No. 7 Virginia Tech continued its strong stretch of ACC competition with a 32-7 victory over Virginia on Friday night.
The Hokies (9-2, 4-0 ACC) won eight of 10 bouts against the Cavaliers (9-6, 1-3) and collected five bonus-point victories to pull away early and never look back.
Here’s the bout-by-bout recap of how the match transpired.
125: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (VT) 20, Rocco Hayes (UVa) 5
The Hokies set the tone immediately at 125 pounds, where Ventresca wasted little time against Hayes. He controlled the match from the opening whistle and closed out a 20-5 technical fall at 6:39, giving Virginia Tech an early lead and momentum from the outset.
133: No. 6 Aaron Seidel (VT) 15, Marlon Yarbrough (UVa) 0
That momentum carried into 133 as Seidel delivered another dominant performance. He built an early advantage and secured a 15-0 technical fall at 3:54 over Marlon Yarbrough, giving the Hokies a commanding 10-0 lead.
141: Gable Porter (UVa) 12, Drew Gorman (VT) 3
Virginia picked up its first points at 141, where Porter earned a dominant 12-3 major decision over Gorman, who had to avoid a pin. Porter controlled the pace and limited scoring opportunities, allowing him to dominate the bout.
Virginia cut into the Hokies’ lead, making it a 10-4 score.
149: Wynton Denkins (UVa) 3, No. 6 Collin Gaj (VT) 2
At 149, Virginia added a close decision as Denkins was able to upset Gaj, who appeared to suffer an injury to his right ankle. The bout was low scoring throughout, with Denkins holding off late pressure to secure the narrow win.
The loss further cut into Virginia Tech’s lead, making it 10-7, but was the last bout win for Virginia.
157: No. 16 Ethen Miller (VT) 3, No. 30 Colton Washleski (UVa) 3 (TB2)
Virginia Tech responded at the midpoint of the dual behind Miller at 157.
He battled through regulation and prevailed in the second tiebreaker period with a late reversal and the riding time tiebreaker, earning a 3-3 decision over Washleski and halting any potential Cavaliers momentum.
The win extended the Virginia Tech lead to 13-7.
165: Mac Church (VT) 5, Michael Murphy (UVa) 1
The Hokies began to pull away again at 165, where Church earned a 5-1 decision over Murphy. He controlled the match positionally, capitalizing on scoring chances while limiting Murphy’s offense.
The victory gave Tech a 16-7 lead.
174: No. 31 Sergio Desiante (VT) 15, No. 27 Nick Hamilton (UVa) 4
At 174, Desiante delivered a strong performance as an underdog, securing a 15-4 major decision over Hamilton. He consistently pressured and added key points throughout the bout to extend Virginia Tech’s team lead to 20-7.
184: No. 32 Jaden Bullock (VT) 11, Jack Lesher (UVa) 2
The Hokies continued to stack bonus points at 184, as Bullock cruised to a 11-2 major decision over Lesher. He controlled the match from start to finish and secured the dual for Tech at 24-7.
197: No. 14 Sonny Sasso (VT) 9, Steven Burrell Jr. (UVa) 1
At 197, Sasso added another major decision for the Hokies, defeating Burrell 9-1. He jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, then tacked on a takedown to secure the bonus-point win. Burrell’s lone point came from a locked hands call on Sasso.
The third consecutive major decision put Virginia Tech up 28-7.
285: No. 17 Jimmy Mullen (VT) 14, Brenan Morgan (UVa) 6
The night closed at heavyweight with Mullen delivering a 14-6 major decision over Morgan. Mullen got an early takedown late in the first period and gradually pulled away to give the Hokies their fourth straight major decision.
Mullen capped off the Commonwealth Clash and sealed the final score at 32-7 for Virginia Tech, which has won five duals in a row. It’s back in Cassell Coliseum next Friday vs. No. 14 North Carolina.
Results: No. 7 Virginia Tech 32, Virginia 7
• 125: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (VT) 20, Rocco Hayes (UVa) 5
• 133: No. 6 Aaron Seidel (VT) 15, Marlon Yarbrough (UVa) 0
• 141: Drew Gorman (UVa) 3, Gable Porter (VT) 1
• 149: Wynton Denkins (UVa) 3, No. 6 Collin Gaj (VT) 2
• 157: No. 16 Ethen Miller (VT) 3, No. 30 Colton Washleski (UVa) 3 (TB2)
• 165: Mac Church (VT) 5, Michael Murphy (UVa) 1
• 174: No. 31 Sergio Desiante (VT) 15, No. 27 Nick Hamilton (UVa) 4
• 184: No. 32 Jaden Bullock (VT) 11, Jack Lesher (UVa) 2
• 197: No. 14 Sonny Sasso (VT) 9, Steven Burrell Jr. (UVa) 1
• 285: No. 17 Jimmy Mullen (VT) 14, Brenan Morgan (UVa) 6