It’s UCLA and senior day. You just know it’s going to be a good one.
UCLA had a slow start to the season (amidst lots of drama, but if you don’t know that by now, you may as well be living under a rock) but just may be finding its groove. The Bruins are coming off a season high and will hope to replicate that success again today. So far, the team’s best scores have come at home; that also means that UCLA is still counting a pesky 195.475 road score that it can’t erase until next week’s conference championships. A trio of all arounders in Jordan Chiles, Chae Campbell and Norah Flatley were instrumental in UCLA’s performance last week; the three have played integral roles in numerous lineups throughout the season.
UC Davis posted its third 196 in a row last week at Sacramento State. Better yet, two of its 196s have come on the road so far. UC Davis will want to post another one today to have all of its counting road scores above 196. Barring other teams, another 196-flat would put the Aggies at No. 36, right on the bubble of regionals contention. These last couple meets are going to be important for this Aggie team. Freshman Keanna Abraham has settled in quite nicely for UC Davis; Kyla Kessler and Emma Otsu are also having good seasons overall.
Tentative UCLA lineups:
Rotation 1: UCLA VT, UC Davis UB
Flatley (UCLA): yfull, clean in air, tiny slide back. 9.85
Scafani (UCD): fine first hs; deltchev immediate to bail, solid; blind full double tuck stuck. Nice leadoff! 9.825
Malabuyo (UCLA): solid full. 9.85
Sklow (UCD): finished with a nice DLO. I missed the rest with stream difficulty. 9.65
Chiles (UCLA): tsuk full, stuck. Fought for the landing. 9.9
Cunningham (UCD): short first hs, Maloney, doesn’t quite get her hands over the bar and comes off; bail hs, some form; short final hs; blind full double tuck, small step. 8.675
Wright (UCLA): apparently she warmed up a y1.5. We’ll see what she does. does the 1.5, slightly underrotated with a step back. 9.875
Michovsky (UCD): good first hs; straddled jaeger to bail, pretty; good next hs; blind full, not quite on top to a double tuck, low landing but fights for the stick. 9.725
Poston (UCLA): fhs pike half, chest slightly low and a hop back. 9.8
Landess (UCD): finesses first hs; unfortunately doesn’t catch, so UCD will be counting a fall; does a solid bail and finishes with a hit double front, though. 8.65
Campbell (UCLA): stuck yfull, great position in the air. Could easily be a 9.95. And it is.
Kessler (UCD): fine first hs; blind full gienger, substantial leg sep; bail hs, good position; dlo, just a step forward. Good way for UCD to end the rotation. 9.7
After 1: UCLA 49.425, UCD 47.575
UCLA with a very solid vault rotation to open, highlighted by Campbell’s second straight perfect 9.95. I’m not even mad about that one, it was a thing of beauty. Meanwhile, UC Davis didn’t get off to the start it wanted; the 47.575 is a season-low bars total.
Rotation 2: UC Davis VT, UCLA UB
Cunningham (UCD): yfull, some piking and a largish hop into a step back. 9.675
Campbell (UCLA): great first hs; Maloney to bail hs, solid; short final hs; double front hop forward. Good leadoff. 9.875
Pires (UCD): full on tuck, small hop. That’s a good vault for UCD! 9.825
Esparza (UCLA): Maloney to pak, good; van leeuwen, solid; dlo, small hop back. No, Janay, that was not stuck. 9.925
Otsu (UCD): yhalf on tuck, tiny step. That could easily turn into an omelianchik! 9.775
Padurariu (UCLA): fine first hs; piked jaeger, some form on the blind going into it; solid bail; blind full double tuck, deep landing with a step. Changed her routine. 9.675
Ray (UCD): y half on pike half, step forward. Nice! 9.725
Malabuyo (UCLA): good first hs; Maloney to pak, nice; finesses pirouette on low bar; dlo hop back. 9.8
Kessler (UCD): yfull, slight pike but stuck. The team is ecstatic and so is she. 9.85
Chiles (UCLA): nice first hs; piked tkatchev to pak, good; Maloney to gienger, hit; nails final hs; ftdt stuck but with staggered feet. 9.95
Abraham (UCD): huge y1.5, just a step forward. 9.825
Flatley (UCLA): higgins eagle grip into straddled jaeger, good; solid bail; dlo, the tiniest slide. Another good one for her! 9.925
Fun fact: all of the seniors except Frazier are competing or doing an exhibition today. Frazier’s injury being the only reason she’s not.
After 2: UCLA 98.900, UCD 96.575
That’s UCLA’s best bars rotation of the season. Much better than previous weeks. UCD had lots of variety in its vault lineup, which is refreshing to see! A 49 on the event got the Aggies back on track.
Rotation 3: UCLA BB, UC Davis FX
Padurariu (UCLA): side aerial bhs, secure; switch leap, solid; beat jump sheep jump, hit; side aerial lay full stuck. That’s how you want to start a beam lineup. 9.875
Pires (UCD): back 1.5 to lay, good; very nice extension on her leaps; double tuck, solid; another nice leap combo. Good start for UCD too! 9.85
Chiles (UCLA): working through this routine very well so far. Calm and confident. Large wobble on side somi; double pike, slightly low chest and a tiny hop back. 9.725
Trejo (UCD): switch side popa solid; controlled double pike; ro 1.5 to lay good; double tuck with a relatively controlled landing. 9.725
Flatley (UCLA): front aerial bhs loso, small lean; full turn, another small check; switch split, works through it; bhs lay 1.5 with a step. Not her best, but she stayed on the beam. 9.825
Kessler (UCD): front full front lay, good; clean double pike; she has nice split positions in her leaps. 9.85
Campbell (UCLA): bhs loso, small lean; leap combo secure; split straddle 1/4, nice; the tiniest lean on her full turn; gainer full with the “bring your heels together” stick. 9.9
Otsu (UCD): front double full, not the most controlled landing; switch side popa, good; ro 1.5 to lay, much better control. 9.675
Sakti (UCLA): switch leap bhs loso, solid; cat leap switch half check to beat jump; side aerial lay full with the tiniest foot slide. 9.875
Abraham (UCD): lovely double lay to open; solid leaps; lay lay full, good; double tuck, too much power – slides out of her lunge and went oob. 9.575
Malabuyo (UCLA): bhs loso, secure; front aerial beat, good; lovely extension on her leaps; bhs loso lay full, stuck. 10
Ray (UCD): solid leap combo to open her routine; oh, apparently we missed her double pike? fhs front full front lay, good; double tuck, well-controlled. 9.9
After 3: UCLA 148.375, UCD 145.575
UCLA had one of its better beam rotations of the season, though it wasn’t free of bobbles. UC Davis wasn’t perfect on floor but hit 49, led by Megan Ray’s 9.9 in the anchor position.
Rotation 4: UC Davis BB, UCLA FX
Scafani (UCD): bhs bhs loso, hips are crooked and she comes off; better on her leap combo; cartwheel gainer full with basically a stick into her salute. 8.95
Flatley (UCLA): triple full, solid; fhs double full, slightly tentative landing; switch ring switch half, gorg; ro 1.5 to lay, well-controlled. 9.975
Schuelke (UCD): front toss bhs, secure; split jump straddle 3/4, good; rock solid side aerial; stuck gainer full. Gets the Aggies back on track. 9.825
Wright (UCLA): back 2.5, slight foot drag; rudi into double stag, solid; good splits in her leaps; back 1.5 to lay, looked short but she pulls it around with minimal deductions. 9.825
Lyle (UCD): side aerial bhs, secure; switch leap straddle 1/4, good positions; side aerial tuck full stuck. Very nice! 9.85
Sakti (UCLA): double tuck, slides back out of lunge; very nice split positions in her leaps; front full front lay, solid; double pike, controlled landing chest slightly low initially but brings it up. 9.775
Abraham (UCD): bhs lo, small check; solid leaps; bhs 1.5 stuck but with slight chest movement. 9.775
Chiles (UCLA): ftdlo, lands short with a step forward, adds the twist today; front punch through to double tuck, better; slightly out of control landing out of her leaps; double pike not the most controlled but not bad either. 9.75
Otsu (UCD): side aerial bhs, controls it; solid leaps, slight arm wave at end; her foot slips and she sits her back 1.5 dismount. Bummer. 9.15
Campbell (UCLA): nice ftdt; tour jete 1/2 popa, nice positions; fhs front lay front full, solid; good double tuck to close. 10
Kessler (UCD): alright, show us the beam please. double stag hs to bhs loso, secure; split split full, would like a little more extension on those; ro 1.5 hop forward. Nice way to close out the rotation. 9.8
Tratz (UCLA): her last routine in Pauley. double pike, lands oob; slightly off on her leap combo landing; back 1.5 to lay, controlled; double tuck, low chest but controlled landing. Definitely not her best. 9.7
Lashbrooke (UCLA, exh): double tuck, slide back; combo pass fine; leaps slightly out of control; just does a back lay for last pass.
Taubman (UCLA, exh): ro 1.5 lay half, fine; double pike, low chest; switch ring switch side, hit. A heartfelt way to end senior day, with 2 exhibitions from seniors.
FINAL: UCLA 197.700, UCD 193.975
Floor wasn’t up to UCLA’s high standards, though it was 5 hit routines. A season-low isn’t ideal for UC Davis’ NQS hopes—a good meet on vault and floor was negated by mistakes on bars and beam.
Event Winners
VT: Campbell (UCLA), 9.950
UB: Chiles (UCLA), 9.950
BB: Malabuyo (UCLA), 10.000
FX: Campbell (UCLA), 10.000
AA: Campbell (UCLA), 39.725
Live blog by Tara Graeve
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