MILLERSVILLE,
Pa. – After splitting last week’s two
matches, the VMI wrestling team will have just one to focus on this week as the
squad heads to Millersville University for a Thursday night tussle.
The
match is set to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Pucillo Gymnasium, home to
the Marauders, who have been idle since the “Shorty” Hitchcock Memorial Classic
on Jan. 15.
Those
unable to follow the match can follow the action through a live scorebook feed,
as well as a pay-per-view live video stream. Links to both the scorebook and
live video can be found on the wrestling schedule page on VMIKeydets.com.
VMI (4-7, 2-2 SoCon) will take a break from conference
match ups, going 1-1 last week in Southern Conference action. The Keydets
knocked off Gardner-Webb 22-15, but fell to The Citadel on Sunday, 36-6.
This will be just the second time the Keydets and Marauders have squared
off, with VMI claiming a 34-14 in Lexington during the 2009-10 season. That
victory extended VMI’s win streak to three and was the second match that day.
The Keydets have come on strong as of late, winning three of their last
five matches, most notably a pair of Southern Conference wins over Davidson and
Gardner-Webb, both coming at home in The Thunderdome where VMI has a 3-1 record
this season.
Set the pace for the Keydets in the win column is senior Matthew Brock, who
is currently 24-8 on the year and is working a nine-match winning streak. He bumped his win total to 24
this past weekend after knocking off The Citadel’s Turtogtokh Luvsandorj, ranked No. 18 in the country at the
time for the 174-pound weight class.
Brock has
wrestled three opponents who are currently in the InterMatWrestle.com Top 20,
holding a 2-1 record this season. His loss came against current No. 17 Te
Edwards of Old Dominion University in the first event of the season. Since
then, Brock defeated Mike Dessino, now ranked No. 20.
Tied for third on the team in overall wins are freshmen Zeb Stewart and
Carry Joseph, who have 11 wins apiece at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively.
Joseph has rattled off three straight wins by a combined 22-9 point total. Likewise,
Stewart has gotten hot as of late, winning three of his last four bouts,
including two by major decision.
Sophomore Andrew Embree is also in the double-digit wins column and holding
down the No. 2 spot for the Keydets, registering 16 victories. Embree has not
seen action since the Patriot Duals (Jan. 14) but returns to the tentative
lineup for Thursday night.
