On its face, this meet looks like an easy away meet for the Huskers to get in the bag. They’ve proven they can go 196 already, and have a fine average. The Spartans have been strong in the first two meets of their three-meet homestand. The Huskers’ 195.150 last week at Penn State is lower than both of the Spartans’ most recent home scores, so this could absolutely get interesting.
We’re still waiting to see Kynsee Roby in Nebraska’s lineups, and Gabriella Douglas was not on floor last week for Michigan State. Mike Rowe said he was resting athletes; we can assume she’ll be back for this big conference battle.
Injury updates: We saw Kaylee Quinn (UNL) in a knee brace and on crutches last week. Ryanna Head (MSU) was in a boot.
If you’ve been with me for BTN+ meets before, you know the drill. There’s absolutely no chance this thing starts on time.
Alrighty while we wait let’s talk Taylor Houchin and vault. Here’s my thing. She sometimes has the tiniest, tiniest!, hip angle, and I can see where judges pull that .050 to go 9.950 (or 9.975 if only one does). I get the deduction. Pretty identical vaults get 10s, though. So, you know, it’s frustrating. She did her usual gorgeous stuck Y1.5 warming up per Nebraska’s Instagram Story, so we’ll see what happens. 10s have been flying in the Big Ten so far. I won’t be furious if it doesn’t happen because of that teeny hip angle, but I won’t be mad if she gets it, either, because of the comparable vaults that do.
Here we are, at the hour, and the feed isn’t up yet. Classic. I’ll guess they’re starting march in now, we’ll get the feed in five or so minutes, and first vault will come in right around 15 past. SECN needs to hold a “producing gym meets” bootcamp.
11 after the hour and weeee haaaave videoooo! Nice. Let’s roll.
We’re hearing that MSU’s Nyah Smith is slated for AA today!
Rotation 1: Michigan State vault, Nebraska bars
MSU is going to go five-up on vault. Eyes emoji.
Wiedeman (MSU): Yfull, bent arms, hip angle and a step. 9.7
Thaler (UNL): Good Maloney to bail hand. Blind 1/1 to double tuck low chest no movement. Some foot sep on the blind. 9.825
Douglas (MSU): Yhalf, some hip angle and a hop. 9.825
Colombo (UNL): Blind to eagle to pike Jaeger, some looseness. Loose body on pak too. Blind to Eagle 1/2, double tuck hop. 9.825
Bellmore (MSU): Yfull, hip angle and offline a bit, hop. 9.725
Verceles Carr (UNL): Hect mount. Little short on handstand. Blind + pike Jaeger + bail, good shapes throughout. Another short handstand. Blind 1/1 + stuck double tuck. 9.875, I’m into that. It was just the handstands.
Mitchell (MSU): Yfull, some hips, hop back. 9.825
de Jesus (UNL): Ray some feet and a close catch to bail. DLO college stick. Great handstands. 9.825
Smith (MSU): Yfull, medium hop back, best shaping in a full we’ve seen. 9.8
Houchin (UNL): Roya Shirley likes her eye makeup haha. Same though, she’s a pro. Blind 1/1 touch late to Tkatchev, pretty.Bail hand, holds the handstand wow. DLO, slung it out a bit, chest forward but she holds the stick. Great set. 9.875
Piringer (UNL): Maloney, some leg sep. Bail hand little loose. Blind 1/1 leg sep + double tuck, feet pretty far but holds the stick. Some short handstands in there. 9.775
AFTER ONE: Nebraska 49.250, Michigan State 48.875
Five up for MSU is interesting, but it wasn’t too rough. Really nice fulls, just some landing and hip angle work. That’s a great start for Nebraska, on an event that can be a problem. The Huskers will be happy with it.
Rotation 2: Michigan State bars, Nebraska vault
Wow! Nebraska and MSU haven’t had a dual since 2013.
Piringer (UNL): Yfull, hip angle and a hop, big distance. 9.775
ATTN: ROBY IS IN A LEO AND TIGER PAWS.
Brown (MSU): Bail hand touch short. Clear hip hand to Tkatchev, bit low. Blind 1/1 double tuck stuck. Good start! 9.775
Roby(!!!!!) (UNL): Yful, low chest and steps forward. Her first comp routine in a year, though! 9.6
Smith (MSU): Big Tkatchev. Bail hand, loose legs. Toe shoot. Good handstand. Blind 1/1 leg sep to double tuck, holds a stick. 9.725
Dujakovich (UNL): Stuck Y1.5! Little hip angle. 9.95, legit.
Raybon (MSU): Hect mount. Blind to pike Jaeger to bail, loose in her core a touch. Blind let sep to giant half toe on front pike, step back. 9.825
de Jesus (UNL): Y1.5, stuck! man, on a roll. Great vault. 9.95
Jackard (MSU): Great handstand. blind + Jaeger, nice. Bail hand, good. Blind 1/1 touch late stuck double tuck. 9.9, I agree.
Houchin (UNL): Y1.5, small hop forward. 9.925
McHale (MSU): Blind leg sep to Jaeger, ooof far out but catches! Bail hand, leg sep. Good last handstand. DLO hop back. 9.8
Hassel (UNL): Yfull, big step back. 9.8
Mitchell (MSU): Ray, touch close catch. Bail hand some looseness in the air. Blind 1/1 double tuck, hop back.
AFTER TWO: Nebraska 98.650, Michigan State 97.900
Wow, Nebraska. Those 10.0 vaults were all lovely. It’s great to see a competition routine from Roby, as well. The Spartans looked good on bars! Nice hits all around. For them, this event will be about cleaning little details, like leg separations and late pirouettes, moving forward. Really strong for January, though.
Don’t know how many other gym/NBA fans are out there, but just in case you’re reading, TMZ reported that Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash. Other outlets have started reporting, so it seems real. Feels very shocking.
Anyway, apologies, back to gym.
Rotation 3: Michigan State beam, Nebraska floor
Wiedeman (MSU): Bhs loso, some knees in the bhs but very steady. Cat + front toss, she was offline a bit and had to turn to the side, but she saved it. Beat + straddle 3/4. Tuck gainer 1/1, to the side a touch, but stuck. 9.725
Curtis (UNL): Double pike, big step back. Good landing on combo pass. Switch ring to tour jete was mostly behind her teammates, so I didn’t get a good look. Double tuck, lunges forward but controlled. 9.75
ESPN just confirmed the Kobe news.
Bellmore (MSU): Cat + side aerial, good. Front toss back tuck, small check, but love that series! Switch + split 1/4, little short of 180 on the first. Gainer full stuck. 9.85
de Jesus (UNL): Double tuck, very high, good landing.3/2 + front lay, little bit of a stutter step out. Good leaps. Double pike, her feet were behind someone on the landing, but good in the air. 9.825
Raybon (MSU): Standing loso, good. Beat + Straddle 3/4 check with an arm wave.Side aerial, big check and didn’t connect, that should be her series. Side aerial RO check. There we go. Front 1/1 stuck. 9.30, I’d guess a SV issue around the series.
Dujakovich (UNL): Double pike, good landing. FHS rudi, bounces out some. Tour jete 1/2 Popa was strong. 3/2 + front 1/1, good controlled lunge. 9.825
Smith (MSU): Long wait for Raybon’s score. Bhs loso so solid, just some soft knees. Switch + straddle 1/4, little step in there. RO double tuck, low chest but stuck cold. 9.8
Houchin (UNL): 5/2, so floaty, stepped out a bit, maybe two tiny steps. Switch ring to tour jete 1/2 maybe a touch shy on the tour jete. OOB on her combo pass. Double pike, great landing. 9.7
Mitchell (MSU): Bhs bhs loso, so solid. These MSU series are so strong, not a wobble to be found. Front aerial, some knee softness in her back leg. Strong jumps. RO 3/2, feet a bit far apart but stuck. 9.725, hmm, the jump connection, I think.
Hassel (UNL): 2/1, great landing. 3/2 + front lay stuck cold. She was nice in the air, too. Some imprecision in the rotation on her jumps. FHS rudi to straddle, jump moved back more than up but she held the landing. 9.9
Douglas (MSU): One of my favorite beam sets in the NCAA coming at you! Aaaand we’ve got a judges conference. OK, here we go. Double turn, lovely. Side aerial loso, good. Swtich 1/2 to split, good, bit of a pause between, but not too long I don’t think. Side aerial 1/1. 9.,875
Piringer (UNL): Double tuck, very high, slid her front foot on the lunge. 3/2 + front lay, there’s the landing she wants. Switch side popa, good splits, not the strongest rotation. Double pike, good landing on that one. 9.875
Jackard (MSU, exh): we cut away for replays of floor. OK we’re back. Cat + side aerial to beat, not really connected to the beat.Gainer 1/1 off the side, stuck.
Johnston (UNL, exh): Double tuck, good landing. Her first set of the year! She had been injured. Double pike, another strong landing, some leg sep. Nice jump rotation. Barani to 1/1, stumbled back a bit, about .2 worth of foot movement, I’d say.
AFTER THREE: Nebraska 147.825, Michigan State 146.925
MSU had some funky things going on there with SV/CV issues. That beam total is not indicative of how clean and tidy the Spartans look on beam; look for some of those stumble steps to get cleaned up and for beam to be a highlight for this team. Nebraska is strong on floor, with a few funky things to clean up as well. The Houchin OOB and some slidey feet should be focus areas.
Rotation 4: Michigan State floor, Nebraska beam
Lol there’s another judges conference. I imagine chatting about the MSU SVs. Let’s get this moving folks.
I revisited Raybon’s, the issue is the side aerial repeated a third time. She didn’t get the bonus connection she needed going into the dismount.
de Jesus (UNL): Hereeee we go. Straddle to sheep, legs apart, step back. Cat + side aerial, very steady. Check on her full turn. Cartwheel 2/1, stuck. We came in late and missed her series. 9.85
Brown (MSU): Double pike, good in the air, lunge out of control. Short rotation on her jumps. Good landing on the combo pass. Double tuck, better landing, still moved her front foot a bit. 9.85
Curtis (UNL): Wolf front tuck, just a tiny check. Bhs loso, solid. Switch to split, good 180s. RO 3/2, holds a stick, touch off balance on the landing. 9.9
Smith (MSU): Front through double tuck, just some feet form in the air. Camera too zoomed in on her jumps to see much. 3/2 to front lay, very arched and a small hop. Double pike, deduction free landing. 9.85
Verceles Carr (UNL): Side aerial, very nice. Bhs loso, some soft knees. Split + split 3/4, nice positions. Cartwheel 3/2, feet a bit far, had to pick up a foot a little to touch her heels. 9.95, I agree with that she was stellar.
Bellmore (MSU): Double pike, movement in her front foot on the lunge. Leaps had good rotation. 3/2, some leg form. 9.825
Roby (UNL): Press mount. Front aerial small check, broke a connection. Bhs loso, good. Small shoulder movement on full turn. She’s just a little tight, expected in her first beam back. Good leaps. Side aerial 1/1, low chest, but no foot movement. 9.45
Douglas (MSU): Double pike, great landing. She’s such a strong performer. Front lay to front 1/1, good. Tour jete 1/2 split 1/1, good positions. Double tuck, another great landing. Really lovely set. 9.925
Houchin (UNL): Aaaaand a judges conference! Oy. Houchin can get in her head, so this could throw her off. We’ll see how she handles the wait. Bhs loso, completely solid. Front aerial small check. Switch, big leg up check. Split to split 1/4, check. Hitch to side aerial. RO 2/1, step back.
Hofelich (MSU): Big double pike, stellar landing. Nice positions and rotation on her leaps. 3/2 to front lay, some leg sep in the air, good landing. Double tuck, jumps a bit into the lunge. 9.9
Hassel (UNL): Bhs loso, tiny bit off balance. Check on front aerial. Split to sheep, messy legs in the sheep. RO 3/2 stuck. 9.85
Mitchell (MSU): Double tuck, good landing. She’s a great dancer. 3/2 to front lay, her foot bounced up a bit on the landing, but nothing egregious. Strong jumps. Double pike, hopped a bit on the landing but held it as a stick, no lunge. 9.95
Thaler in exhibition for Nebraska, but this meet has been so long that I have to go! I’m sorry! Same re: Raybon on floor!
FINAL: Nebraska 197.000, Michigan State 196.550
Phew! Both teams will be thrilled with these totals! Nebraska needed a 197 to join the big kids’ club, and the 196 will help the Spartans make a case for a place the top half of the conference.
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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