It’s time for round two of the battle for the top of the ACC. While Clemson will come in as the favorite based on rankings, the last head-to-head matchup saw N.C. State come out ahead with a 196.300 to 195.600. Clemson struggled on beam in that meet, so that will be the area the Tigers will be trying to improve on here. Speaking of beam, N.C. State is coming into this matchup off of a 49.400 beam rotation against North Carolina that left N.C.State less than three tenths shy of 197. That magic 197 will be a score that both teams will be looking at as a possibility.
Since beam will be important for both teams, watch out for Alexis Ortega for N.C. State who broke 9.9 last week. Also watch for Brie Clark of Clemson in that event, she did have a fall at Pittsburgh last week, but has scored as high as 9.9 this season and will be looking for redemption.
Rotation 1: N.C. State vault, Clemson bars
Hall (NCS): Slight pike in the hips on her Yfull. Slightly closed shoulders on the block. Small hop back. 9.775
Wells (CLE): Arch on the first handstand. Hit the tkachev to overshoot combination with loose body form and some feet. Short on the FTDT dismount and takes a hop forward. 9.8
Ortega (NCS): More open shoulders on the table and had more height and distance on her Yfull than Hall. Had a hop and step back. 9.675
Jackson (CLE): Feet on the jaeger and high overshoot in the connection, but loose form. Feet on the FTDT as well with a slightly low chest, but held the stick. 9.875
Zultevicz (NCS): Best landing control on her Yfull. Hopped in place there. Similar height and distance to Ortega. Had a small pike at the end. 9.875
Lippeatt (CLE): Good turnover on the Ray and kind of whips the connecting pak. Good finish to the giant full before the double tuck. Had some feet on that dismount. Stuck the landing though. 9.9
Knight (NCS): Great height on her front pike half. It looked like she stuck it, but then took two tiny steps back. Some feet in the air and not the most distance. 9.875
DeGuzman (CLE): Great height and distance on the jaeger to overshoot combination. Best form of the bunch. Took a step back on her double layout dismount. Good toe point throughout. 9.85
Shepard (NCS): Slight pike at the end of her Yfull. A little high on the table. Good height. Small hop in place. 9.9
Rutherford (CLE): Strong Ray to start and clean bail. Kept the toe point. Slight le separation in the double layout dismount and helf on to the stick with a stagger. 9.875
Negrete (NCS): Similar height and distance as Shepard on her Yfull. Could have had her hips a little more open, but just a small hop back. 9.85
Webb (CLE): No leg separation on the Maloney to bail, but has a separation on the double layout dismount. Stuck the dismount. Had some feet on the dismount, but not during the routine. 9.875
After 1: Clemson 49.375, N.C. State 49.275
N.C. State would have been looking for a couple of more landings on vault, but both teams will be really happy with that first rotation. Both teams are over 197 pace after the first rotation.
Rotation 2: Clemson vault, N.C. State bars
Wells (CLE): Slight leg separation on the block of her Yfull. Flaired it out and stuck the landing. Good height an distance. 9.9
Adomaites (NCS): Very clean Maloney to pak. Connects the stalder to double tuck dismount and stuck the dismount. Good toe point throughout. 9.875
Jackson (CLE): Higher Yfull than Wells and a small hop. Some feet in the air. The hop was a little off directionally. 9.825
Childs (NCS): The commentator just jinxed her saying she has gone 6 for 6 on bar routines this year and then Childs fell on her jaeger. Just too far. Just went right to the overshoot. Good finish to the giant full and stuck the double tuck dismount. 8.75
Arnold (CLE): Not the biggest Y1.5, but she stuck that. A little bit of a deep landing and some soft knees. 9.925
Reid (NCS): Some feet and leg separations on the Maloney to pak. Short last handstand. Sticks the FTDT dismount with some flexed feet. 9.85
Minner (CLE): Sits down her tucked Y1.5. Felxed feet throughout and did not have the block to get the height to land it. 9.35
Harper (NCS): Kept the legs together on the clear hip to geinger. Clean bail. Not the highest double layout dismount and looks to have scooted her feet forward a little on the landing. 9.9
Holman (CLE): Crashed her front pike half. Blocked too high off the table and did not get the height. She crunched her ankles a bit on that. 9.25
Ortega (NCS): Some feet and a little close on the Hindorff. Hit the bail to toe shoot. Took a small hop back on the double layout dismount. 9.85
Brown (CLE): Great height on her Yfull. Open hips throughout and a small hop back on the landing. Some feet. 9.8
Shepard (NCS): Kept the toepoint on the jaeger. Very clean pak with legs together and toes pointed. Stuck the FTDT dismount. Looked like she would step back, but held on. Some leg form on the second flip of that dismount. 9.975
After 2: N.C. State 98.700, Clemson 98.175
Both teams had a fall in the first half of that rotation and N.C. State hit the rest of the routines to tie a program record bars score while Clemson had to count a fall. Even with counting a fall Clemson is still over 196 pace and can still salvage a road score. N.C. State will be looking at 197 like it is a real possibility after the halfway point.
Rotation 3: N.C. State beam, Clemson floor
Adler (NCS): Some knees but solid on the loso series. Clean full turn. Lost the toe point in the back foot on the switch to straddle quarter. Clean side aerial. Hit the cat leap to switch side combo. Small hop back on the gainer full. 9.85
Holman (CLE): A couple lunges out of the front double full, but stays in bounds. Hit the rotation of the switch side to Popa. Low on the Rudi to back layout. Tried to do a loso, but almost went out of bounds so just did a layout and hopped to the lunge. 9.675
Jennings (NCS): Smooth full turn. Underrotated the loso in the bhs bhs loso series and came off. Her foot slipped on the second bhs. Hit the switch to tuck 3/4s. Feet on the side aerial. Feet on the gainer full as well with a hop back. 9
Jackson (CLE): Open full twisting double back. Some feet on that and lunged forward. Hit the switch half to wolf full. Bounces out of the landing on the front tuck through to double tuck. Stayed in bounds though. 9.875
Harper (NCS): Clean beat jump to straddle 3/4s. Feet on the loso series with a slight lean. Good height on that. Good position on the cat leap to switch side. Solid front toss. Small hop forward on the punch front tuck full. 9.85
Arnold (CLE): Lifted up the front foot on the huge full in. Clean switch half to wolf full. Not the highest back 2.5 to front tuck, but controlled the landing. 9.875
Ortega (NCS): Held the leg up well for the L turn. Takes an extra couple steps on the bhs Onodi with a wobble. Clean switch to split to beat jump. Takes a step on the fhs. Small hop back on the switch to gainer pike dismount. 9.825
Wells (CLE): Lower full in than the past couple. She controlled her landing better, but almost/maybe went out of bounds. Around on the tour jete half to Popa to Popa. Good control on the back 1.5 through to back double full. 9.9
Shepard (NCS): Good hold on the L turn. Great posture on the switch to straddle quarter. Clean loso series. Solid side aerial. Good toe point on the split to split half. Tiny hop forward on the side aerial to back 1.5. 9.95
Clark (CLE): Big double layout and slid the front foot back. Hit the jump combo. Clean front layout to front full to front tuck. Maintained amplitude on that. 9.875
Negrete (NCS): Smooth front aierial to bhs. Hit the cat leap to switch half to beat jump. Small hop back on the double full. 9.9
Brown (CLE): Off on the front tuck anf misses the timing into the round off and only does a back tuck timer. Hit the switch side half to straddle jump. Controlled the last double pike with a low chest. 9.05
After 3: N.C. State 148.075, Clemson 147.375
N.C. State was able to overcome another early rotation fall to hit five routines and stay above 197 pace. A 48.925 is very attainable on floor at home. Clemson did not have the best landings on floor, but the scores would not tell you that. The Tigers can still very easily get a usable road score with a strong beam rotation.
Rotation 4: Clemson beam, N.C. State floor
Lippeatt (CLE): Some knees on the front aerial before the bhs swingdown. Good rhythm on thw switch to split leap. Clean side aerial to split jump. Hit the split 3/4s. Sticks the gainer front full. 9.9
Hall (NCS): L turn 1.5 ish into wolf full. Really high double tuck with some feet. Controlled landing. Hit the rotation on the switch half to wolf full. Keeps the front foot down on the Rudi. Pikes it down a little. Good height on the back 1.5 to front layout. 9.875
Clark (CLE): Great amplitude on the front tuck to straddle jump. Check on the loso series. A little correction on the full turn. Hesitant between the straddle jump and straddle quarter. Sticks the punch front full dismount. 9.875
Knight (NCS): Stutter steps out of the front double full. Fully rotated through. Rotated on the tour jete half to tour jete half. Huge Rudi to back loso. Really increased the amplitude on the second skill. 9.9
Kuhl (CLE): A little lacking amplitude on the bhs bhs loso series and comes off. Low switch to beat jump as well. Low front toss to beat jump, but holds on. Sticks the back 1.5 dismount. 9.075
Zultevicz (NCS): Pulled out the landing on the back 2.5 to front tuck. Missed the punch on that and skidded the feet on the landing. Hit the tour jete half to wolf full. Some feet on the double tuck and slid the front foot back. 9.85
Wells (CLE): Clean full turn. Slow connection between the switch and split 3/4s. Hit the loso series. Sticks the double full dismount. Great amplitude on that. 9.95
Edwards (NCS): Kept the foot down, but large lunge on the double tuck. Good amplitude on the leaps. Whips the second element on the front full front layout combination. Really high double tuck with some feet and controlled the lunge. 9.825
McCright (CLE): Clean full turn. Feet on the loso series and a slight lean. Beat jump to tuck full and large bend at the hips. Kept spinning on the side aerial and fell off. Step in place with one foot on the gainer full. 8.975
Shepard (NCS): Hopped forward on the double pike. Tour jete half to plit full was cleanly rotated. Controlled the step out of the front layout to front full. Some feet on the high double tuck. Controlled the lunge. 9.925 Thats a new individual AA program record
Church (CLE): Good amplitude on the loso series. Some feet. Chest forward on the beat jump to straddle 3/4s. Hit the side aerial and slow connects to the wolf jump. Sticks the back 1.5 dismount. 9.825
Negrete (NCS): Great control on the double pike. Perfectly landed switch full. Clean front full to front layout. Hit the switch half to split full. Slightly wonky rotation. Great double tuck to finish with some feet. 9.95
FINAL: N.C. State 197.575, Clemson 196.000
Clemson still hitting 196 with two falls is really impressive and encouraging for later in the season. The Tigers were sticking landings on every event and could have gotten a huge number without the falls. N.C. State was able to drops the falls and hit a lot of strong routines to post the highest bars score in program history and second highest team score in program history. Emily Shepard set a new all around record as well as tie the program bars record.
VT: Arnold 9.925
UB: Shepard 9.975
BB: Shepard, Wells 9.95
FX: Negrete 9.95
AA: Shepard 39.75
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Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
Absolutely ridiculous scoring. The ACC must have sent a memo to judges this weekend. Between this meet and UNC last night, the conference has basically thrown realistic scores out the window. It’s a complete disgrace.
The crazy scores are eventually going to be a major issue. When refs/umps get caught with intentionally trying to influence an outcome, they get suspended or terminated and fans start questioning whether the game is rigged. Gymnastics judges need to be held similarly accountable.