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Feb. 7, 2015

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 12 Virginia wrestling team was knocked off by North Carolina, 17-16, Saturday evening at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C. It marked the second straight ACC road defeat for the Cavaliers (10-5, 2-2 ACC), while UNC (9-4, 1-2) scored its first ACC dual win this season while snapping a five-match losing streak against UVa.

Both teams won five matches, with three coming down to overtime. Each of the final six bouts was decided by three points or fewer. The dual came down to the final match, where UNC’s Frank Abbondanza topped the Cavaliers’ Patrick Gillen (R-Jr., Shelton, Conn.), 5-2, at heavyweight.

Nick Herrmann (Jr., Amarillo, Texas), George DiCamillo (R-So., Highland Heights, Ohio), Blaise Butler (R-Jr., Belvidere, Ill.), Tyler Askey (R-Fr., Newnan, Ga.) and Zach Nye (R-Jr., Enola, Pa.) each won for the Cavaliers. Second-ranked Nick Sulzer (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) was shocked at 165 pounds, dropping a 6-4 decision in sudden-victory time to No. 13 Ethan Ramos, just the second defeat of the year for Sulzer.

Virginia got off to a great start with wins in each of the first two weights. Herrmann rolled to a 13-3 major decision over Cody Karns at 125 before DiCamillo (23-6), ranked No. 13 nationally at 133, scored a 10-3 win over Troy Heilmann to give UVa a 7-0 lead.

UNC then rattled off four straight wins, including two resulting in bonus points, to sprint out to a 14-7 lead. No. 12 Joey Ward dominated in a 15-0 technical fall over Justin Van Hoose (R-Kirksville, Mo.) at 141, and Joey Moon followed with an 8-2 victory over Chris Yankowich (Jr., Norristown, Pa.), giving the Tar Heels an 8-7 lead.

UNC’s Chris Mears held off Andrew Atkinson (R-Fr., Lynchburg, Va.), 9-7, at 157 pounds before the stunner of the dual at 165. Sulzer (22-2) held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but Ramos took the down position and escaped before taking Sulzer down to grab a 4-3 lead. Sulzer escaped with 20 seconds left to force overtime, but Ramos scored the takedown in the sudden-victory period to earn the win and hand Sulzer his first loss to an ACC opponent since 2013.

In the other matchup of ranked wrestlers, Butler (16-2) scored an overtime takedown to fend off No. 18 John Michael Staudenmayer, 3-1, at 174 pounds. That started a string of three straight Virginia wins to give the Cavaliers a short-lived 16-14 team lead.

Askey picked up a 4-2 win over Scott Marmoll at 184 pounds, and Nye (15-5) finished off a takedown in overtime to defeat Chip Ness, 5-3. The match finished at heavyweight. After a scoreless first period, Abbondanza scored a pair of second-period takedowns as he went on to win, 5-2, to clinch the dual for the Tar Heels.

Virginia competes in the NWCA National Duals next Sunday (Feb. 15) and faces a stiff road challenge as it travels to top-ranked Iowa for a 2 p.m. dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

North Carolina 17, No. 12 Virginia 16
125: Nick Herrmann (UVa) major dec. Cody Karns (UNC), 13-3; UVa 4-0
133: No. 13 George DiCamillo (UVa) dec. Troy Heilmann (UNC), 10-3; UVa 7-0
141: No. 12 Joey Ward (UNC) tech fall Justin Van Hoose (UVa), 15-0 (5:34); UVa 7-5
149: Joey Moon (UNC) dec. Chris Yankowich (UVa), 8-2; UNC 8-7
157: Chris Mears (UNC) dec. Andrew Atkinson (UVa), 9-7; UNC 11-7
165: No. 13 Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. No. 2 Nick Sulzer (UVa), 6-4 (SV); UNC 14-7
174: No. 7 Blaise Butler (UVa) dec. No. 18 John Michael Staudenmayer (UNC), 3-1 (SV); UNC 14-10
184: Tyler Askey (UVa) dec. Scott Marmoll (UNC), 4-2; UNC 14-13
197: No. 19 Zach Nye (UVa) dec. Chip Ness (UNC), 5-3 (SV); UVa 16-14
285: Frank Abbondanza (UNC) dec. Patrick Gillen (UVa), 5-2; UNC 17-16

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