After the holiday break and a short road stretch, the MSU wrestling team is set to return to Jenison Field House for the first time since Nov. 12 when it welcomes West Virginia on Friday.
The Spartans (2-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) are taking a one-match break from Big Ten competition before returning to the mats Sunday afternoon for another home dual against Indiana.
MSU got a somewhat limited look at West Virginia on Dec. 18, 2011, when both teams participated in the Reno Tournament of Champions. In the tournament, the Spartans placed in fifth with 66.0 team points, while the Mountaineers finished in seventh with 52.5.
Freshman 141-pounder Brian Gibbs got an even closer look at the team’s upcoming opponents when he wrestled West Virginia’s Nathan Pennesi, losing a 4-2 sudden decision.
“This is a match I’ve been looking forward to ever since Reno,” Gibbs said about the possibility of facing Pennesi again.
Gibbs added that he likely will be mixing up his strategy this time around, and he won’t chase the sophomore Mountaineer around the ring, instead allowing Pennesi to come to him.
One of the biggest hurdles the Spartans might have during the weekend duals will be having to rebound from a devastating 36-6 loss against then-No. 4 Penn State on Sunday.
That match was the second straight conference loss for the Spartans, who still are looking for their first victory in the Big Ten — which could come as soon as Sunday’s dual.
“(Last) Sunday was a tough go for us, but if we respond to that and learn from that, we’ll do well against Indiana,” head coach Tom Minkel said.
The Hoosiers also are looking for their first conference win, which ties them with MSU at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.
One of the key matchups in that dual will be between the 197-pounders. No. 13 senior Tyler Dickenson likely will square off against No. 4 Matt Powless from Indiana, the only matchup between two nationally ranked wrestlers.
Dickenson currently boasts a 7-1 overall record this season while Powless is 21-3, including 8-0 during duals and 2-0 in Big Ten competition.
Although the Spartans lost by a wide margin to the Nittany Lions, they still saw some major improvements that they should be able to take into the weekend matches, No. 18 junior 149-pounder Dan Osterman said.
“We’re going against two solid teams (this weekend), but I feel like they’re both winnable matchups,” Osterman said. “If we wrestle with the same intensity that we did against Penn State, we have a good chance to go out there and win both of these duals.”
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