LIVE BLOG: No. 38 Southern Utah at No. 10 Boise State

The ranking gap in this meet vastly overstates the true difference between these two teams. Last week when the pair met in Cedar City, the Thunderbirds were in position for an upset before a bizarre floor meltdown allowed the Broncos to escape. Consistency is firmly on Boise State’s side—SUU is still adjusting to an influx of young talent and wasn’t a paragon of reliability to begin with—and the Broncos can also rely on friendly scores at home. Regardless, this could be a close one. We’ll be watching for SUU lineups, which have about a billion possibilities, and to what degree Boise State all arounder Shani Remme dominates.


Goooood evening! At 6:10pm the stream just came up. Off to a flying start.

Commentators are sharing with us that the arena has been rearranged. Apparently the vault has been moved onto the basketball floor which makes the landings marginally softer.

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It’s been a few weeks since I’ve gotten to watch SUU and I think the lineups have been shuffled quite a bit, so I’m excited to see what happens.

ROTATION 1: BOISE STATE VAULT, SOUTHERN UTAH BARS

MASIADO – BSU: Yurchenko full with a hop straight back that is definitely not stuck sorry.

NIPP – SUU: Blind to Jaeger, casts over and arches but gets it back quickly, bail with a bit of leg split to toe shoot. Her double lay is really nice with just a step. Unfortunately we’re looking at the bars head on which isn’t the easiest way to understand what’s happening.

BRUDEN – BSU: “Every event she’s on she’s in that lineup” apparently and this is a big indicator of her importance to the team. I don’t understand.

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Yurchenko full with a hop straight  straight back again, twisting on a touch but nice technically.

MCCLAIN – SUU: Gienger with a bit of leg split on catch, really nice bail. Double lay with a leg split and a midsize step forward just because she’s got a bit too much bounce there.

SMITH – BSU: Yurchenko… tucked arabian? She hit the table really late and flat, may have slipped a bit, didn’t get her block, falls foward onto her hands. Unfortunate, she doesn’t look hurt though which is great.

Male commentator keeps referring to people as true freshmen. Not super relevant in this sport buddy.

MURAKAMI – SUU: I love this one. Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, huge, still twisting a bit as she catches the overshoot but she’s fine, half in half out dismount with slightly messy legs. Arm swing to hold her landing and hop to salute, but that was fabulous.

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REMME – BSU: Really nice clean full, two quick steps back that will probably be counted as a hop. Not absolutely huge but it’s still very serviceable.

JORGENSEN – SUU: Blind to half to Gienger to overshoot. Another blind to half to double back with a step back. She missed both of her cast handstands quite seriously there.

MCGREGOR – BSU: One and a half, soft through the legs with a big hop forward.

ROSZA – SUU: Blind to Jaeger, big, not incredibly wide straddle but lots of height. I blinked during her

MEANS – BSU: One and a half STUCK. Up on her toes and a touch off to one side, but hangs onto it.

TERVORT – SUU: CH to Gienger to overshoot is HUGE. Double lay with a step forward.

YES. I’ve been waiting so long (three weeks) for her to get a shot at this lineup and she nailed it. Fingers crossed she stays in now.

Amado in the exhibition for Boise State.  Twisting onto the table and leg form on her full but sticks it.

BOISE STATE 49.075 – SOUTHERN UTAH 48.825

SUU got gently robbed on bars there, it was a great rotation that I could see. Absolutely THRILLED to see Tervort in the lineup though. Boise was really solid through rotation 1, if not sparkling just yet. It’s still early and Means was FABULOUS.

ROTATION 2: SUU VAULT, BSU BARS

MCCLAIN – SUU: Full isn’t the biggest I’ve seen but it’s really tidy in the air with just a little shuffle back. Some vaults just feel decisive and that one does.

BRUDEN – BSU: Short on her first cast handstand, nice Jaeger, okay bail, double lay very whippy with a hop back.

ALFARO – SUU: Twisting onto the table with a touch of leg form but gorgeous in the air with another small hop back.

BOUZA – BSU: Clear hip to Tkachev I think? Double lay is really nice with a hop.

KHO – SUU: A little pike down on her full, pretty solid in the air, same hop back. These vaults aren’t amazing but they’re good enough.

STOKES – BSU: Apparently she’s called Dillo because she is slow like an armadillo and from Texas. Uhhhh. True Shap!!! I’m too excited to remember what happened in the middle. Double lay is gorgeous with a tiny hop in place.

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JOZWIAKOWSKI – SUU: Tsuk tuck full with a hop back. That vault is just SO clean. One of my favorites even though it’s only a 9.9 start.

MCGREGOR – BSU: Maloney to bail, really nice, bit shy on a cast handstand there, full in dismount is beautiful in the air with a little hop.

SMITH – SUU: Yurchenko full on tuck off! Love the creativity there, really happy this is cracking lineup. It’s a little low but landed really well with a tiny hop.

REMME – BSU: Missing handstands which isn’t her style. Nice pike Jaeger, ooh that handstand was a full 45 short, double lay nice with a baby hop back.

TERVORT – SUU: Biggest Yurchenko full of the day, a touch of leg split on the table, pace back. Really nice vault.

MUHLENHAUPT – BSU: I just love her name guys. Perfect first handstand, blind to Jaeger to overshoot is exquisite. Shy on a handstand, no power giants into a double lay is interesting. Maybe she could have used them. Had to rotate it really fast and landed it quite deep.

I think SUU’s exhibition was Bouza with a huge Tkachev and a stuck dismount.

I’ll be back with the scores once the livescore decides to wake up.

BOISE STATE 98.325 – SOUTHERN UTAH 97.850

This meet is so clean so far!! Love it. 23/24 at the midpoint and at least a handful of career highs.

ROTATION 3: BOISE STATE BEAM, SOUTHERN UTAH FLOOR

BOUZA – BSU: Flic loso, little check. Split to split quarter, full turn is really nice. Hitch kick front aerial, gainer pike with a hop

Apparently Neil Resnick doesn’t watch beam routines! I know that SUU head coach Scotty Bauman doesn’t either.

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We missed Karen Gonzalez on floor for SUU. If all the routines run concurrently I won’t be thrilled.

MCGREGOR – BSU: Punch front with a hop. Okay leap series, switch half is nowhere close, flic back pike that maybe was supposed to be a layout but it wasn’t. Side aerial back full with a hop.

JOZWIAKOWSKI – SUU: We’ll at least see a pass or two for each. Front double full to open punch front is GORGEOUS and kind of stuck. Solid landing on her two and a half to close.

BOUZA – BSU: Two back handsprings to that same whip-pike thing. Not so much with the form on that series. Switch split is okay, nice full turn, I think that was a front aerial? with a check, one and a half twist with a hop forward.

MCCLAIN – SUU: Joining halfway. Switch half to Popa really nice, commentator thinks she might be short on her leaps but I think she’s fine, double back with a great landing. On replay her double pike was a little underrotated with a step forward.

ESMERIAN – BSU: OOOOH really interesting beam mount. BHS to one hand BHS to LOSO is great! Attitude turn is nowhere near attitude, little wobble, wolf to split 3/4 short of split and a big lean back check, one and a half twist stuck. Go get that horseshoe, girl.

KHO – SUU: NAILED her full in.

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Switch side Popa really nice, front lay front full with a bigger step, double pike to close with a baby lunge.

SUU is picking up some serious momentum here, floor is a strength for the Tbirds this year.

MEANS – BSU: A leap series that involved straddles and turning around. Full turn, kickover front to beat is really nice, BHS gainer full stuck with a fairly wide foot spread on the landing.

MA. MCBRIDE – SUU: Gorgeous double pike, I forgot her leap series as soon as she finished it but it was really nice.

REMME – BSU: Switch switch half, solid and a bit short on splits, front aerial. One and a half stuck, GREAT.

BRALEY – SUU: Really nice double pike. Braley seems like she’s often the backup this year, so I don’t know if there was a planned substitution here or if she is who they wanted to try out. Switch side wolf full I want to say? Front lay front half, weirdly the front handspring looked off but everything else was fine, switch side to Popa, great Rudi.

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BOISE STATE 147.250 – SOUTHERN UTAH 147.000

Boise State has not really looked like a team that’s about to go mid-196, but we did know going in that the homescoring can be pretty serious up here. Southern Utah has been great so far, nailing it in big moments but acting steady enough that you start to believe it can do this every week, but beam is often the nightmare so don’t get too excited just  yet.

Commentators said that because Shani Remme is so focused in practice and always doing the right thing “her coaches say they barely notice her.” The SADDEST POSSIBLE WAY you could describe that.

ROTATION 4: SOUTHERN UTAH BEAM, BOISE STATE FLOOR

MCGREGOR – BSU: Nice double pike to open. Switch ring switch half sissone is high quality, one and a half punch layout is nice and easy. Rudi to close.

We missed Alyssa LaDieu on beam for SUU and then we also missed everything from McClain except her leap series.

BRUDEN – BSU: Double pike to open, nice, switch something thru switch ring and ooooh that front leg never gets up. One and a half front lay, landing a little awkward, fun bit of ground choreography, double back to open.

I still crack up every time someone calls the arena by name.

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BAYER – SUU: Round off LOSO and falls. That’s about par for the course. Beat jump, punch front, cat leap switch side. Ugh, commentators talking about how SUU would be so much better off if they had someone like Shani Remme.

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ESMERIAN – BSU: I missed her first pass because I was looking for gifs. I’m sure she’d understand. One and a half front lay is really pretty, AND THE STREAM WENT DOWN. Sigh.

Well friends the stream went down and so did the livescore so this has been a bummer.

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I’ll stick final scores in here when I have them but currently even that isn’t happening.

Yay season highs for everyone! Incredibly impressed by SUU today. Might have had to count some iffy beam scores but it was unreal on floor and avoided meltdowns anywhere. Boise was also great, just not necessarily 196.6 great.


Live blog by Rebecca Scally

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