This one could be really tight. Alabama has been one of the stars of this season’s opening weeks, but a road SEC matchup against a strong and experienced team like Kentucky will pose a real challenge.
Take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the Alabama freshmen if you haven’t yet: They’re an intriguing crew who have made a splash across multiple lineups already. Kentucky is currently the top ranked team in the country on vault and could make Alabama’s life difficult by taking a big lead in the first rotation.
Rotation 1: Kentucky VT, Alabama UB
Rodriguez (UK): FTY nice and straight, small hop straight back. Starting off hot with camera directly behind a gymnast’s head. 9.8
LaCoursiere (Bama): Nice first handstand, Maloney to Pak with great leg form, slightly borderline handstand on the low bar, van Leeuwen maybe a little wonky but hard to tell from this angle. FTDB with a small hop back. 9.875
Rizo (UK): FTY, maybe a little higher than the last one, hop in place. 9.825
Paradise (Bama): Slightly imprecise first cast handstand, solid Jaeger, bail, double layout with leg separation and a hop. From the side there’s very clear foot form throughout this routine. 9.75
Noonan (UK): Half on half off tucked, stuck! Feet but you expect that with tucked vaults. Maybe could use a bit more amplitude. 9.85
Hudson (Bama): Maloney, loose form with leg separation, bail, commentators think the last cast handstand was short but I really couldn’t tell from here, FTDB wth leg separation in the second salto but stuck with maybe a tiny foot adjustment. 9.8
Wilson (UK): Front handspring pike half, high and clean but a little close to the table, stuck emphatically. Chest position slightly borderline to me, which doesn’t diminish how fun it is to watch. 9.9
Fuller (Bama): First Bama freshman routine of the week. Nice Pak, very slight arch on a handstand, toe on to van Leeuwen. Double layout, pretty, stuck. Nice one. 9.925
Magnelli (UK): Crushed her pike half, stuck emphatically. The kind where you can tell from her face that she knows it’s good before her feet hit the mat. 9.925
Gladieux (Bama): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot. I love a straddle Jaeger that has the legs back together on the catch. Blind full double back, two little hops back. Some little bits of foot form in that one. 9.825
Killough-Wilhelm (UK): Yurchenko 1.5, nice in the air, a shade short and hops back.
Walker (Bama): She’s been awesome on bars this year. Big air on the Pak, Maloney and hits her feet and GOES FOR THE GIENGER ANYWAY and falls on that. Sat down on the podium, I wasn’t sure if she’d finish with five hits ahead of her but she did, FTDB stuck.
Pawlak in ex for Bama. It’s a good one with a stuck double layout. I’d put that in over Paradise.
After 1: Kentucky 49.300, Alabama 49.175
A lead for Kentucky after its best event, but not an insurmountable. It would have been tight with a hit for Walker. I’m not sure why we didn’t see Anna Flynn Cashion on vault today.
Rotation 2: Alabama VT, Kentucky UB
German (Bama): Yurchenko one and a half, two steps back. A little soft on the table. 9.6
Rivelli (UK): Emphatic first handstand, blind to Jaeger to overshoot. DLO pretty, hop back. 9.8
Bunagan (Bama): One and a half, good dynamics, bigger hop straight forward. Lots of distance. 9.85
Noonan (UK): Maloney to clear hip handstand, bail, DLO with a little step. 9.85
Kvamme (Bama): One and a half, slight leg split on the table which I point out because it was the only flaw, stuck absolutely dead. Awesome. 9.9
Davis (UK): Jaeger, slightly loose legged on the catch, nice bail. DLO pretty in the air, bigger hop back. 9.8
Paradise (Bama): One and a half, a bit of foot form, quick hop forward. There’s some form on the table in this one. 9.875
Procasky (UK): Maloney to Pak, tidy, DLO clean and stuck. Really tidy routine. 9.85
Hudson (Bama): Nice and clean, another stuck one and a half for the Tide. This has been a great rotation after German. 9.925
Rodriguez (UK): Tkachev, middling amplitude, clear hip to bail. DLO, medium hop forward. 9.9
Gladieux (Bama): Little step back on her one and a half. It’s so tempting to just use the full for her because she crushes it so consistently but I’m glad to see the 10.0 SV is still in rotation. 9.8
Killough-Wilhelm (UK): Blind to pike Jaeger to overshoot, pretty! DLO, stuck with a lean forward. 9.925
Faye Rodio is Alabama’s vault exhibition, comes in a bit short. Annie Riegert for Kentucky, just saw a shapey double layout with a hop,
After 2: Kentucky 98.625, Alabama 98.525
Two good rotations there. Underrotations held Alabama back a bit, but the good vaults were great. Kentucky had a nice sensible bars rotation. Onto beam, while the Tide will try to kick into high gear on floor.
Rotation 3: Kentucky BB, Alabama FX
Rodriguez (UK): Switch split, BHS BHS LOSO perfectly secure. Full turn, side somi, holding her landing positions really nicely One and a half twist stuck. 9.9!
Fuller (Bama): Front through double back, slide back. This floor is loud, which I love. Switch half, short of split, to nice Popa. Double wolf turn. One and a half front lay, great landing. 9.75
Brose (UK): Nice emphatic front tuck. Kickover front back tuck, switch to beat, one and a half twist with a big step forward. 9.825
Rybicki (Bama): Double tuck, big step OOB. Unclear positions and rotation on her leaps. One and a half front full is great. 9.7
Lee (UK): Debut! BHS BHS LOSO, wasn’t sure about the direction in the air but she landed it just fine. Switch straddle quarter, nice. A smile now after looking a bit nervous at the beginning. Arm swing on the full turn, no big deal. One and a half, stuck. Great work and she looks delighted. 9.9
German (Bama): Her first college floor routine. Double lay, step out of bounds. Switch half, way short of split, to wolf full. Combo pass with a slightly longer step. 9.775 they didn’t take the OOB?? OK, updated to 9.675 a few moments later,
Procasky (UK): Kickover front BHS, nice. Hitch kick switch side, pretty. Switch split. Full turn, gainer pike with the tiniest baby step. 9.875
Adams (Bama): First time we’ve seen her today. Waiting through a judging delay on German. Super high double pike, short and steps forward. She’s got very pretty leaps. One and a half front lay, short and steps back. 9.8
Killough-Wilhelm (UK): Front aerial BHS LOSO, tiniest bit of feet but really fluid and lovely. Full turn, good. Nice leap extension, side aerial one and a half with a little adjustment. 9.825
Hudson (Bama): Lovely on the front lay to front double full. A little deep on the two and a half twist with a bigger step forward, but a nice one for her. 9.875
Magnelli (UK): Another nailed triple series, Kentucky is so good at them. Front aerial, little check on the full turn, nice gainer pike. 9.925
Gladieux (Bama): Flies on the half in half out with no hands, tour jete half Popa is nice and clean. Front lay to Rudi, secure, and the Doggette copycat ending pose. 9.9
Chesney Bennett in the exhibition for Kentucky. Breaks her dance connection but there’s potential here for the freshman.
After 3: Kentucky 148.050, Alabama 148.050
Alabama gave a lot away on floor there and Kentucky crushed beam. It would be hard for the Tide to come back from here.
Rotation 4: Alabama BB, Kentucky FX
LaCoursiere (Bama): Front to back series is good, sorry I literally thought she was still warming up, one and a half dismount. 9.875
Rodriguez (UK): Rudi layout, nice. Chest down on her double back but hey it’s three passes, nice control on the .one and a half front half. 9.85
Bunagan (Bama): BHS LOSO, big leg up check. Split double stag, huge gainer full off the side. 9.65
Cashion (UK): Floor debut, huge step forward out of front double full. Nice one and a half front lay and she’s got pretty presentation as well. Switch side Popa isn’t great. Another three pass routine though I did space and forget to write down what the third one was. 9.825
Hudson (Bama): Front aerial BHS LOSO, check. Good side aerial, stuck one and a half dismount. They’re hyping this up as the decider for the AA title with Rodriguez, I don’t know it’s enough. 9.85 ties!
Magnelli (UK): Did some skills while I was doing AA math. They were good. Short on her double pike, step forward. 9.85
Kvamme (Bama): Kickover front to beat, emphatic, BHS LOSO with a big check… and off. Switch split, pretty.
Having stream issues. I saw an OOB from Procasky.
This is not coming down to the wire. The commentators need to stop saying that.
Adams (Bama): Fell. Still struggling,
Davis (UK): OK let’s see if this works well enough to let us finish. Double pike, nice. One and a half front lay, stuck, awesome. 9.9
FINAL: Kentucky 197.325, Alabama 196.100
A mostly self-inflicted injury from Alabama. I’m hoping we’ll see some different lineup choices next week.
Kentucky looks great, steady and tidy and prepared. Excited to see where this season goes for the Wildcats.
VT: Isabella Magnelli (UK), Lilly Hudson (Bama) 9.925
UB: Ryan Fuller (Bama), Skylar Killough-Wilhelm (UK) 9.925
BB: Isabella Magnelli (UK) 9.925
FX: Hailey Davis (UK), Gabby Gladieux (Bama) 9.9
AA: Delaynee Rodriguez (UK), Lilly Hudson (Bama) 39.450
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
