Happy Saturday and happy UCLA senior day!
Iowa State hasn’t been at its best this season. The Cyclones are coming off their second-lowest score of the season at the Cy-Hawk meet last weekend and will want to put that performance behind them; they can go as high as No. 40 if the cards fall right. Maddie Diab’s floor highlights the Cyclones’ routines, though Laura Cooke also has a nice bar routine.
UCLA notched a season high at home last weekend and is currently on a streak of four meets at or above 197.800. 197.450 is the score to beat today; anything above that will see the Bruins raise their NQS. The No. 1 floor team in the country always puts on a show, with Jordan Chiles and Chae Campbell leading the way. Freshman Selena Harris is also living up to her potential and has competed the all around in all but one meet, never scoring below a 39.500. Chiles recently announced her plans to defer UCLA to train for Paris 2024, so this will be her last routine in Pauley Pavilion until after that.
UCLA lineups:
Iowa State lineups:
Rotation 1: UCLA VT, ISU UB
Frazier (UCLA): yfull, clean in the air but a low landing while fighting for the stick, ends up taking a small hop forward. 9.75
Langkamp (ISU): piked jaeger, hit; bail hs; short final hs; dlo, stuck. Good way for ISU to start. 9.875, career high!
Anyimi (UCLA): yfull, another clean vault with a hop back. 9.775
Thomas (ISU): straddled jaeger, a little loose; pak, some legs; muscles up low bar hs; dlo, leg sep with a step. 9.75
Lee (UCLA): yfull, clean in the air, flares out and just a tiny step. 9.85
Ford (ISU): Maloney to bail, she lost her grip on the Maloney momentarily but you’d hardly know; short final hs; dlo, step. 9.8
Campbell (UCLA): yfull, great dynamics, hop basically in place. 9.9
Basuel (ISU): questionable first hs; straddled jaeger, clean; bail hs, hit; dlo, small hop back. 9.8
Harris (UCLA): y1.5, tiniest bit of knees, stuck. 9.975
Loyim (ISU): piked jaeger, looked close when she released from this angle, but no arm bend or anything, might have just been the angle playing tricks on me; hits bail; muscles up final hs; lands dlo with chest slightly low and a hop forward. 9.8
Chiles (UCLA): stuck dty, some crossy legs. 9.975
Cooke (ISU): short first hs I think but I didn’t fully see it, Maloney to pak, good; finesses final hs; dlo, hop back. 9.8
After 1: UCLA 49.475, ISU 49.075
Both teams got off to solid starts. UCLA’s vaults really seemed to build off of each other, and the back half of that lineup is dynamic. Iowa State hit six for six on bars and closed the lineup with four straight 9.8s. It’s the Cyclones’ second bars lineup over 49 on the season, so they should be happy with this start.
Rotation 2: ISU VT, UCLA UB
Palacios (ISU): yfull, some form preflight and hop. 9.775
Steele (UCLA): Maloney to pak, tiny bit of leg sep; dlo, hop back. 9.875
Horowitz (ISU): yhalf, sits it down. 9.225
Lee (UCLA): pak, some leg sep; van leeuwen, good; short final hs; dlo, slide back. 9.875
Boychuk (ISU): yfull, fine, some piking and a hop. 9.725
Padurariu (UCLA): Maloney to bail, clean; looks like she hit the final hs front this angle; ftdt, stuck with staggered feet chest slightly low. 9.9
Looks like ISU might be going 5 up on vault now, which would mean counting a fall.
Bergstrom (ISU): yfull, clean with a small hop. 9.775
Harris (UCLA): great first hs; ray, good; bail hs, nice; hit final hs; blind full dlo, slide back. 9.9
Loyim (ISU): yfull, not the most height but good distance. small hop. 9.75
Frazier (UCLA): short, pikey first hs; Maloney to pak, good; van leeuwen, maybe a little bit of feet…dlo, pretty darn close to stuck but there was definitely movement. 9.9
Matassa (ISU): last minute add; yfull, really short and pikey with a step off the mat and a lowwww landing. Her hand may have touched but I’m not positive. 9.35
Chiles (UCLA): piked tkatchev to pak to maloney to inbar gienger; nice final hs; ftdt, stuck. Great routine overall. 10
After 2: UCLA 99.050, ISU 97.450
That wasn’t Iowa State’s best vault rotation, but kudos to Matassa for stepping up to give them a sixth score. Not totally sure what’s up with Hong, but the late scratch is something to monitor. UCLA’s bars were good overall, with Chiles’ 10 the highlight. After 2, the Bruins are on 198 pace.
Rotation 3: UCLA BB, ISU FX
Lee (UCLA): bhs loso, hit; leaps good; bhs gainer full, I think she stuck it? was troubleshooting weird WP things. Regardless, a good leadoff routine. 9.95
Boychuk (ISU): double pike, overpowered and goes oob; back 1.5 to lay, better; hits her leaps; we have the signature tornado warning music now; double tuck, controlled landing, chest slightly low. 9.575
Alipio (UCLA): front aerial back tuck, secure; split leap switch half beat, hit; side aerial good; gainer tuck full, stuck. 9.9
Bergstrom (ISU): clean double tuck, maybeee a slightly deep landing; front lay rudi, another controlled landing with chest a tad low; hit her leap positions. 9.75
Padurariu (UCLA): side aerial bhs, slides her front foot back a tad; switch leap, good position; beat jump sheep jump, hit; ro 1.5, some leg form but stuck. 9.875
Palacios (ISU): starting with the cyclone siren; switch side half, solid; front punch through to double tuck, hit; switch leap straddle 1/4 half split jump…I think…the rotation was pretty imprecise; good double pike. 9.825
Chiles (UCLA): front aerial bhs loso, secure; switch leap wolf jump, hit; side aerial, solid; double pike, small hop forward, low chest. 9.95
Loyim (ISU): dlo, oob; hi Jim, Iowa State didn’t go to Denver this year, Denver went to Ames, sincerely your Denver native who has been at every home meet; switch side popa wolf jump, a little imprecise rotation but good positions; ro 1.5 to lay hit. 9.625
Harris (UCLA): bhs loso bhs, secure; switch leap split leap, hit; front toss, small check; ro 1.5 stuck. 9.95
Maldonado (ISU): front lay rudi, solid; double pike, large, uncontrolled step back; I missed the first part of her leaps but the landing was a little uncontrolled. 9.725
Malabuyo (UCLA): bhs loso, big wobble, her hand touched I think. Missed part of it because WordPress weirdly logged me out…bhs gainer full, fine landing. 9.675
Diab (ISU): fhs double full punch front, nailed it! good leap positions; front combo pass connected to a stag jump, nice; fhs rudi loso nice. By far the best floor routine for Iowa State. 9.875, feels…a little low.
Andres (UCLA, exh): secure leap combo; front toss bhs swingdown, solid; standing loso, small check; ro double twist, crossy feet, stuck.
After 3: UCLA 148.675, ISU 146.250
That was a good beam rotation for UCLA, even if the judges may have been a little happy. Iowa State had six hit routines, though with two OOBs, one of them had to count. Diab was the clear highlight, while everyone else was fine.
Rotation 4: ISU BB, UCLA FX
UCLA needs a 49.425 on floor to move ahead of Florida and Utah. 49.325 is the number for a 198.
Thomas (ISU): I missed the start; switch straddle 1/4, hit; ro 1.5, stuck. 9.9
Lee (UCLA): double tuck, it was close to oob, but the flag went up, appears as though the judges are trying to decide if the sting mat was lineup up properly; front lay lay full, good; switch ring switch half, nice; double pike, lunges forward instead of back. 9.825
Boychuk (ISU): switch half, low front leg; oh, she wasn’t going to come back for a fifth year but the coaches asked her too; bhs loso, hit; side somi, small check. gainer full, toe raise stick. 9.775
Lashbrooke (UCLA): double tuck, the camera angle changed mid-flip but it looked like a solid landing; back 1.5 to lay, little underrotated but doesn’t move her feet; hit her leaps; double pike, deep landing but controlled. 9.875
Bergstrom (ISU): cat leap front toss bhs, small check; switch leap switch leap good; front tuck full, stuck. 9.875
Malabuyo (UCLA): double tuck, good; back 1.5 to lay, controlled; switch ring switch half, gorgeous positions; double pike, solid. 9.925
Maldonado (ISU): front toss, small check; bhs loso, some knees, secure; switch leap straddle 1/4, secure; beat jump split 3/4, would like more split; gainer full stuck, tiny bit of pike down. 9.9, dang! Wasn’t expecting that.
Harris (UCLA): love Chiles and Frazier hyping her up pre-routine; ftdt, controlled; double tuck, stuck, slightly low chest; gets good extension on her leaps; back 1.5 to Barani to double stag, hit. 9.925 for a career high 39.750 AA score.
Horowitz (ISU): front toss bhs, hit; cat leap switch half beat, secure; gainer full, small hop. 9.85
Frazier (UCLA): whip to bhs to double tuck, bouncy landing; leaps hit; the routine is an ode to her freshman year routine; throws in a side somi for the forward/side tumbling requirement; double pike, better landing. 9.9
Loyim (ISU): bhs loso, small check; front aerial, raises leg slightly to the side; switch side, hit; gainer full, tiny shuffle. 9.775
Chiles (UCLA): opening dlo; front punch through to double tuck, great; hit her leaps; double pike, nice. 9.975
Andres (UCLA, exh): back 2.5 to punch front oob; double tuck, hit; switch side popa, nice; switch leap pretty.
Moors (UCLA, exh): back 2.5 to punch front, little low on the landing; ro loso, floaty; switch leap switch half, nice; a twisting pass to close, I missed part of it but it was slightly underrotated.
FINAL: UCLA 198.275, ISU 195.550
That was a nice rebound performance for Iowa State, though it still wasn’t perfect with the missteps on vault. The Cyclones benefitted from happy beam judges, but it was a solid, hit rotation which they will take on any day. UCLA closed with a bang on floor and will move ahead of Florida and Utah for now, pending the result of those two’s respective meets.
Event Winners:
VT: Selena Harris, Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 9.975
UB: Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 10.000
BB: Emily Lee, Jordan Chiles, Selena Harris (UCLA) 9.950
FX: Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 9.975
AA: Jordan Chiles (UCLA) 39.900
READ THIS NEXT: Jordan Chiles’ Sneaker Obsession Connects Her to Family, Black Culture
Live blog by Tara Graeve
Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year!
Maddy Matassa anchored ISU on vault, not Langkamp!
Thanks for the heads up! 🙂 The broadcast was wrong, so I had to correct it after the fact when the scores came in on the live scores/Iowa State Twitter