Bryce Carr has his match-day schedule down pat.
After two classes today, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's nationally ranked wrestler plans to take a nap and get in a workout before tonight's match against eighth-ranked Virginia Tech.
It will be a "White Out" at Maclellan Gymnasium at 7.
The Mocs will be considered underdogs, but that's a role that they have embraced.
"I just have to go in with my game plan and try to execute it and try to attack," Carr said. "We know that we have no pressure on us. We're the underdogs, so let's go take it to them."
Tonight's match will be one of a number of big dual-meet tests for the Mocs this season, but the only one they'll have at home. The Hokies are coming off consecutive top-10 finishes in the NCAA tournament.
"When you're prepared, you look forward to the test," UTC coach Heath Eslinger said. "I think we're prepared, and in the areas we're not, we'll know on Friday night and we'll get back to work. There's a lot for us to gain, not a lot to lose, so we're trying to take the mentality to put the pressure on them and see if they can crack."
Eslinger said the Mocs feel confident because a lot of them "believe they're as good" as some of the Hokies' best.
"In those matches, those guys are just excited. They just want to test themselves," Eslinger said. "The difference between good and great is, 'Do I like to test myself?' A lot of people think it has to do with winning ... you don't like to lose ... whatever. No, it has to do with, do I enjoy taking the test? And Friday's the test, so I think our guys that are matched up with them are super excited about it.
"It's nice that it's at our home. Our job here is to bring events, wrestling, to this area that's very wrestling-rich."
The Mocs have one wrestler nationally ranked. The Hokies have five, including seventh-ranked Zack Zavatsky, who will wrestle No. 20 Carr at 184 pounds. Chad Pyke, who wrestles at 165 for the Mocs, will battle fifth-ranked David McFadden in another premier match.
A win for the Mocs tonight would be their first over a nationally ranked opponent since edging 19th-ranked Virginia 19-18 in February 2016. UTC has only one such win at home during Eslinger's tenure, a 22-15 defeat of 12th-ranked Stanford on Nov. 20, 2011.
The Mocs hope this is the next one.
"We expect a good atmosphere. We hope the fans will bring some intensity, because we know we're going to bring our intensity," Pyke said. "It's a moment in time that'll be here, but then it'll be gone, so we're going to cherish it and make the most of it.
"We're going to fight tooth and nail for every point for seven minutes, for 10 matches."
The Mocs plan to start Alonzo Allen (125), Wade Cummings (133), Michael Pongracz (141), Roman Boylen (149), Dylan Forzani (157), Pyke (165), Justin Lampe (174), Carr (184), Scottie Boykin (197) and Connor Talley (285).
Two recruits added
The program announced two signings for the 2018-19 season, Logan Macri and Jared Ball.
Macri was a state placer in Pennsylvania and projects to wrestle at 125 pounds, while Ball won a Super 32 championship at 195 pounds and has placed twice at the Ohio state tournament. He currently ranks No. 6 in the country at 195 and projects to wrestler collegiately at 184 or 197.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.