LIVE BLOG: No. 14 Kentucky at No. 18 Georgia

Georgia has had moments of greatness throughout the season, but last week was not one of them. Georgia lost to Missouri and recorded its second lowest score of the 2021 season. Tonight’s senior night will need to be a stellar competition to finish the regular season strong. It won’t be an easy task as Georgia is hosting Kentucky, who is coming into this competition on a high note after defeating No. 2 LSU last week. 

Georgia has the capability to take the win, but it lacks consistency in competition. Bars and Beam have provided challenges for the Gymdogs this season, but with athletes like Haley de Jong, Rachel Baumann and Victoria Nguyen, the potential for highly executed routines is at their fingertips. 

Kentucky may not have the most flashy skills in the NCAA, but it has excelled in being consistent since the bye week. Raena Worley is having a superstar sophomore year, and Bailey Bunn is one of the best freshmen in the country. However, Kentucky has a weak spot on beam, as they just can’t seem to find a solid lead-off routine. 

Its Senior Night for Georgia and the Gymdogs will be honoring its class of three: Sterlyn Austin, Marissa Oakley and Emily Schild.

Rotation 1: Georgia VT,  Kentucky UB

De Jong (Georgia): FTY. Good block off the table. Hop back on the landing. She apparently had a scary fall in warmups. 9.875 Career High

Davis (UK):blind full to blind half to jaeger, nicely done, bail handstand, dlo, legs glued together in her layout.  9.825 Career High

The leotard game is strong tonight for both teams.

Baumann (Georgia):  FTY. Really nice distance form the table. Small leg separation and a hop back. 9.8

Bunn (UK): short of her first handstand, blind half to jaeger, a little bit close to the bar, bail handstand, DLO, pikes it down and questionable stick. 9.85 Career High

Magee (Georgia): Y1.5. Nice to see her back on the lineup! Just a tad under rotated and takes. a large step. 9.85

Nixon (UK): mounts low bar, maloney, nicely done, bail handstand, beautiful, FTDB, hop forward with her chest down. 9.850

Ward (Georgia): Tsuk full, Nicely done with a step back on landing. One of her better ones. 9.825

Luksik (UK): Cast handstand, short, good height on her Ray, slightly overcasts her handstand, bail handstand. Short on the final handstands and ends with a stuck DLO. 9.775

Roberts (Georgia): Y1.5. Some messy knees in the air but gets really nice distance on the vault. Stuck landing. 9.950

Some technical difficulties tonight, so we apologize for the delay.

Worley (UK): Short on first handstand, Tkatchev, nicely done, pak salto, good, FTDB, Stuck full-in. 9.900

It’s a tied meet after one! Georgia was able to add Magee’s Y1.5 to the lineup to help give the vault lineup a boost of 10.0 Start Values. Both teams had career high performances and were led by a series of stuck landings. 

AFTER ONE : Georgia 49.250, Kentucky 49.250

Rotation 2: Kentucky VT,  Georgia UB

Worley (UK): FTY, Pikes it down and takes a large hop back. 9.775

Cashman (Georgia):  Good Tkatchev, Nice bail handstand, DLO, form break and the smallest of movement on her landing. 9.775

Bunn (UK): FTY, small hop and leg separation. 9.800

Schild (Georgia): Mounts high bar, Beautiful first handstand, high ray, toe handstand to bail handstand, good, DLO, pikes it down with a small shuffle on the landing. 9.850

Magnelli (UK): Front Pike Half, doesn’t quite get the block she needs and has to pike it down. Lands with a low chest with a step. Normal form issues as well. 9.800

Roberts (Georgia): Toe-on, Full pirouette, stunning, Maloney to Bail to handstand, gorgeous, DLO, small hop on landing. Beautiful handstands throughout the routine. 9.925

Patterson (UK): Front Pike Half. She gets nice amplitude, but doesn’t get nearly enough distance. Lands way too close to the vault table and has to take a large step. 9.800

Finnegan (Georgia): Short on first handstand, huge ray, Pak Salto, leg separation, gorgeous final handstand, ftdb, hop back. 9.850 Career High

Angeny (UK): FTY, Beautiful vault with a hop back.  9.850

Nguyen (Georgia):  Pak Salto, gorgeous, Maloney, nicely done,  in-bar Gienger, leg separation, DLO, squats low for the stick. 9.850

Nixon (UK): FTY. Nicely done with a step back on the landing. 9.825

Oakley (Georgia): Short on first handstand, gorgeous piked Jaeger, short on handstand, Pak Salto, stunning, FTDB, small hop.  9.825

Kentucky did not have the vault rotation they had a week ago. The  Wildcats were unable to stick a landing and dealt with form issues. However with some generous scores and the opportunity to drop a 9.775, the team will go 49.000+ on the apparatus. However, it won’t be enough to match Georgia’s bar rotation. The Gymdogs were able to hit six for six and take the lead heading into the second half of the competition. Roberts is having a great night  with two 9.900+ scores already.

AFTER TWO : Georgia 98.550, Kentucky 98.325

Rotation 3: Georgia BB,  Kentucky FX

Magee (Georgia): nice flexibility in her switch full to start, bhs loso loso, solid, full turn, good, RO 1.5, small hop forward. I think that’s one of the quickest beam routines in the NCAA. 9.850

Albores (UK): Only her second routine this season, Double tuck, large lunge back, Front lay to front full, takes a step back, good flexibility on switch half straddle full, Double Pike, well done. 9.775

Schild (Georgia): I love the flexibility she showcases in her handstand mount, bhs bhs, good, full turn, nicely done, side aerial, balance check, switch leap split jump, good flexibiltiy, gainer back pike. 9.800

Clarke (UK): Front double, tad under-rotated, switch side straddle full, good, Front lay to front full, nicely done, ro bhs 1.5, good, ends with a rudi. Good routine. 9.775

Nguyen (Georgia): Bhs Loso, solid, Y (Memmel) turn, stunning, Onodi, gorgeous, beat jump to ring jump, beautiful, 1.5, large hop forward. 9.825

Bunn (UK): Double pike, nicely done, good leap pass,  1.5 to front pike, good, fhs Rudi, lands with a lower chest than normal but another clean set. 9.800

De Jong (Georgia): full turn, gorgeous leaps, front aerial to beat jump, solid, bhs loso, good, split half, side aerial to full, stuck. 9.925

Hagis (UK): Rudi to back loso, well-done, Switch Side Straddle full, good, Great Double Pike to finish. 9.875

Baumann (Georgia): Side aerial loso, beautiful, Full Turn, solid, Beat Jump to Switch Side, Round off 1.5, stuck. Great comeback routine for her! 9.950 Career High

Angeny (UK): Double Pike. She rotates it around so quickly, Straddle leaps, RO 1.5 to front lay, good, Double tuck, cowboyed form gets a solid landing. 9.850

Oakley (Georgia) : Wolf Turn to Straddle Split, gainer bhs Bhs Loso, gorgeous, Split Leap to Ring jump, beautiful flexibility, Side Aerial gainer Full, hop forward. 9.925

Worley (UK): Huge Full-in to start, good on her leap pass. front full to front lay, nice, double tuck, well-done. 9.925

Georgia had a season best beam rotation that should serve as a confidence booster heading into post season. The Gymdogs wrapped up the rotation with three scores going 9.925 or better. With a strong performance on beam, Georgia will extend its lead heading into the final rotation. Kentucky had a decent performance on floor. No major errors were present, but it did not reach the team’s full potential for excellence.

AFTER THREE: Georgia 148.025, Kentucky 147.550

Rotation 4: Kentucky BB,  Georgia FX

Albores (UK): Season-debut and Career-debut on beam, Bhs Loso, solid, front aerial, smallest of balance checks, beat jump to straddle half to beat, good, cat leap to side aerial to back full. That’s the first lead-off hit for Kentucky on beam in WEEKS!!!! 9.825 Career High

Perez-Lugones (Georgia): Starts routine, but its the wrong music cut. Restarts and gets her fun choreography going. Huge Double Pike, stuck. whip half to front lay, good, switch side to straddle full to wolf full, lacks flexibility, ends with a double tuck. 9.825

Magnelli (UK): bhs loso loso, soft knees but solid landing, cat leap switch side, lacks flexibility, full turn, RO 1.5, small hop. 9.825

Cashman (Georgia): Double Pike, nice, ro 1.5 to front lay, well-done, Switch half to straddle, double tuck, hop and a step back.  

Nixon (UK): floaty Bhs loso, Switch leap to split jump, doesn’t hit a full split,  Front aerial, large wobble and she falls off. Bhs 1.5. stuck. 9.050

Interesting to note: Tim Garrison has never beaten Georgia.

Austin (Georgia): Double Pike, hop back with her lunge, switch side tour jete half, lacks flexibility and rotation, fhs front full to front lay, great, double tuck, uncontrolled lunge. 9.825

Bunn (UK): full turn, bhs loso loso, solid, split leap to switch leap, great, RO double full, stuck. 9.925

Roberts (Georgia): Piked Full-in, well-done. Her performance quality has improved leaps and bounds from the start of this season. front lay to front full, small pike down, great double pike to finish. 9.900 Career High

Worley (UK): Cat leap to switch side, good, Front aerial bhs loso, solid, RO 1.5, stuck. 9.900

Baumann (Georgia): Wolf double turn, nicely done, RO 1.5 to front full, fabulous, double tuck, nicely done, switch leap to switch side, stunning, That routine will clinch the team win for Georgia. 9.875   

Angeny (UK): Bhs loso loso, some soft knees but gets a solid landing, front aerial, good, beat jump to straddle 1/4, under rotated, balance check, full turn, side aerial back tuck full, stuck landing with her chest down. 9.875

Hawthorne (Georgia): Huge Double Pike, large lunge, front lay to Rudi to split, lacks flexibility on all her leaps. Fantastic Double Tuck to end the meet. 

Georgia needed a hit performance tonight and they earned themselves one. The Gymdogs went 24 for 24 and had a season-best beam rotation. Tonight’s performance should boost up the NQS and help propel them to a higher ranking before conference championships. Nevertheless, Georgia will need to use this score as a starting point for improvement to keep-up with its SEC rivals. Kentucky had a solid away meet score that should play a role in its NQS score as well. The big win of the night for Kentucky was a lead-off hit and a season-high on beam.

Final: Georgia 197.325, Kentucky 196.600

AA Winner: Raena Worley – 39.500

VT Winner: Megan Roberts – 9.950

UB Winner: Megan Roberts – 9.925

BB Winner:  Rachel Baumann – 9.950

FX Winner: Raena Worley – 9.925


Live blog by Katie Walsh

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