The Bruins are on a roll! In their tie at California last week, they came within a hair of their first 198 of the Janelle McDonald era, and the breakthrough seems imminent. Another stratospheric score in Tucson could provide a nice NQS boost: UCLA is looking to drop a 197.275, so anything over that number is a success. The one-two punch of Jordan Chiles and Selena Harris in the all around continues to lead the Bruins.
Arizona is also on a bit of a 196 roll, and would prefer to keep it going. It has two 195s still counting toward its NQS that it would rather drop. Elena Deets remains MIA, while Malia Hargrove has been a rock on all four, notching a 9.975 on vault at Oregon State last week. The Wildcats will rely on her leadership to try to win this upset.
The last time Arizona won this matchup was in 2006, so if the Bruins have an off day and Arizona can capitalize, it would be a huge upset.
Ooops, apparently there was a dead spot in the floor that Chiles spotted during warmups. The event staff pulled it up and got it fixed quickly, so we are starting on time.
Now John Court is moving the vault table oh boy oh boy.
Rotation 1: Arizona vault, UCLA bars
Herry (UA): Yfull, hip angle and a hop back. 9.75
Campbell (UCLA): Maloney, some leg separation. Clean bail hand. Blind to wide cowboy on the double front, hop back. 9.8
Mueller (UA): Yfull, big hop back. 9.8
Steele (UCLA): Bit of a wait for her. Maloney, leg sep on release and back swing. I missed her high-to-low transition. DLO, low chest, swung her arms and hopped forward. 9.8
Nosek (UA): Yfull, leg sep in the preflight, hop. 9.725
Padurariu (UCLA): Maloney, leg sep on the back swing. Nice bail hand. FTDB, adjusted one foot on the landing. 9.9
Hargrove (UA): How will she follow up that 9.975?! Y1.5, super high, big hop forward. 9.75
Harris (UCLA): Ray, lovely. Great, patient handstands. Clean bail hand. Arched the last handstand, pulled it back, Blind full DLO, small hop. 9.85
Castles (UA): Yfull, bit of a low chest on the landing and hopped right up in place. 9.775
Chiles (UCLA): pike Jaeger to Pak, clean throughout. Maloney, leg sep on backswing, clean Gienger. FTDB stuck. She’s so fun to watch. 9.975
Larusso (UA): Yfull, hop back, some soft knees on the table. 9.825
Frazier (UCLA): DLO, hop back. We missed most of her routine. Things are moving FAST here. She threw a grip, so it may not have been an ideal routine. Okay, very arched first handstand to good Maloney, clean Pak. Very late on her half pirouett and an arm swing standing on the low bar. 9.65
After 1: UCLA 49.325, Arizona 48.900
The Arizona vaults looked mostly great in the air, landings were just no dialed in today. The hops illustrated too much power or going too hard for sticks, though, which should be a good sign to Court for this group. UCLA really just had some small errors that kept the total lower than it might have been, those arched handstands and some hops, but it’s overall a tight rotation that’s looking more and more like what we expect to see from a Janelle McDonald-coached crew.
Rotation 2: Arizona bars, UCLA vault
Lee (UCLA): Yfull, small pike angle and a hop. 9.875
Mueller (UA): Tkatchev, very high! Toe hand bent arms to bail hand. DLO, arm swing and a step into the salute. Some foot form throughout. 9.75
Anyimi (UCLA): Yfull, hop back, good distance. 9.8
Larusso (UA): Blind to Jaeger, knees on catch. Bail hand, crossed her legs in the air. FTBD, short and a big hop forward. 9.5, it was a huge hop.
Malabuyo (UCLA): In for Frazier today. Yfull, bent arms on the table, hop back but lovely in the air. 9.825
Raskin (UA): Higgins to Jaeger, pretty lines. Bail hand, nice. DLO, leg sep and a hop forward. She had some bent arms throughout her giants. 9.6
Campbell (UCLA): Yfull, HUGE per usual, stuck, her weight was a little back on her heels but she didn’t budge. 9.925
Hargrove (UA): Blind full, she seemed to get a little lost and had an arch so she just couldn’t keep her momentum and she fell. Looks like Court is checking the bar cables. We’ve now had adjustments on three events, look out beam. Okay, she’s fully starting over from the top. Blind full, still some arch but makes it, Tkatchev, knee form. Bail hand was clean.FTDB, step back. I do not know if they’re calling that an equipment failure or a fall. We’ll see. 9.1, okay it was just taken as a fall.
Harris (UCLA): She is dancing waiting for her turn, loose as can be. Y1.5, soft knees a huge hop forward and to the right. 9.525 Raised to 9.725?
Fears (UA): Long wait, we have a judges conference happening and the meet ref is involved. Here we go. Tkatchev, nice. Clear hip hand to bail hand was clean. DLO leg sep but stuck. She really held those handstands. That’s what Arizona needed. 9.775
Chiles (UCLA): DTY, twisted a little on the table, her usual slight leg cross, small hop back. 9.975 oh my. The 10 judge…I have questions.
McCabe (UA): Short handstand. Blind to pike Jaeger, caught close, feet and knee form. Foot form in the bail hand. Another short handstand. DLO, balance error on the landing. 9.675
After 2: UCLA 98.725, Arizona 96.650
Arizona really struggled through that rotation. It’s one to forget and move on. Bars has really been the problem even for the Wildcats this year; they just can’t quite seem to sort it out this year. UCLA looked nice on vault, like Arizona the Bruins were clean in the air and deductions came down to hops. The difference in scores between the teams there was likely due in good part to amplitude by UCLA. The Chiles score was silly, but otherwise they weren’t too wonky.
Rotation 3: Arizona beam, UCLA floor
Fears (UA): Split jump, nice. Bhs loso, slightly off balance on the landing. Little adjustment on her full turn. Cat to side aerial, clean there. Beat to double stag, balance check. RO 3/2, picked one foot up and put it back down. 9.725
Lashbrooke (UCLA): In at the last second here. Maybe just getting to do a home state routine. Double tuck, great lunge, crunchy toes in the air. RO 3/2 front lay, could’ve been higher on the lay but clean form. Switch side Popa, cheated the rotation a bit. Double pike, very low chest and stepped OOB. Maybe OOB, hard to say, couldn’t see a line judge. 9.625, I’m going to guess they took the OOB.
Herry (UA): Nice bhs loso and then a solid side somi. Straddle to split half, small check. Bhs 3/2 true stick. Unclear why judges are having issues with this one, can’t imagine a SV issue? 9.875
Lee (UCLA): In for Malabuyo, just moved down from the leadoff. Great double tuck. Front lay front full, great landing, just not super amplitude. Switch ring switch half was clean. Double pike, another solid landing, just foot form in the air. 9.9
Deets (UA): She’s back! And she has a long wait due to a judges conference! Bhs loso, small check in her arms, good recovery. Slightly off balance on her full turn. Clean in her leaps. Cat to front toss, again just one arm slightly off and a good recovery. Switch to piked down gainer full. 9.85
Malabuyo (UCLA): Stuck double tuck. RO 3/2 front lay, nice, dances right out. Switch ring to switch half, good splits. Double pike, lunge back was a bit big but not out of control. 9.925
Mueller (UA): Side aerial loso, big break at the hips. Leg up on her full turn. Switch to straddle, little short in the back leg on her switch. RO 3/2 stuck. 9.775
Chiles (UCLA): DLO, hops right into the lunge. Front through double tuck, chest a bit forward on the landing but controlled lunge out. Tour jete half wolf full, little off balance in the air on the wolf. Double pike, great landing there, some flexed feet in the air. 9.95
Linton (UA): Wolf turn double, big arm swing. Clean triple series. Switch to split, nice there. RO 3/2 hop forward. Wrapped herself in the Pride flag after her set. 🙂 9.875
Campbell (UCLA): Full-in, great landing. We cut to the crowd and missed her leap series why? To see a white man head bobbing. Really nice on her combo pass. Double tuck, low chest on the landing and she stepped forward. 9.9, just that last landing.
Castles (UA): Pretty tick tock. Clean bhs loso, her pointed toes there really stand out. Switch to split was clean. Front aerial small check but keeps moving into the beat jump. Wolf turn triple, some arm swings throughout. RO 3/2 hop forward. 9.85
Frazier (UCLA): Whip through double tuck, deduction-free landing, just some foot form. Tour jete half Popa Popa, little imprecise in the tour jete rotation, cleaner on the Popas, but great shapes on all three. Double pike, couldn’t see her feet behind McDonald, but the screams imply a good landing. 9.9
After 3: UCLA 148.300, Arizona 146.450
The Bruins really are a blast on floor. Judges maybe got a little caught up in the performance quality, but it didn’t get super out of control. Arizona really said bars who? That was a solid beam lineup coming off of such a tough bars rotation, and seeing Deets back and Linton slipped in at the last minute and hitting her best in weeks was undoubtedly good for the Wildcats’ confidence.
Rotation 4: Arizona floor, UCLA beam
Lee (UCLA): Small adjustment on her bhs loso, she moved her front foot. Clean leaps. Check on her front aerial to split, broke that connection. Bhs gainer full. Not sure what they’ll do with that connection, but to me it was broken. 9.7
Larusso (UA): Punch 2/1, really high and a good landing. Cat to switch side Popa, the cat wasn’t really a precise shape. RO 3/2 front lay, good landing, missing a little amplitude on the lay. Punch rudi, low chest but she covered it up well with a big exaggerated lunge. 9.75
Alipio (UCLA): Shoulder drop on her full turn. Front aerial back tuck, no precise shape in the tuck, it was a tuck/pike combo. Split to switch half to beat, tidy there. Side aerial split jump, nice. Gainer full off the end, low chest but held her feet. 9.875
Deets (UA): Standing ring full, she cheated a little by sliding her feet into the rotation. Front lay front full, nice there. Again cheated the rotation on her leap series a little. High double tuck, bounced back in her lunge. 9.725
Padurariu (UCLA): Candle mount, hit vertical and held it. Wolf turn double, cleanest we’ve seen tonight. Side aerial bhs, steady. Nice switch leap. Beat to sheep, small adjustment on the landing. RO 3/2, came up on her toes but I don’t think she moved a foot other than pulling them together. 9.95
Mueller (UA): High double pike, huge lunge out, really had to fight to keep her front foot down, they might take lack of control. Switch side Popa, cheated rotation. RO 3/2 front lay, clean there. Double tuck, low chest. 9.75
Chiles (UCLA): Front aerial, small check. She resets. Bhs loso loso, good. Switch to wolf, great, I love a really tight wolf shape. Clean side aerial. RO double pike, holds her feet but low chest. Borden wants a 10 I…do not. 9.95
Schultz (UA): Her collegiate debut! FHS 2/1 punch front, some twisting leg form and bit low on the punch front. Switch ring to switch side, didn’t really fully get into the ring shape. Cartwheel loso, presumably for her backward requirement. FHS rudi, better form that time. 9.825
Harris (UCLA): Bhs loso bhs, solid. The rhythm of that is so satisfying. Check on her leap series into full turn. Another check on her front toss. RO 3/2 little deep in the squat but held her feet. 9.9
Herry (UA): Double tuck, scooted pretty far back in her lunge. Switch half Popa, nice there. RO 3/2 front lay, good landing but low on the lay. Double pike, pretty short and was forward on the landing. 9.725
Malabuyo (UCLA): Some arm movement in her wolf turn. Clean bhs loso, another toe point queen. Front aerial split bhs swingdown, great there, another bit of fun rhythm. Clean on her beat to split ring. Bhs gainer full, really deep knees. 9.925
Hargrove (UA): Full-in, great form in the air, kept her legs even, big but controlled lunge. RO whip half front full, stepped forward out a bit uncontrolled that time. Switch ring to split full, good. Double tuck, another sizeable lunge with backward momentum. 9.825
FINAL: UCLA 197.900, Arizona 195.325
A very nice day for the Bruins, and a solid score despite some lineup shuffling and giving Harris a day off of floor. There was a little Olympian bias happening, but it wasn’t as wild as some of the scoring we’ve seen in 2023. Arizona just really had that bar struggle, but came back strong on beam and floor for a score that isn’t bad considering the 48.325.
VT: Chiles 9.975
UB: Chiles 9.975
BB: Padurariu, Chiles 9.950
FX: Chiles 9.950
AA: Chiles 39.850
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Live blog by Emily Minehart
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