Last season, the Terrapin wrestling team went into their match against Virginia Tech riding a five-game winning streak and a national ranking, while the Hokies were fighting to stay above .500.

Sunday, these roles will seemingly be reversed when the Terps head to Blacksburg, Va., hoping for the same result as last year: A resounding 33-8 victory.

“It’s great for the sport – when one team dominates all the time, it gets a little old and there’s no drama there,” said Terp head coach Kerry McCoy. “It’s good that it’s someone else up top, so it gives us that ‘Eye of the Tiger’ feeling to go get back what we had.”

The Hokies broke into the top 25, sitting at No. 13, for the first time all season after their 19-12 victory over then-No. 6 Central Michigan on Jan. 25. They already have a school-record 17 wins and are still undefeated in the ACC at 2-0.

The Terps, on the other hand, just reached .500 for the first time since November. They are riding a three-game winning streak and looking to continue their season turnaround.

“They have had a good schedule so far, and they present a lot of tough matchups,” Terp wrestler Hudson Taylor said. “No one is really outstanding, but they all are very confident.”

Both the Terps and the Hokies will be sending three top 20 wrestlers to the mat. And if the Terps can find a way to win, they will be back at the top of the ACC standings, along with North Carolina.

No. 11 Alex Krom will be involved in the highest-profile match of the day when he takes on No. 19 Chris Diaz. Diaz was one of only two wrestlers who gained victories against the Terps last season.

Another good match should be when the Terps’ Brendan Byrne takes on No. 14 Jarrod Garnett. Garnett leads the Hokies with 32 wins so far this season and is also their highest-ranked wrestler, while Byrne has won five straight matchups and is undefeated in ACC play.

If the Terps are going to win, they will need to get production from the middle of their weight classes, as they did against Navy. Between the 157- and 174-pound weight classes, Virginia Tech will send no wrestler under 19 wins this season, while the Terps will be sending no wrestler with more than 17 wins.

“This is an important ACC match, with title implications on the line,” McCoy said. “With a bunch of potential No. 1 seeds … at stake, it will be great.”

The Hokies will be hoping to break their attendance record of 1,638, starting the game at 5 p.m. to accommodate for a men’s basketball game that afternoon. They will also be giving away free prizes to get more support for their nationally ranked program.

“I think [the crowd] affects everyone differently,” Taylor said. “For myself, I love the feeling, and I thrive in those opportunities. It makes you work and push that much harder and want it badly.”

n TERP NOTE: The team will be sending some of its wrestlers to the Edinboro Open in Pennsylvania on Saturday. It’s not likely any regular starters will participate in the meet, which gives redshirts a chance to wrestle.

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