Sunday, January 13
Raleigh, N.C.
1:00 P.M.
West Virginia University
at
N.C. State
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Travels to No. 9 NC State
January 12, 2019 02:40 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team travels to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sunday, Jan. 13, for a 1 p.m. dual against No. 9 NC State at Neal Reynolds Coliseum.
Sunday's match will be broadcasted live on the ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be provided on TrackWrestling. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (2-8, 2-2 Big 12) and NC State (9-1, 0-0 ACC) will meet for the sixth time on Sunday, with the Wolfpack holding a slim 3-2 lead in the all-time series. NC State picked up a 24-9 win at West Virginia on Jan. 31, 2016, as well as a 30-9 victory on Feb. 5, 2017, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to the recent home-and-away series, the two squads have not met since 1953, which was the last time the Mountaineers defeated the Wolfpack.
"They might be the highest ranked team that we are going to face, so it is a huge, huge mountain for us to climb, but we are looking forward to it," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "We have a great attitude. Our guys are working really hard, and I expect them to do their best."
NC State marks WVU's seventh opponent ranked in the top 25 this season. The Wolfpack also have a trio of probable starters ranked inside this week's top-20 poll by Intermat: No. 4 Justin Oliver (149), No. 4 Hayden Hidlay (157) and No. 19 Malik McDonald (197).
Of note, a trio of Mountaineers look to avenge early season losses on Sunday, as redshirt senior Christian Monserrat (149), redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157) and freshman Josh Ramirez (174) are projected to go head-to-head with some familiar faces for the second time this season. Monserrat suffered an 18-3 technical fall to Oliver at the Journeymen/MyHouse Collegiate Classic on Nov. 11, while Moore dropped a 13-4 major decision to Hidlay at the Hokie Open on Nov. 4. Ramirez also suffered a 6-2 setback to Bullard, who is ranked at No. 19 by The Open Mat, at the Journeymen/MyHouse Collegiate Classic on Nov. 11.
However, the most anticipated match of the weekend will be sophomore Nick Kiussis and NC State's Thomas Bullard at 165 pounds. Kiussis checked into this week's rankings for the first time in his career, ranking at No. 19 by Intermat and No. 20 by The Open Mat. Kiussis is on a five-match win streak and has topped a pair of ranked opponents in the process (No. 18 Cam Coy of Virginia and No. 17 Andrew Fogarty of North Dakota State). Bullard, who has been in-and-out of the rankings all season, is coming off a 4-2 win in sudden victory at Ohio State and sits at 11-4 on the season; 6-3 in duals. Kiussis started last season as a true freshman, going 14-14 on the year. This season, he has a team-leading 14 wins and is 7-3 in duals.
Monserrat also is tied with Kiussis for the team lead, holding an overall record of 14-3 at 149 pounds. He remains undefeated in dual action, leading the squad with 35 match points and 19 takedowns.
"Christian just has great fight," Flynn said. "His effort during matches is something that our whole team needs. He has been pretty focused lately, too. He has a big challenge ahead of him on Sunday. This kid beat him up a little bit earlier in the year.
"Nick also has had some good matches. He's beaten some ranked kids, and he has really taken a step. This is the Nick Kiussis that we thought we had when we got here. He's coming around, and I'm really happy with his development."
Looking ahead, The Mountaineers return to the WVU Coliseum for the first time since Dec. 19, as West Virginia welcomes Oklahoma State on Friday, Jan. 18, for an 8 p.m. dual. Iowa State also comes to Morgantown on Jan. 20 for a 1 p.m. matchup.
Family Day is scheduled for the Oklahoma State match on Friday, Jan. 18. Families can purchase four tickets and receive a $15 concession voucher for $25. Mountaineer Maniac students also in attendance will receive free food and a giveaway item. Additionally, the Mountaineers will sign autographs following the match.
The Mountaineers' annual Cradles for Cancer for breast cancer awareness is set for WVU's contest against Iowa State on Sunday, Jan. 20. WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and will collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the WVU sports official "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine. Autographs also will take place following the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Sunday's match will be broadcasted live on the ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be provided on TrackWrestling. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (2-8, 2-2 Big 12) and NC State (9-1, 0-0 ACC) will meet for the sixth time on Sunday, with the Wolfpack holding a slim 3-2 lead in the all-time series. NC State picked up a 24-9 win at West Virginia on Jan. 31, 2016, as well as a 30-9 victory on Feb. 5, 2017, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to the recent home-and-away series, the two squads have not met since 1953, which was the last time the Mountaineers defeated the Wolfpack.
"They might be the highest ranked team that we are going to face, so it is a huge, huge mountain for us to climb, but we are looking forward to it," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "We have a great attitude. Our guys are working really hard, and I expect them to do their best."
NC State marks WVU's seventh opponent ranked in the top 25 this season. The Wolfpack also have a trio of probable starters ranked inside this week's top-20 poll by Intermat: No. 4 Justin Oliver (149), No. 4 Hayden Hidlay (157) and No. 19 Malik McDonald (197).
Of note, a trio of Mountaineers look to avenge early season losses on Sunday, as redshirt senior Christian Monserrat (149), redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157) and freshman Josh Ramirez (174) are projected to go head-to-head with some familiar faces for the second time this season. Monserrat suffered an 18-3 technical fall to Oliver at the Journeymen/MyHouse Collegiate Classic on Nov. 11, while Moore dropped a 13-4 major decision to Hidlay at the Hokie Open on Nov. 4. Ramirez also suffered a 6-2 setback to Bullard, who is ranked at No. 19 by The Open Mat, at the Journeymen/MyHouse Collegiate Classic on Nov. 11.
However, the most anticipated match of the weekend will be sophomore Nick Kiussis and NC State's Thomas Bullard at 165 pounds. Kiussis checked into this week's rankings for the first time in his career, ranking at No. 19 by Intermat and No. 20 by The Open Mat. Kiussis is on a five-match win streak and has topped a pair of ranked opponents in the process (No. 18 Cam Coy of Virginia and No. 17 Andrew Fogarty of North Dakota State). Bullard, who has been in-and-out of the rankings all season, is coming off a 4-2 win in sudden victory at Ohio State and sits at 11-4 on the season; 6-3 in duals. Kiussis started last season as a true freshman, going 14-14 on the year. This season, he has a team-leading 14 wins and is 7-3 in duals.
Monserrat also is tied with Kiussis for the team lead, holding an overall record of 14-3 at 149 pounds. He remains undefeated in dual action, leading the squad with 35 match points and 19 takedowns.
"Christian just has great fight," Flynn said. "His effort during matches is something that our whole team needs. He has been pretty focused lately, too. He has a big challenge ahead of him on Sunday. This kid beat him up a little bit earlier in the year.
"Nick also has had some good matches. He's beaten some ranked kids, and he has really taken a step. This is the Nick Kiussis that we thought we had when we got here. He's coming around, and I'm really happy with his development."
Looking ahead, The Mountaineers return to the WVU Coliseum for the first time since Dec. 19, as West Virginia welcomes Oklahoma State on Friday, Jan. 18, for an 8 p.m. dual. Iowa State also comes to Morgantown on Jan. 20 for a 1 p.m. matchup.
Family Day is scheduled for the Oklahoma State match on Friday, Jan. 18. Families can purchase four tickets and receive a $15 concession voucher for $25. Mountaineer Maniac students also in attendance will receive free food and a giveaway item. Additionally, the Mountaineers will sign autographs following the match.
The Mountaineers' annual Cradles for Cancer for breast cancer awareness is set for WVU's contest against Iowa State on Sunday, Jan. 20. WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and will collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the WVU sports official "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine. Autographs also will take place following the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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