No. 13 Pitt Heads to No. 12 Virginia Tech Friday for ACC Opener

PITTSBURGH – The 13^th-ranked University of Pittsburgh opens ACC action at No. 12 Virginia Tech Friday, Jan. 25 at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The top-15 dual is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Friday's dual will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app.
Live results for the duals can be found on TrackWrestling or PittsburghPanthers.com.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates at @Pitt_WRES.

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers suffered their first loss of the season Saturday, Jan. 19 to No. 3 Oklahoma State, 36-9, at the Fitzgerald Field House.
Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi picked up his most notable win of his career thus far, as he upset No. 2 Daton Fix at 133 pounds.
Phillippi, who ranks fourth in the nation at 133 pounds, handed No. 2 Daton Fix his first collegiate loss in a 3-1 decision. The Derry, Pa., native improves to 13-1 on the year and Fix moves to 21-1.
After a scoreless opening frame, Phillippi started the second on top. An escape by Fix would give him the 1-0 advantage through two. Phillippi entered the third on bottom and quickly escaped to tie it 1-1. Phillippi then scored a takedown with 30 seconds to go in the third period and held off Fix the remainder of the way, handing him his first loss of the season.
Redshirt sophomore Jake Wentzel recorded Pitt's only other win against the Cowboys at 165 pounds. Wentzel pinned Andrew Shomers in 1:48 for his first fall of the season.

THE SERIES

The Panthers and Hokies clash for the 16th time in program history.
Pitt faces Virginia Tech in its ACC-opener for the third consecutive season.
The Panthers lead the all-time series 11-4.
Virginia Tech has claimed the last four meetings.
Pitt's last win over the Hokies came in 2014 when the Panthers recorded a 19-14 win in Pittsburgh.

SCOUTING THE HOKIES

Virginia Tech enters Friday's dual 5-2 overall and ranks 12th in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.
Virginia Tech is riding a five-match win streak after most recently capturing the Virginia Duals title after defeating Chattanooga, Old Dominion and Virginia.
Six Hokies rank in the top 20 of their respective weight classes this week in the InterMat rankings. The highest checking in at No. 6 - David McFadden at 174 pounds.
Virginia Tech welcomed three transfers to the starting lineup this season, and all three are ranked by InterMat. The transfers include No. 14 Korbin Myers (Edinboro) at 133 pounds, No. 7 Tom Sleigh (Bucknell) at 197 pounds and No. 18 Billy Miller (Edinboro) at 285 pounds.
The Hokies concluded the 2017-18 season 14-3 overall with a 4-1 mark against ACC foes and captured the ACC Championship title.

HEY MICKY!

Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi has made a name for himself in his first collegiate season with the Panthers.
A native of nearby Derry, Pa., Phillippi is 13-1 on the year with a 9-0 dual record and is 6-1 against ranked opponents.
Phillippi is a two-time ACC Wrestler of the Week (12/4/18, 1/22/19).
His lone loss of the year came at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite Dec. 1 when he dropped an 11-3 major decision to then-ranked No. 2 Nick Suriano of Rutgers.
Phillippi has defeated four opponents ranked inside the top 10 by InterMat.
Phillippi has climbed the rankings this season as he entered the year ranked No. 13 by InterMat and now checks in at No. 2.
Following his runner-up finish at the Las Vegas Invite, Phillippi was named ACC Wrestler of the Week for the first time in his career Dec. 4, 2018.

PANTHERS IN THE POLLS

Pitt moved up to No. 13 this week in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll after spending a week at No. 14.
The Panthers check in at No. 13 and 14 for the first time since 2015.
Following its notable win over No. 14 UNI Nov. 17, Pitt jumped into the top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll at No. 24.
The Panthers joined the top 25 for the first time since Dec. 5, 2017. Pitt began the 2017-18 season ranked, where they spent five weeks before dropping out.
Two Panthers are among the nation's best in this last week's NCAA DI Power Rankings for their respective weight classes in No. 4 Micky Phillippi at 133 pounds and No. 10 Demetrius Thomas at heavyweight.
Individually, four Panthers are ranked inside the top 20 individually by InterMat at their respective weight classes:
- Micky Phillippi, 133 / #2
- Taleb Rahmani, 157 / #11
- Nino Bonaccorsi, 184 / #12
- Demetrius Thomas, 285 / #13

LOOKING AHEAD
Pitt returns home Saturday, Feb. 2 to host No. 17 North Carolina at the Fitzgerald Field House at 7 p.m.

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No. 13 Pitt Heads to No. 12 Virginia Tech Friday for ACC Opener

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Demetrius Thomas

Jake Wentzel

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