SEC action this Friday night kicks-off with a top 10 matchup of Missouri at Alabama! With the postseason closing in quickly, every score and win or loss means more as it’s looking like it will be another year where a top 10 SEC team misses out on competing in the evening session of the conference championship meet.
Despite losing a slew of close meets this season, the Crimson Tide have been putting up mid to high 197s the past few weeks and have firmly solidified themselves a spot in the top 10. Needing to drop road scores and competing at home won’t allow for Alabama to move up much in the NQS rankings this week, but will still need another competitive score to fend off others. Superstar Luisa Blanco ranks second in NQS currently on both bars and beam, where the Crimson Tide also rank highest of any event. The injury status of Makarri Doggette will be interesting to watch moving forward, as her 9.9 ability is crucial for any title hopes for Alabama.
Currently counting a bunch of 196 away scores and having been well into the 197s recently, Missouri actually has a high NQS ceiling this week and could make a decent jump with a new away-best. Doing so would be crucial for a team much newer to the top of the rankings and could be hugely beneficial for conference championship and regionals seeding purposes. Sienna Schreiber currently ranks third in the all around in the fresh NQS rankings, and will need a complete day alongside Amari Celestine, who needs to bounce back from a bars fall last weekend.
Follow along with scores and video!
Rotation 1: Alabama Vault, Missouri Bars
Olsen (Bama): Ydouble. Small pike down and slide back. Good form today. 9.850
Marshall (Miz): Giant half to Jager to overshoot, jumps to high bar, FTDT dismount, small hop in place, chest down. 9.725
Quinn (Bama): Y1.5. Great commitment to the layout, big hop forward. 9.900
Schreiber (Miz): Maloney to bail, great, jumps to the high bar, nice handstand, dismounts double layout, small slide back. 9.800
Hudson (Bama): Y1.5. Great commitment to the layout as well, small hop back, a little underrotated. 9.825
Patrick (Miz): Giant half to Jager, good height, a bit shy of handstand on the bail, dismounts double layout, flexed feet and a hop back. 9.725
Paradise (Bama): Y1.5. Big hop forward but good distance. 9.875
Sheremeta (Miz): Good handstand to open, giant half to Jager to overshoot, short on the final handstand, giant half to Rudi, sticks it. 9.875
Blanco (Bama): Y1.5. Good form in the air, not a ton of height and just the smallest of hops forward, more of a heel raise. 9.925
Celestine (Miz): Toe on, Maloney to pak, whipped it around, toe on, Maloney half, good handstand, staldter front pike half dismount and sticks. 9.725
Graber (Bama): Y1.5. Huge amplitude, goes for the stick, puts her feet out too far and takes a hop back. 9.850
Hu (Miz): First competitive set on bars this season. Great handstand, Church to pak, way far but gets it, good half pirouette and final handstand, bit of hesitation halfway through the giant full but works through it to the double tuck dismount. 9.800
Rotation 1: Alabama 49.400, Missouri 49.025*(changed from 48.925)
The Crimson Tide impressively put up a full six 10.0 start value vault lineup, and today’s mid-49 continues the recent trend of good outings. Yet to put up a 198 yet this season, this home meet provides Alabama with a good opportunity to do so, especially now with a hot start to keep it possible with the stronger events to come. With the bars judges seemingly tight tonight, the Crimson Tide will need to be great in the next rotation, which they are plenty capable of.
The Tigers hit all six routines, but the judges didn’t appreciate the short handstands, unstuck dismounts, and just the form in general. Head coach Shannon Welker was unimpressed with the judges scores in his mid-rotation interview, as a sub-49 without any major misses is a frustrating start for a lineup that, theoretically, should’ve scored higher with the addition of Hu. Vault must be on today for Missouri.
Rotation 2: Missouri Vault, Alabama Bars
Marshall (Miz): We cut in right after she landed her Yfull. 9.775
Adams (Bama): Maloney to pak, great handstand, Maloney half, saves a near disaster handstand, and then falls immediately on the toe full, rechalks, remounts, repeats and sticks the double tuck. 9.350
McCrary (Miz): Yfull. Incredibly piked throughout and a big stride back. 9.775
Paradise (Bama): Giant half to Jager, nice, bail, tiny bit of pike, jumps up to the high bar, dismounts double layout, small slide back. 9.800
Davis (Miz): Yfull, Good form, flairs it out, takes a step back. 9.850
Hudson (Bama): Toe on, Maloney to bail, pikey throughout, giant full to double tuck, gets the stick. 9.825
Schreiber (Miz): Yfull. Clean throughout, nearly arm waves into the stick but takes a step back. 9.825
Machado (Bama): Maloney to pak, perfect handstands so far, Maloney half, toe full a little over but fights for the stick on the double tuck, gets it but chest down and touched her legs a bit. 9.825
Celestine (Miz): Y1.5. Twists so quickly, just s shuffle on the landing it looked like, a teammate blocked the shot. Replay confirms. 9.850
Doggette (Bama): Tkatchev to pak, glued her legs together, moves quickly through the half pirouette, short on final handstand, hop in place on the double layout. 9.900
Moore (Miz): Y1.5. Huge distance and sticks it!! 9.925
Blanco (Bama): Good Maloney to pak, hitting all her handstands, nails the landing of the FTDT! 9.950!
Rotation 2: Missouri 49.225, Alabama 49.300
Through Rotation 2: Alabama 98.700, 98.250
The bars bug didn’t bit the Crimson Tide quite like it did the Tigers, but Alabama did score a tad lower than usual for six well-hit routines. Vault went well for Missouri despite being down in difficulty compared to normal, and the harsh judges made sure to let them know after being stingy on the Yurchenko fulls. The lead continues to grow over Missouri as Alabama’s routines have been a little more precise through the first two rotations, but under half a point anything is still possible. Both of these school’s have excelled on beam throughout this season, so that may be the deciding event tonight.
Rotation 3: Alabama Beam, Missouri Floor
Burgess (Bama): Clean full turn to begin the rotation, BHS LOSO, arm check but nothing major, cat leap to switch side, barely gave any effort on the cat leap, switch leap to beat jump, side aerial layout full, sticks it. 9.900
Schreiber (Miz): Rudi to layout to front tuck to stag, beautiful and unique, front full to front LOSO, nice and floaty, wolf jump full, switch half switch full. 9.825
Olsen (Bama): Following a big score here. Switch leap to switch half, solid, BHS LOSO, big smile, full turn, FHS, BHS BHS double pike, sticks it! 9.800 warranting boo’s from the crowd.
Schaffer (Miz): FHS Rudi LOSO, easy, switch ring to tour jete half, nice height, double tuck, good chest position. 9.825
Graber (Bama): Speedy full turn, BHS back pike, small lean, switch leap to straddle 3/4, cat leap to front toss arabesque to gainer full., stuck 9.900
Sheremeta (Miz): Opens with a nice front double full, switch side to Popa, lovely toe point, Rudi LOSO, more lovely toe point, RO 1.5 front LOSO, smooth. 9.875
Waligora (Bama): Mounts, full turn, BHS LOSO, chest slightly forward, side aerial, split jump to tuck full, no problems, RO 1.5, small hop forward. 9.775
McCrary (Miz): Sticks her Rudi cold to begin her routine, double pike second pass, slide back with both feet in a lunge, good leaps, closes with a RO BHS 2.5, solid landing. 9.825
Hudson (Bama): Front aerial BHS LOSO, way under on the LOSO and falls, gathers herself, remounts, check immediately on the full turn, switch leap to switch leap, leg up and a lean, side aerial, foot adjustment, RO 1.5 dismount, sticks. 9.225
Moore (Miz): Gets started with a massive double layout, switch half to Popa to Popa, I didn’t know straddles could be that big, front tuck through to double tuck, great landing! 9.875, too low in my opinion.
Blanco (Bama): A must-hit routine. Front aerial, issue-free, smooth full turn, BHS LOSO LOSO, good, switch leap to beat jump, dismounts RO double full, small shuffle back. 9.900
Celestine (Miz): Gigantic full-in to open, tour jete half to switch full, great, RO 1.5 front layout, dismounts with a double tuck, so much height. 9.875
Rotation 3: Alabama 49.275, Missouri 49.275
Through 3 Rotations: Alabama 147.975, Missouri 147.525
While they avoided disaster, the Crimson Tide missed out on an opportunity to pull-in an egregious total on beam after starting off with a 9.9 and a hit from Olsen. Now having left tenths on the table on its best event, Alabama now heads to its weakest event with the Tigers still hanging around after a floor rotation that kept the lead under half a point. Missouri is also onto its best event, meaning Alabama has little room for error on floor.
Rotation 4: Missouri Beam, Alabama Floor
Schaffer (Miz): Small check on her opening full turn, BHS BHS LOSO, small arm check, leg up check after a front aerial, switch leap to split jump, RO 1.5 dismount, some knee form and a hop forward. 9.675
Olsen (Bama): Mounts with a piked full-in, foot right to the line up stays in, switch leap to tour jete half to split full, front tuck through to double pike, shuffle forward. 9.850
McCrary (Miz): Starts with a front toss, BHS LOSO, no problems, beat jump double stag, transverse split half, full turn, BHS tucked 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.825
Mitchell (Bama): Giant double pike to mount, sliding lunge back, switch leap to wolf 1.5 to wolf full, a bit off balance, front tuck to double tuck, nice chest position on the landing. 9.875
Davis (Miz): Full turn, BHS LOSO, wobbles, front toss, looks nervy, split jump, misses the connection, split jump to sheep jump, BHS gainer full, small step. 9.725
Machado (Bama): Double pike to open, well controlled, RO 1.5 front pike, moves quickly, triple wolf turn, switch leap to switch half, hangs in those split positions, dismounts with a double tuck, kicks out early and was low, knees down. 9.075
Sheremeta (Miz): BHS LOSO, great, split jump to double stag, front aerial, secure, full turn, tucked gainer full off the front of the beam, sticks. 9.825
Hudson (Bama): Front layout to Rudi to begin, good leaps, RO BHS 2.5, secure lunge, double tuck to close, step forward. 9.875
Hu (Miz): Mounts with her signature handstand, Y turn, incredible, front aerial BHS, beautiful, moves so smoothly, front aerial to one foot to arabesque to needle, split positions in her series are great, dismounts BHS gainer full, sticks! 9.950!
Blanco (Bama): Wolf double to open, double pike, perfect landing, switch ring to switch half, bounces right out of it, double tuck, ends with a front full front layout. 9.950
Schreiber (Miz): Swift full turn, BHS LOSO LOSO, great, switch half to split jump to beat jump to gainer full! Sticks! 9.925
Graber (Bama): Big full-in to open, great chest up on the landing, Popa, switch side to wolf 1.5, front tuck to double pike, no issues. 9.975!
Rotation 4: Missouri 49.250, Alabama 49.525
Final: Alabama 197.500, Missouri 196.775
No without some close calls, Alabama was able to pull-out the home win but won’t be totally happy with its outing after a total only .025 higher than the total its dropping in NQS. Tighter-than-normal SEC scoring played a part in that, but the Crimson Tide’s mid-lineup falls on the last two events were big missed opportunities that left those valuable tenths on the table. Missouri had a road 196.275 to drop, so today’s score being a half point higher will bode well in NQS rankings. The Tigers, too, missed out on opportunities that will need to be cleaned up to truly contend as a spoiler this postseason.
Event Winners
All Around: Blanco (Alabama) – 39.725
Vault: Blanco, Moore (Missouri) – 9.925
Bars: Blanco – 9.950
Beam: Hu (Missouri) – 9.950
Floor: Graber (Alabama) – 9.975
Live blog by Brandis Heffner
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