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The Daily Tar Heel

North Carolina wrestling tops Pittsburgh to remain undefeated in ACC play

Ethan Ramos wrestling

UNC's Ethan Ramos celebrates after winning in the 174-pound bout during the team's match against Pittsburgh on Jan. 26 in Carmichael Arena.

The No. 25 North Carolina wrestling team entered Friday’s meeting expecting a tough match against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Tar Heels, however, dominated Pitt en route to a 26-10 victory.

The Tar Heels (8-8, 2-0 ACC) fell behind early, 7-0, as Pitt’s (2-8, 0-2 ACC) L.J. Bentley defeated North Carolina junior James Syzmanski in the 125-pound class, and No. 11 Dom Forys beat UNC first-year Zach Sherman, 9-1, in the 133-pound class. 

Despite this early deficit, the Tar Heels won seven of the next eight matches in order to capture a dominating win in Carmichael Arena.

“It was supposed to be closer than that,” head coach Coleman Scott said. “I saw a lot of tough stuff. You know, some tough moments in matches.”

North Carolina’s ability to win the close matches proved to be the difference on Friday. Multiple contests were decided in either overtime or the closing minutes.

“Three overtime matches, we won all three of them," Scott said. "Usually, it’s not 3-0. We got tough, and it’s not just the takedown. It’s everything we did before that.”

One of the most significant matches of the night came in the 184-pound bout. UNC redshirt junior Chip Ness squared off against Pitt’s Gregg Harvey. Ness, who is ranked No. 17 in the country for his weight class, entered the night with an eight-match win streak and was looking to help secure another victory for the Tar Heels. 

The match was close through the first two periods, but Ness was able to pull away in the third period for an 8-5 victory. The victory extended his win streak to nine matches, and it furthered North Carolina’s edge to 19-10.

“It really feels like I’m starting to get everything clean with my technique, and I’m not making any little mistakes," Ness said. "I’m really just starting to pick up things.”

Ness may be performing at a high level right now, but he is not letting his streak become a distraction. 

“My goals are still the same," Ness said. "I still want to be national champion. The streak is not really going to deter me from doing anything. I’m not going (to be) that upset if I lose a match. It’s about peaking at the right time and doing well in the NCAA Tournament.”

Behind the performance of Ness and his teammates, the Tar Heels were able to stay undefeated in conference play. UNC is beginning to trend in the right direction now that it's winning its close matches, something that the team struggled with earlier in the season.

“There were really six key matches where I knew they were close in rankings, and we won the majority of those,” Scott said. “That’s great to see of the guys, just stepping up, facing the challenge.”

The Tar Heels will now turn their focus to ACC opponent Virginia Tech, which they will wrestle against on Feb. 3 in Blacksburg, Va. The No. 10 Hokies are undefeated in conference play.

“We got Virginia Tech next weekend which is a tough task, but I love it and I can’t wait for it,” Scott said. “I think it's good to build on what they’ve done the last two matches, getting better. I’m really looking forward to what’s next for us.”

@ballermike28

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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