LOS ANGELES -- Samantha Peszek scored her first career perfect 10 on the uneven bars to lead UCLA to a 196.925-194.950 win against Arizona State on Saturday afternoon in front of a Pauley Pavilion crowd of 6,181.
The Bruins started the meet with a 49.225 on vault thanks to four scores of 9.825 or better. Hallie Mossett earned a career-best 9.825, followed by a 9.85 from Sydney Sawa. Sadiqua Bynum earned a 9.875, and Olivia Courtney closed the rotation with a stuck vault that scored 9.925. Arizona State kept it close with a 49.025 on bars, led by a 9.875 from Carissa Kraus.
Uneven bars got off to a shaky start when leadoff Ellette Craddock fell twice, but the Bruins were not deterred. Sawa stepped up to score 9.775, followed by a 9.85 from Mossett. The Bruins' final three competitors went big, hitting huge career-best routines. Courtney scored the streak with a 9.925. Sophina DeJesus nearly scored a perfect 10, earning a score of 9.975 to set Peszek up perfectly. Despite it being just her fifth routine on any event this season, Peszek nailed her routine, recording UCLA's first 10.0 on bars in four years.
After the Bruins' impressive season-high 49.525 on bars, the team took a 0.75 lead into the third rotation, balance beam. With Danusia Francis sitting out due to illness, the Bruins' beam lineup had a different look, but the team nevertheless earned another season-best with a 49.175. Craddock shook off her bars mistakes to tie her season high of 9.825, sticking her new dismount, an aerial to full-twist. DeJesus was solid as a rock, scoring a season-high 9.85. Freshman Mikaela Gerber showed some nerves in her first competitive routine of the year, falling on her mount, but Mossett helped pick her up by scoring 9.825. Sawa showed tremendous fight in staying on the beam and scored 9.725, and Peszek closed it out with another outstanding routine, tying her career-high with a 9.95. Arizona State made up some ground by scoring a season-best 49.3 on floor, led by a 9.925 from Natasha Sundby.
The Bruins were eyeing a season-high score heading into the final rotation, but it was a struggle to get there, as the team had a few uncharacteristic errors on floor exercise to score 49.0, just out of range of a 197 team score. Mossett led off with a 9.825, and DeJesus followed with a 9.675 due to an error on her leap series that lowered her start value. Bynum had a strong routine going, highlighted by a double layout, but stumbled forward on her final tumbling pass. Angi Cipra overrotated her new full-twisting double back opening tumbling pass and went out of bounds, dropping her score to 9.7. Courtney's wisdom teeth extraction from earlier in the week finally caught up to her during her floor routine, and she stumbled on her opening tumbling pass but fought hard to stay in bounds, scoring 9.775. Sawa finished strong, however, earning a 9.925 to secure the Bruins' season-high total of 196.925.
No. 8 Nebraska 197.225, Penn State 196.150
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Nebraska posted the eighth-highest away meet score in school history in its 197.225-196.150 victory against No. 23 Penn State on Saturday afternoon. The undefeated Huskers improve to 6-0 overall on the season and 3-0 in Big Ten competition.
Jessie DeZiel and Emily Wong went head-to-head in the all-around, coming out with identical season-high scores of 39.575. DeZiel soared to a 9.95 to claim the vault crown, while Wong earned the bar title. Hollie Blanske and Wong both tied for top honors on floor, and Jennifer Lauer’s seamless beam performance earned her a share of the title.
The Huskers kicked off the afternoon on bars, putting-up a 49.075 to begin the meet. Wong led the Big Red sticking a strong 9.90 to tie for top honors. DeZiel (9.85) and Desire' Stephens (9.825) both produced important efforts, while Jennifer Lauer rounded out the Huskers’ lineup with a 9.775.
The Nittany Lions began their afternoon on vault, claiming a 49.150. PSU was led by Emma Sibson’s mark of 9.95 to tie DeZiel for the title. With one rotation in the books, Nebraska closely trailed Penn State 49.150-49.075.
Nebraska bounced back to take the lead in its second rotation on vault, claiming a new season-high 49.400. DeZiel fueled the Huskers tying her career-high 9.95 to earn a share of the event title. Wong added a key 9.90 while Blanske recorded a season-high tie 9.875. Martin also tied her season-high mark of 9.85 and Stephens hit an important 9.825 to finish out the vault lineup.
Penn State earned a 48.925 on bars, led by Kassidy Stauder’s 9.90 score to tie with Wong for the title. After the second rotation the Huskers took the lead 98.475-98.075.
The Huskers showed consistency as they moved onto floor hitting a team mark of 49.350. The duo of Blanske and Wong both tabbed identical scores of 9.90. Wong’s saucy floor performance is still undefeated this season. The trio of DeZiel (9.875), Jamie Schleppenbach (9.85), and Jennifer Lauer (9.825) all snagged season-highs on the event.
The Nittany Lions took to beam for their third rotation notching a team score of 49.025. Kassidy Strauder put up a 9.925 score to tie Jennifer Lauer for the title. With one rotation left Nebraska led Penn State 147.825-147.100.
The Huskers capped their victory on beam posting one of the top-ten beam scores in Husker history with a stellar 49.400. Undefeated on beam, Jennifer Lauer tied her season-high score of 9.925. DeZiel (9.90), and Wong (9.875) also tied their season-high marks, while Blanske recorded her new career-high score of 9.85. Schleppenbach rounded out the Huskers notable beam performance sticking a 9.85.
Penn State took to floor for the final rotation earning a 49.050. The Nittany Lion squad finished with a 196.150 on the evening, but it would not be enough to overcome Nebraska’s 197.225.
No. 10 Auburn 195.950, Air Force 193.025
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Auburn defeated Air Force 195.950-193.025 on Saturday night at Cadet Gymnasium.
The Tigers opened with a 49.075 on uneven bars led by a 9.85 from Megan Walker. The total equaled Auburn's season high in the event. Bri Guy, Kelsey Kopec and Caitlin Atkinson each added identical scores of 9.825.
On vault, Auburn was led by MJ Rott who totaled 9.925. It was her fourth consecutive vault of 9.9 or higher. Guy and Atkinson each added scores of 9.875 and Kait Kluz scored 9.825 as the Tigers finished with a total of 49.275
At the midway point, Auburn led Air Force 98.350-96.325.
On floor, the Tigers got key scores of 9.925 and 9.95 from Atkinson and Guy, respectively, in the final two lineup spots to key a 49.150. Auburn also got a 9.875 from Britany Webster and a 9.775 from Kluz.
Freshmen Kullen Hlawek (9.825) and Lucia Scaglione (9.775) both had solid exhibition routines on floor.
In the final rotation on beam, Auburn was forced to count a fall and totaled 48.450, a season low. The top scores for the rotation came from Walker with a 9.875 and Guy with a 9.85. Additionally, Caryn Kadous added a 9.800.
Guy bested teammate Atkinson in the all-around competition with a season-best 39.500-39.300.
