Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Perhaps this is the last meet you are tuning into before the game starts, or perhaps you’re like me and couldn’t care less about it (truthfully, I don’t even know who is playing).
Today’s Big Ten matchup should be interesting. Nebraska has had a rougher-than-usual start to its season, and while there are moments where it looks like the squad we’re used to seeing, there are still a lot of errors to work through. We knew this would be a rebuilding year for the Huskers, and hopefully we will see them continue to work through challenges and start to show some of the routines we know they are capable of hitting.
Rutgers has also had a slow start to its season, and struggled with its first two meets. As Rebecca noted, the Scarlet Knights “add one of the country’s biggest and most confusing freshman classes for 2021” (there are TWELVE), so it’s worth keeping an eye on what they do in the lineups. Last week saw the return of Hannah Joyner, who is a critical piece of the lineups on every event.
An interesting note, and something to watch for today: neither Nebraska or Rutgers have broken the 49 barrier on any event this season. Will today be the day?
Ooo… looks like Higgins making her first appearance in the VT lineup this week!
Vault lineup for this afternoon! ✨ pic.twitter.com/TjOCBg50d5
— Nebraska Women's Gym (@HuskersWGym) February 7, 2021
We R ready here in Lincoln, Nebraska ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Lj4G5PHPXG
— Rutgers Gymnastics (@RUGymnastics) February 7, 2021
Will we have commentary today? No one knows. It’ll be a surprise.
Rotation 1: Nebraska vault, Rutgers bars
Piringer (UNL): FTY, some pike down, hop back. 9.750
Drauss (RU): Blind jaeger, good. Pak and switch kip, slight leg sep. Impossible to tell handstands from this camera angle. Pretty much sticks her blind full double back. 9.800
Davis (UNL): FTY, looked tucked, but I assume she was going for a laid out position. 9.750
Zieden-Weber (RU): Good first HS. Tkatchev, looks like she catches her foot but saves it. Bail to handstand, some leg separation. Short final handstand. Blind full double back, tiny step. 9.400
Dujakovich (UNL): FTY, good amplitude, nice flare at the end. Hop back. 9.825
Huang (RU): Bail to handstand, some leg sep. Short HS but big tkatchev. Blind full double back, sticks it. 9.625
Curtis (UNL): FTY, pikes down and lands with chest low. 9.600
Balser (RU): Blind change to jaeger, good. Pak down to the low bar, leg separation there. DLO, tries to hold the stick but takes a step back. 9.675
Lorange (UNL): FTY, flexed feet but good. 9.800
Karolewski (RU): Clear hip to ray, and she’s off. Overshoot, good – legs nice and together. Finishes with a DLO, stuck. 8.875
Higgins (UNL): Layout, little pike down and tiny hop. 9.525
Bars scoring just taking forever today.
Joyner (RU): Great first handstand. Blind change to Tkatchev, good. Bail to handstand a little short. Big FTDT dismount with a hop.
Rutgers exhibition on bars: Daniels. 9.725
AFTER ONE: Nebraska 48.725, Rutgers 48.225
Nebraska had a mostly solid vault rotation; there are some form things to work on to be sure but no big mistakes. I also imagine they want to get a higher difficulty vault in that last spot, but Higgins did score well for the layout. Lots of little handstand and form issues for Rutgers on bars, but that is a season high for them so they are definitely improving.
Rotation 2: Nebraska bars, Rutgers vault
Ferguson (RU): FTY, crooked off the table and a step to the side. 9.675
Lorange (UNL): Maloney to pak had some leg separation. Blind full a little slow, double tuck dismount with a tiny hop. 9.675
Balser (RU): FTY, bent knees. hop on the landing
I see bars scoring is still taking a hot second.
Thaler (UNL): Toe on maloney to pak with some leg separation and she tries to come out of it and falls… in a weird way. Finishes with a good handstand late blind full double back hop forward 9.100
Leese (RU): FTY with a giant hop back 9.625
Colombo (UNL): Short first HS, blind change to big jaeger, lovely. Beautiful pak down to the low bar. Short final HS. Blind to front giant to 1/2 + double tuck. 9.725
Newman (RU): FTY, hop back. Good amplitude. 9.725
Roby (UNL): Hecht mount. Blind change to straddle jaeger, good. Pak down to the low bar was pretty. Finishes with a strong final HS, good DLO – sticks it. 9.825
Wow this Nebraska announcer is… into it
Huang (RU): good FTY, lots of amplitude, hop back. 9.800
I think thats Colombo having a solo dance party and I love it.
Davis (UNL): Good first hs, holds for a while. Maloney up to the high bar, ray was good. Bail to handstand looked sharp, maybe a little short. Short final HS. DLO stuck. 9.875
Joyner (RU): Good FTY, just little hop back. 9.850
Piringer (UNL): Maloney. Bail to HS very short. Has issue back on the high bar and comes off. Finishes with a Blind full double back, hop back. 8.850
Rutgers VT ex from Ross – camera cut back to her just in time to see her more or less land with hands down.
AFTER TWO: Rutgers 96.950, Nebraska 96.925
Rutgers pulls ahead of Nebraska after that rotation, with a season high 48.725 on vault. Nebraska will have to count a fall after both Thaler and Piringer had weird issues.
Rotation 3 Nebraska beam, Rutgers floor
Lorange (UNL): BHS LOSO – big balance check. Hitch kick side aerial, solid. Split 1/2 okay, looked a little shy 180. RO 1.5 with a hop. 9.800
Balser (RU): Double tuck to start, bounces back and almost goes OOB. Leaps looked pretty good. Sits her second pass, just not enough power. Finishes with a front 3/2 and has no control on her landing. 8.500
Curtis (UNL): Wolf jump front tuck and she comes off. BHS LOSO, slight balance check. Switch to split jump was good. Finishes with a RO 1.5, hop back. 8.925
Zanella (RU): Nice double back to start, controlled lunge. Whip to double full, solid landing with some loose legs in the air. finishes with a front lay front full, little uncontrolled lunge out of it. 9.550
Davis (UNL): Switch + straddle 1/4, knees in both, short on straddle. Bhs loso, some loose knees but solid. Side aerial to two feet looked a little pikey. Finishes wit ha side aerial to a full, stuck. 9.800
Wood (RU): Front 1.5 to back LOSO, lovely. I think second pass was supposed to be a front double full, but she underrotates and sits it down. 9.125
Higgins (UNL): Candle mount, holds it for a nice amount of time. Beat jump sheep jump combo, didn’t quite get the head back as far as I’d like to see. BHS LOSO LOSO, solid. Straddle looked good. Gainer pike dismount, tries to hold the stick but has to take it back a step. 9.825
This floor scoring though.
Newman (RU): Opens with a great double pike, good control on the landing. Same for the double back second pass. Good height. Leaps looked good, but a little bouncy on the landings. Finishes with a back full front lay, good. Solid routine. 9.625
Thaler (UNL): Front aerial to BHS LOSO, kept it moving. Switch to beat jump, good. Front toss, solid. RO 1.5, stuck. Nice routine. 9.900
FOR REAL THIS FLOOR SCORING IS TAKING FOREVER.
Joyner (RU): Big double pike, too much power and steps OOB. Front full front lay second pass was good and controlled. Beautiful leaps, great landings. Finishes with 1.5 + front pike, good. 9.625
Roby (UNL): Pretty mount. I love that her beam music is from high school musical. Front aerial, solid. BHS LOSO, good. Beautiful Y scale. Split jump double stag, nice. Side aerial to a full and sticks it. That was a nice routine. 9.950
Huang (RU): Starts with a front double full, lovely. Rudi to LOSO was gorgeous. Front 1.5, great control on the landing. Best routine of the rotation by far. 9.825
AFTER THREE: Nebraska 146.200, Rutgers 144.700
Nebraska bounced back nicely from Curtis’ fall, officially cracking 49 for the first time this season. Especially lovely routines from Thaler and Roby. Floor didn’t go quite so well for Rutgers, with two falls and some OOB issues.
Rotation 4: Nebraska floor, Rutgers beam
Ferguson (RU): BHS LOSO, balance check but covers. Little short on her leap series. One armed BHS to 1.5 dismount, some knees but good. 9.775
Curtis (UNL): Double pike, controlled landing but large lunge back. Front full front lay, good. Finishes with a huge double back. 9.800
Newman (RU): Pretty full turn, unique presentation. Front toss to beat jump, controlled. BHS to two feet to LOSO, little pikey but good – thats a fun combo. Gainer full dismount solid. 9.725
Dujakovich (UNL): Double pike to start, lost control a little bit on the landing and takes a step to the side. Leap series landings looked good, maybe a little short. Front 1.5, good. Lands a little short and scoots back on her final pass. 9.650
Doherty-Herwitz (RU): Front aerial to side aerial, lovely. Not an easy combo. beat jump to split 3/4, looked short. Split jump good. Gainer full dismount, stuck. 9.875
Lorange (UNL): Opens with a double pike, lands short and bounces back out of bounds. Front lay to front full, looked good. Switch ring was pretty. Land super low on her final pass, basically does a full squat. 9.275
Zanella (RU): BHS LOSO, controlled. Gorgeous penche. Beat jump side aerial to full, tiny hop. 9.825
Higgins (UNL): Fun choreo to open here, this music suits her. FHS 2/1 to open, lovely. Leaps looked good. FHS 1.5 second pass, very controlled. I adore that little bit of choreo there. Finishes with a RO 3/2 to front lay and sits it down. 9.025
Joyner (RU): BHS LOSO, little balance check. Switch to switch side, good. Side aerial to a full, stuck. 9.900
Piringer (UNL): Opens with a double back, little bouncy on the landing. Second pass RO 1.5 front lay, good. Nice leap series. Finishes with a double pike, stuck cold. 9.800
Huang (RU): Cat leap side aerial front aerial, lovely. GORGEOUS Y hold. Nailed her double full dismount, stuck cold. After Joyner that should be a good score. 9.900
Roby (UNL): Opens with a nice full-in. Second pass punch front through to a back layout, I assume she was going for a double back there. Leap series looked good.
FINAL: Rutgers 194.025, Nebraska 193.750
This is the first time Rutgers has ever beat Nebraska in program history!
Event Winners
All around: Huang 39.150
Vault: Joyner 9.850
Bars: Davis 9.875
Beam: Roby 9.950
Floor: Huang 9.825
Live blog by Kalley Leer
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