers hit their stride.
Still, the team has largely managed the grind without significant setbacks. Occasional glimpses of travel weariness have appeared in a tough loss to Penn and a tight win over Bucknell, but never on a scale that prevented Virginia from performing at a high level.
Redshirt sophomore Gable Porter has been a prime example, recently taking down NC State’s No. 8 wrestler, sixth year Ryan Jack, at 141 lbs for his first top-10 win of the season. With the victory, Porter improved his record to 17-4 and earned ACC recognition, being named ACC Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season.
But the Cavaliers will need to find ways to turn their narrow losses into wins as they enter arguably the most important stretch of the season. Their next five duals will all be conference matches, with three taking place at home.
North Carolina has yet to face an ACC opponent this season, making Virginia its first conference matchup. The Tar Heels enter with a 7-1 record, with their lone loss coming on the road against No. 6 Nebraska. North Carolina concluded the Soldier Salute tournament Jan. 4 as the runner-up.
Virginia's next matchup after North Carolina, scheduled for Jan. 24, will also take place at home against Stanford. The Cardinal’s most recent dual was its ACC opener against Duke Jan. 9, and resulted in a 35-10 victory that improved Stanford’s record to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the ACC. Three of Stanford’s four losses have come against top-five opponents, including a lopsided defeat to No. 1 Penn State. While the Cavaliers hold the stronger record, the Cardinal remains a formidable opponent, having consistently competed closely with highly ranked teams.
The following week, Virginia will travel to Durham, N.C. to face Duke in its fourth conference matchup. Duke enters the dual at 6-7 overall and 0-1 in the ACC following a loss to Stanford. One of the Blue Devils’ more notable losses came against Lehigh — a mutual opponent with Virginia — falling 38-7, while the Cavaliers narrowly lost to the Mountain Hawks 21-17.
Virginia will then return home Feb. 6 for the Commonwealth Clash against Virginia Tech (5-2, 1-0 ACC). The No. 7 Hokies are coming off a narrow 18-15 conference-opening win over the University of Pittsburgh. Virginia Tech also recorded a notable victory at the National Duals Invitational, defeating NC State 25-9 — a team that narrowly defeated the Cavaliers earlier this season.
In the final ACC dual, Virginia will take on Pittsburgh on the road Feb. 20. The Panthers (7-2, 0-1 ACC) pushed Virginia Tech in a closely contested match, suggesting they will also present a high-level challenge for the Cavaliers. Like Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh owns a win over an opponent that defeated Virginia this season, beating Lehigh 21-15 Dec. 5.
These duals will determine the Cavaliers’ position heading into the postseason. If they can harness the lessons from a grueling schedule, a more battle-tested Virginia squad could emerge, making a late push in the final slate of the season.
The first of the Cavaliers’ ACC matchups begins Friday at 7 p.m. when they will host North Carolina at John Paul Jones Arena. The dual will be livestreamed on ACCNX.
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