LIVE BLOG: No. 28 Arizona at No. 24 Stanford

This could be a closely-matched meet: While Stanford has the higher average this year, Arizona’s season high comes in a quarter of a point better than Stanford’s. For Arizona, coming off a season high last week at rival Arizona State, this meet is a great opportunity to take advantage of momentum and log another great NQS road score. For Stanford, with season low and season high scores separated by just 0.150, consistency is a virtue… up to a point. Still, if the Cardinal wants to remain competitively ranked, it’s time to demonstrate the ability to push toward 197.000.

Rotation 1: Stanford VT, Arizona UB

Chrobok (Stanford): Solid FTY, medium hop back. 9.775

Linton (UA): Maloney to Pak, pretty good, just a little leg separation. Ever so slightly arches a high bar handstand and hangs on, double layout with a hop forward. 9.675

Neault (Stanford): Full on pike off, chest low on landing but just a small hop back. 9.775

McCabe (UA): Blind to pike Jaeger, good, bail, looking good so far. Nice double lay, some leg sep but stuck. 9.825

Widner (Stanford): Nice FTY, straight in the air, thought she might hang onto the landing there but takes a hop back. 9.775

Brovedani (UA): Arches the first handstand, Maloney to Pak and WIPES OUT. Looks totally stunned. She’s not going to finish that routine, which is probably the smart call.

Brunette (Stanford): FTY, a little piked throughout, bigger hop back. 9.8

Nguyen (Stanford): Just FTY today, super high and open, landing on an 8-incher for safety. Bounce in place. 9.8

LaRusso (UA): Blind to Jaeger, little soft in the back throughout, bail with a foot flicker. Missed a handstand, FTDB with a hop straight back. Good for her following a pretty gnarly miss. 9.7

Roberts (Stanford): Pretty one and a half, great leg form, hop straight forward. Really nice and square. 9.875

Hargrove (UA): Full turn to Tkachev, good, missed a handstand, bail, FTDB a little lock-legged, small hop back. 9.775

Fears (UA): Nice Tkachev, making the handstands, clear hip to bail just a smidge soft, DLO, pops forward onto her toes to hold onto the stick. 9.8

After 1: Stanford 49.025, Arizona 48.775

Neither team’s dream first rotation, but plenty to be proud of. Stanford’s third-best vault score of the season, and Arizona had to really focus to get through bars after Brovedani’s miss.

Rotation 2: Arizona VT, Stanford UB

Herry (UA): FTY, some body shape but essentially stuck. Not a ton of distance. 9.775

Dean (Stanford): Nice Ray, Pak caught a little close to switch kip, blind full double back stuck with just a little arm adjustment.

Mueller (UA): Twisting onto the table, pikey FTY with a small hop back. 9.725

Brunette (Stanford): Blind to Deltchev to bail, a little bit of form, double layout with a pace back. Nice.

Strom (UA): FTY, pikey, bigger bounce back.

Neault (Stanford): Maloney to Pak, nice and clean, making the handstands, toe full double back pretty and stuck. Awesome. 9.85

Hargrove (UA): One and a half, great, almost hangs onto the stick and then takes a TINY step forward. Stanford commentators are floored by her amplitude which is saying something when their standard is Roberts. 9.9

Alexeeva (Stanford): Toe half to eagle, pike Jaeger, pretty, Pak with a little leg sep, the craziest switch kip you have ever seen in your life and has to chill for a second and then re-cast to continue. Just a timer dismount. 9

Nosek (UA): Nice FTY, open with medium distance, hop back. 9.8

Roberts (Stanford): Nice Pak, toe on to van Leeuwen with a little leg separation, full turn to double back a little lock-legged, not sure if there was foot movement there or not. 9.85

LaRusso (UA): FTY, a little leg separation on the table, clean in the air with a hop back.

Widner (Stanford): Pretty Tkachev but just a little too far and can’t hang onto it. Double lay with a hop back.

Sorrento in the ex for Stanford. Soft back and shapey all routine, with the Pak in particular very piked, but a solid hit.

After 2: Arizona 97.775, Stanford 97.500

Counting a fall sucks for Stanford but the Card is very much still in this. For Arizona, never really a vault team, you’re never going to complain about a 49.000, and it’s so great to see Hargrove dialing in her landing this year.

Rotation 3: Stanford BB, Arizona FX

Dean (Stanford): Side aerial BHS, nice and clean, switch half to beat and that split was kinda borderline. One and a half twist stuck. Awesome. 9.875

Orman (UA): Front lay to Rudi, a little overrotated but avoids taking any extra steps. Switch side Popa, nice. Solid double pike. 9.725

Onyshko (Stanford): Front aerial BHS BHS, really nice. Switch ring to beat. Gainer pike stuck. Super solid. 9.925

Herry (UA): Double tuck, a little overrotated. Great combo pass, commentators are really into her music, nice double pike to wrap up. 9.775

Alexeeva (Stanford): Gorgeous handstand work. Double wolf turn, BHS LOSO, steady so far. Switch half to beat, pretty, gainer tuck full stuck. Stanford looking untouchable on beam so far. 9.925

Strom (UA): Rudi, chest down a little but lunges out fine. Switch ring half is a little sketch, as are most of them, one and a half front full comes in LOW but saves it well. 9.575

Neault (Stanford): BHS LOSO solid, front aerial, check with arm swing. Split to standing ring leap is awesome. One and a half twist, drilled. 9.85

LaRusso (UA): Front double full, solid. Cat leap switch side Popa, not sure she got both legs to horizontal on the Popa. Rudi, rebounds out of it but stays in bounds. 9.7

Roberts (Stanford): Nice wolf turn, L hop to switch side is WAY short, not sure that’s even creditable. BHS LOSO, leg up check. Side aerial to split is steady, drilled the one and a half dismount. 9.775

Mueller (UA): Great double pike. Switch side Popa, little hop, super energy. One and a half front lay is steady. Double back looked overrotated to me but she kept the front foot down.

Widner (Stanford): Got the leaps, BHS LOSO, no drama so far. Front aerial to split, looked like she stepped on her toes a little on the aerial but it’s fine. Front aerial. Cartwheel gainer full, little hop back.

Hargrove (UA): Full in, great. Whip half front full. Switch ring, front leg low, tour jete half good. Double back, awesome. 9.825

After 3: Stanford 147.000, Arizona 146.625

Incredible incredible beam work from the Cardinal. Just imperious.

Rotation 4: Arizona BB, Stanford FX

Fears (UA): BHS LOSO, nice and steady, full turn. Cat leap side aerial with a little check. One and a half twist, stuck on her toes. Nice start. 9.775

Dean (Stanford): Double pike, a little overrotated. Switch full, great. One and a half front full well-landed, looking good. Switch half to… I think Popa, I blinked. Super solid.

Herry (UA): Full turn. BHS LOSO tentative but made, nice side somi. Straddle staddle half. One and a half twist, pretty with a tiny hop straight forward. 9.825

Brunette (Stanford): Front lay to Rudi, nice, tour jete half wolf full a little chaotic. Double tuck, landed on her toes, lunge goes forward.

Hargrove (UA): BHS LOSO LOSO nailed. Wow. Overturned her full turn a TOUCH, split to sheep and the sheep position was not great, one and a half twist stuck on her toes. 9.85

Neault (Stanford): Nice double pike, tons of amplitude. Rudi, switch ring tour jete half pretty good, one and a half front lay with a little extra momentum but dances out. Nice. 9.85

Mueller (UA): Side aerial BHS great, switch ring to straddle, super emphatic and snappy movement style. One and a half twist, baby hop forward.

Zeng (Stanford): Front lay to Rudi, maybe a smidge short. Tour jete half Popa, a little chaotic, double back way off the diagonal and steps OOB.

Burhans (UA): BHS LOSO, great extension. Cat leap side aerial, check. Split to ring, low front leg. BHS gainer pike stuck. 9.775

Nguyen (Stanford): Double layout, slightly long lunge but just so dynamic. Switch side Popa good. Two and a half front pike was CRAZY, mistimed the pike badly but made it around. 9.85

Linton (UA): BHS BHS LOSO, fall. Gainer pike with a hop back.

Roberts (Stanford): Front lay to Rudi, lovely. Nailed the double back. Switch half Popa. Nice one to wrap up. 9.9

FINAL: Stanford 196.275, Arizona 195.700

That’s a season high for the Cardinal WITH a counted fall. Arizona had to fight a little, but that’s still a decent NQS road score with a few odd lineup shuffles to accommodate for Elena Deets’ absence. (Not sure what was up with that, she was physically present.)

VT: Malia Hargrove 9.900
UB: Brenna Neault, Anna Roberts 9.85
BB: Chloe Widner, Ira Alexeeva, Isabela Onyshko 9.925
FX: Anna Roberts 9.900
AA: Anna Roberts 39.400

READ THIS NEXT: Stanford Flips the Script, Competes With Gratitude


Live blog by Rebecca Scally

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