Cornell’s No. 2-ranked Simon Ruiz showed why he’s considered one of the best 174-pounders in the country, rallying from a 6-2 hole to defeat NC State’s No. 6 Matty Singleton 8-6 in a top-ten showdown Thursday night in Raleigh.

Singleton came out firing, jumping to a 6-2 lead early and looking like he might hand Ruiz a signature loss heading into the postseason. But Ruiz — a savvy veteran who has been in big matches before — never panicked. He methodically chipped away at the deficit, stringing together points down the stretch to steal a match that looked like it was slipping away.

The bout was part of a wild Cornell-NC State dual that the No. 8 Wolfpack won 19-18. NC State jumped out to a 16-0 lead behind tech falls from Isaac Trumble and Zach Redding, plus an upset of the night from Koy Buesgens, who knocked off Cornell’s No. 2 Jaxon Joy at 149 to hand him his first loss of the season. But Cornell stormed back, winning four of the final five bouts to make it a one-point nail-biter.

Ruiz’s comeback win at 174 was a key piece of that rally. For Singleton, the loss stings — he had the match in hand — but a 6-point effort against the No. 2 wrestler in the country is nothing to hang his head about heading into the ACC Championships on March 8th.

With the NCAAs in Cleveland just weeks away, their series is now tilted 3-1 in Ruiz’s favor. Don’t be surprised if they meet again on the biggest stage.