With all eight SEC teams ranked in the top 20, Friday Night Heights is once gain heating up. While Missouri at Auburn is probably not the marquee matchup of the weekend, both teams have exciting rosters that haven’t reached their full potential yet this season.
Auburn is still on a high from besting Alabama two weeks ago even if it was unable to come up with the same magic last week against LSU. No lineup changes are expected since last week, so look for the continued development of Cassie Stevens in the all around and Aria Brusch on three events.
Missouri is coming off a tightly scored home loss against Florida that was poorly attended due to weather conditions—Auburn Arena will be quite the contrast to that environment, likely with a scoring boost as well. If the (Missouri) Tigers can put together a complete meet, they should easily be able to exceed a total of 196 for the first time this season. The return of senior leader Aspen Tucker to her usual three events would help in that quest, and I’m also hoping to see freshman Kambrie Brandt have a good meet after what seemed like exhaustion set in during her floor routine last week. Fellow freshmen Helen Hu and Sienna Schreiber should also make big contributions to the lineups.
A stream can be found on SECN+; follow along with live scores here.
Mizzou lineups show Tucker is back on her usual three events, but Brandt isn’t going on floor.
Rotation 1: Auburn Vault, Missouri Bars
Glenn VT: Y-full with chest way down on the landing, has to take a step forward. 9.65
Tucker UB: Short on first handstand, blind change to piked Jaeger is nice. Overshoot is well controlled. Last handstand maybe a little short. Full turn to double tuck, stuck. 9.85
Sheppard VT: Y-half, pretty piked in the air. Small hop forward. 9.8
Christensen UB: Blind full to Jaeger is beautiful! Overshoot is good. She actually does a good job on her pirouettes of finishing in a handstand! Full turn to double tuck with a hop. 9.8
Day VT: Y-1.5 with a hop forward, pretty good in the air. Some messy legs on the block, noticeable on replay. 9.825
Schreiber UB: Shaposh to overshoot, nice. Final handstand is short. Double layout with a step forward and landed it a little bit low. 9.775
Stevens VT: Y-1.5, a little off center on the landing and takes a hop forward. Some legs in the air. 9.85
Sheremeta UB: First handstand is short. Blind change to Jaeger, nice. Hip circle to overshoot, maybe a little short of the handstand. Last handstand maybe a little short too but hard to tell from this landing. Her 1.5 twist dismount is better controlled than in past weeks. 9.8
Watson VT: Beautiful Y-1.5! Very small step on the landing. 9.95
Porter UB: Blind change to Jaeger, some flexed feet. Big arch after overshoot but she saves it. Double front with some downboying going on. Announcer says “there was a small hop but we’ll call it a stick.” I don’t think that’s how it works… 9.85
Gobourne VT: Beautiful, high Y-1.5 with a large step forward. 9.85
Hu UB: Church to Pak to Van Leeuwen, gorgeous as usual. Double tuck dismount with a slight step, announcer again says it counts as a stick. Um, no. 9.925
After 1: Auburn 49.275, Missouri 49.225
No major mistakes from either team so far, but definitely some things they’ll want to clean up in future weeks. Auburn can definitely clean up those landings and Missouri will want to focus on those dismounts. Meanwhile, the announcer seems to be channeling Carol…
Rotation 2: Missouri Vault, Auburn Bars
Schreiber VT: Beautiful Y-full and STUCK! Maybe a tiny bit piked down? But great vault for the freshman. 9.9!
Stevens UB: Nice Ray to overshoot. Last handstand is short. DLO is very piked but she sticks it. 9.85
Gottula VT: Huge Y-full, overpowers it a bit and has to take a large step back. Her height and distance are just fantastic. 9.8
Sabados UB: Ray to open is nice though feet are flexed. Arched on the overshoot but hangs on. last handstand is short. DLO with a hop back and feet apart on the landing. 9.8
Tucker VT: Very nice Y-full with a small hop back. 9.825
Brusch UB: Nice Shaposh to overshoot, well controlled. Gorgeous double layout with a hop back. 9.9
Brandt VT: Handspring pike half, very nice in the air, small step on the landing. 9.85
Watson UB: Beautiful Ray. Extremely arched on overshoot but saves it. Short on last handstand. Great FTDT, stuck! Can someone please tell this announcer that a Ray is not a Hindorff? 9.775
Porter VT: Y-1.5, very high on the table and then a little short on the landing and has to take a couple steps back. 9.825
Day UB: Her toe point is great, including on her tkatchev. Short on last handstand, and a little short on her double arabian dismount and has to take a couple small steps. 9.85
McCrary VT: Very nice Y-1.5 in the air, a little short with a step back. 9.9 feels generous
Gobourne UB: Beautiful Tkatchev. Nice Pak. FTDT is landed low with staggered feet but she sticks it. 9.875
After 2: Auburn 98.550, Missouri 98.525
Wow, this meet is close after two rotations! And both teams are on track for 197s, which feels a little high but it’s been a very clean meet so far. Can they keep it up through beam and floor?
Rotation 3: Auburn Beam, Missouri Floor
Slappey BB: BHS LOSO is solid. Her leap positions are definitely short. Side aerial to tucked full dismount, stuck. 9.825
Sheremeta FX: Front double full to open, forward lunge is a bit uncontrolled. Nice leaps. Rudi to LOSO is good. Back 1.5 to front layout but she ends up tucking it, landing short and sitting it down. 9.25
Attendance is 7,005, almost a sellout. Nice!
Brusch BB: Front aerial to beat jump, solid. BHS LOSO is right on. Switch leap to back tuck, chest a bit down but they don’t really take for that in college. BHS 1.5 dismount, slight foot movement after landing and announcer once again calls that a stick. 9.8
Gottula FX: Can we please stop with the “the judges are really just looking to see if the gymnast is having fun” nonsense? Very clean double pike to open. Front half to…back double full? It was partially obscured but looked nice. Double tuck to close. Nice routine. 9.85
Stevens BB: BHS LOSO looked off in the air and she somehow saves it with a couple steps. Her switch ring is not the right shape but this is college so it probably doesn’t matter. She does her Stevens with a bit of a check followed by a wolf turn. RO 1.5 with a hop forward. 9.825
Schreiber FX: Double pike, chest a little down so takes a step forward. Front 1.5 to back tuck (probably intended to be a layout?) is a bit sloppy. 9.85 feels high
Sylvia BB: Front aerial is nice but she pauses before the Rulfova. Sissone to sheep jump is pretty good. Gainer full dismount is stuck. 9.825
McCrary FX: Front layout to Rudi to open is very nice. Double pike with a slightly low landing but sticks it with no lunge. Her second straddle jump is a little short and she has an awkward landing. Back 2.5 to finish with a small hop in place but otherwise great. 9.8
Watson BB: BHS LOSO with some back leg bend. Cat leap to side aerial, solid. Switch leap to straddle quarter with a balance check in between, not sure if she’ll get the connection. RO 1.5 dismount with a small hop. 9.75
Porter FX: Double pike to open, camera was oddly zoomed in so I couldn’t see much of it. Back 1.5 to front layout with a large step forward. Double tuck to finish is great. 9.9
Sheppard BB: BHS LOSO is right on. Hitch kick to side aerial, great. Cat leap to switch leap quarter, one leg was a little short of horizontal. BHS 1.5 dismount with a small hop. 9.825
Tucker FX: FTDT to open is very nice and well controlled. Double twist to LOSO is beautiful. Double pike is an ankle cruncher and she falls forward which is a huge shame because it was a great routine otherwise and now they’ll have to count a fall. 9.15
After 3: Auburn 147.650, Missouri 147.175
Mizzou nearly came back to save the rotation after an opening fall, but a fall from the anchor in her last pass means they’re now counting the first score. Otherwise it was a very solid rotation for the (black and gold) Tigers. Meanwhile, Auburn counts no scores below 9.8 but also doesn’t have any scores above 9.825 on beam, so a solid but not spectacular rotation for them.
Rotation 4: Missouri Beam, Auburn Floor
Schreiber BB: BHS LOSO with a slight check. Nice toepoint on the leaps! Front 1.5 dismount with a step back. Nice routine overall. 9.85
Cheney FX: Whip to double back, lots of cowboying but otherwise nice. Leaps are good. Front layout half to front full (?), a little uncontrolled on the lunge forward. 9.775
Porter BB: Press handstand mount, beautiful. Leaps are solid. Balance check after her full turn. Front aerial to back tuck, some form issues on the aerial. Front toss. RO 1.5 is very nice but takes a hop forward. 9.85…so far both Mizzou beam scores are higher than any Auburn beam scores
Stevens FX: Double pike is high and well controlled. Poor camera angle for the leaps so I can’t say much about them. Front layout to Rudi, possibly some bent legs on the first salto. Double tuck to finish, a bit uncontrolled on the landing. 9.775
McCrary BB: Front toss to beat jump, again with the weird camera angles. BHS LOSO is right on. Nice leaps. Gainer pike dismount with a step back. 9.85
Brusch FX: Huge FTDT to open. Back 1.5 to front layout, the landing looked a little short to me but the announcer said she nailed it. Double pike with a bit of a squatty landing and a step forward which the announcer calls “no problem.” Okay. 9.85
Sheremeta BB: BHS LOSO is solid. Gorgeous leaps! Front aerial to split jump, right on. Slight check after her full turn. Gainer full with some bent legs and her feet were way apart on the landing. Announcer says she sticks it but she clearly took a sizeable hop forward. 9.75
Sheppard FX: I watched Aladdin last night so this music is awesome. Front full to front layout with a hop forward. Triple twist to close, legs crossed and chest slightly down on landing but overall good. 9.825
Gottula BB: BHS BHS LOSO, solid. Good leaps with nice toepoint. Gainer full dismount is beautiful and stuck! 9.925, highest beam score of the night with only Hu to go!
Watson FX: Double pike, again with weird camera angles. Back 1.5 to front layout is beautiful. Double tuck to finish, clean and high. 9.85
Hu BB: Gorgeous mount as always. BHS LOSO with maybe a slight check but she covers it well if so. Great leaps. Y turn, perfect. Front aerial to beat jump, solid. Front aerial to arabesque to scale, I’m in love. Her dismount is the usual perfection. I wouldn’t complain if that got a 10, but she ends up with a 9.95.
Gobourne FX: Double tuck with no hands, love it. STOP WITH THE LOW CAMERA ANGLES. THEY ARE TERRIBLE. Front full to front tuck second pass. Finishes with a double pike and she oddly sits it down despite seeming like it was under control. Not sure what happened there. 9.1
Final: Auburn 196.700, Missouri 196.550
The final scoreline is a little surprising considering Mizzou counted a fall and Auburn didn’t, but that was a stellar 49.425 beam rotation to close the meet and keep things close. Auburn only had two scores of 9.9 or higher the entire night, whereas Mizzou had six. Auburn will be expecting more from their home meets going forward after proving they were capable of 197+ earlier in the season. Missouri, meanwhile, has their highest score of the season–by far–despite counting a fall. Once they work through their floor issues and put together a full meet, watch out.
Live Blog by Jenna King
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