In its second Big Ten dual meet of the season, Illinois travels to Los Angeles with momentum from last week’s 196.275 performance. The Illini is looking to build on that score for a solid road mark, crucial for postseason rankings. Chloe Cho continues to prove herself as a key all-arounder, posting a 39.400 last week to win the all-around title, and there’s potential for even more improvement. If UCLA stumbles, Illinois is more than capable of capitalizing and pulling off an upset.
UCLA has hit back-to-back 197.550s, calming some nerves after its season-opening 195.250. A third consecutive 197-plus performance in Pauley Pavilion should secure the win for the Bruins. Keep an eye on Jordan Chiles, who’s on 10-watch on both bars and floor while Emma Malabuyo narrowly missed perfection last week with a 9.975 on beam. If both athletes continue to perform at this level, expect big things from UCLA.
Per UCLA’s Instagram story, Margzetta Frazier and Evan Heiter will be on the mic tonight.
Chloe Cho and Mareli Muller are in the all-around slots for Illinois, while Chae Campbell will be UCLA’s sole all-arounder today.
Margzetta starts off her commentating career with a “hey bestiee” which is exactly the type of energy I’m looking for
Rotation 1: UCLA Vault, Illinois Bars
Lee – VT: Yfull, stuck – could use more amplitude but great start for the Bruins. 9.9
Ward – UB: Jaeger, close, small arch in the overshoot, arm swing and adjustment on the dismount. 9.750
Moors – VT: Front pike half vault with a medium-sized hop and a step. 9.775 is a bit generous
Denning – UB: Maloney to overshoot, leg separations, double layout dismount, tiny hop. 9.725
Anyimi – VT: Big FTY flared out, small hop back. 9.750
Muller – UB: Maloney to Pak, leg separations, extremely crooked on the pirouette and almost comes off the bar, saves it but has to re-kip, step back on the double layout. 9.250
Campbell – VT: Her usual perfect FTY, stuck but a tinyyyy waver to hold the stick. Better than Lee’s 9.9 so I fear they might have to give her the 9.95. She goes 9.925 which is the right score.
Knight – Bars: Maloney to overshoot, good, winds up quickly for her double layout dismount. 9.800
Chiles – Vault: Half-on, tuck half-off, stuck. Slightly off-direction. 9.925
Cho – Bars: Maloney to Pak, floaty, great casts, a little wonky on the VL, stuck DLO. Fantastic. 9.850
McGowan – Vault: 1.5, great form in the air, just a little too much juice and has to take a medium hop forwards. She’s also a little off to the left. 9.800
Green – Bars: Maloney to Pak, lands right in the handstand in the pirouette, small waver on the double layout dismount.
Webster-Longin – Vault: Exhibition. Lands the 1.5 today, medium step backward.
After 1: UCLA 49.325, Illinois 48.950
A 49.325 is UCLA’s highest vault score so far this season. Campbell, Chiles, and Lee showed great stuck vaults today. The Illini had a fine start on bars, just occasional form problems. Chloe Cho capitalized on bars for the Illini with a 9.850.
Rotation 2: UCLA Bars, Illinois Vault
Cappola – Vault: Stuck FTY, some piking down. 9.800
Campbell – Bars: Maloney to overshoot, good, good cast handstands, small hop on the double-front dismount with some cowboying. 9.775
Cho – Vault: Big FTY, stretched body position and more amplitude than Cappola. Stuck landing but waver on the landing to hold the stick. 9.875
Rosen – Bars: Great opening cast, Maloney to Pak, good position in the pirouette, scoot back on the double layout. 9.800
Gordon – Vault: Looks like her knees buckled on the springboard and just did a front handspring. 7.6
Malabuyo – Bars: Maloney to Pak, slightly over in the pirouette, toe-on to stuck full-in dismount. 9.850
King – Vault: FTY, slide on the landing. 9.750
McGowan – Bars: Clear hip to Tkatchev to bail, stuck double layout to finish. Great work. 9.875
Muller – Vault: Dynamic FTY, off to the side on the landing, some piking down.
Esparza – Bars: Maloney to Bhardwaj is floaty, almost looks like she lost her grip but she kept it moving, great last cast, stuck double layout to finish. Great routine. 9.925
Ward – Vault: FTY, hangs on to the stick, some piking down. 9.800
Chiles – Bars: Piked Tkatchev to Pak, late on the pirouette, short on the dismount and takes a medium step. 9.750
After 2: UCLA 98.550, Illinois 97.975
UCLA with a 49.225 bars rotation is fine, just a missed opportunity to build on that with some small mistakes from Chiles in the anchor spot. Illinois had some impressive stuck FTYs in lineups for a 49.025, its highest vault total this season.
Rotation 3: UCLA Beam, Illinois Floor
Lee – beam: Front aerial to split jump, smooth, BHS LOSO, small waver, switch to straddle, waver on the full turn. Stuck gainer full dismount. 9.725
Joelson – floor: Double pike, lunge back, gets the leaps around, front tuck to double-tuck with a medium lunge back and a step OOB. 9.575
Rosen – beam: Switch leap to split jump, BHS LOSO to LOSO unintentional dismount, full turn, 1.5 dismount with a step back. 8.875
King – floor: Opening double pike with a lunge back, almost buckled on the 1.5 to barani and has to tuck it around. 9.55
Campbell – beam: Solid on the BHS to pike, split leap to switch half, good, stuck gainer full dismount. Important routine for the Bruins after Rosen’s fall. 9.850
Ward – floor: Rudi to open, lunge back, front layout to full to stag, some knees. Good recovery for the Illini after two 9.5s.
Moors – beam: Front aerial to BHS, smooth, cat leap to aerial, disguises a wobble with dance, stuck front full dismount. Marz is so funny “what waver? she’s doing the newest dance move, the ‘waver.'” Goes 9.875
Nock – floor: Lunge back on the double-pike, front layout to Rudi, under control. 9.825
Alipio – beam: BHS BHS LOSO, small lean, side aerial, holds it with a minor adjustment, split leap to switch leap to beat jump, gainer full with a small hop. 9.800
Cho – floor: full-in with a big step back, I don’t think she went OOB? Just gets the Gogean around, big lunge out of the 2.5 dismount. 9.700
Malabuyo – beam: Wolf turn, solid, BHS LOSO, aggressive with it, front aerial to beat jump to Korbut, smooth. Stuck gainer full dismount. Great finish. 9.900
Muller – floor: Double pike, chest low, lunge forwards, front layout to full, double tuck to finish, low chest.
Chiles – beam: Exhibition, BHS LOSO, solid, cat leap to switch side, connects it smoothly, double-full dismount with a hop to the side. 9.850
Gordon – floor: Exhibition, front double-full, rushed out of the punch but gets it to her feet, front layout to full, rushed, misses positions on the dance elements.
After 3: UCLA 197.700, Illinois 146.525
The Bruins did a good job of recovering after two shakier beam routines earlier in the lineup for a 49.150 on beam. Illinois struggled with landings on floor and will have to count a 9.575 for a 48.550.
Rotation 4: UCLA Floor, Illinois Beam
Knight – beam: Short on the split jump 3/4, BHS LOSO, off, cat leap to aerial, wobble, 1.5 dismount with a bounce.
Webster – Longin – floor: Front double-full, out of control on the landing, 1.5 to layout, nice form, Rudi to huge stag jump. 9.750
Nataraj – beam: BHS LOSO to wobble, beat jump to front aerial, 1.5 dismount, hop and some leg form. 9.650
Malabuyo – floor: Controlled double-pike, good positions in the dance elements, Marz talking about how she has beef with wolf turns – real, floaty 1.5 to layout to finish. One of her best. 9.925
King – beam: Off on the BHS LOSO, switch… half? Cat leap to switch side , needs more amplitude. 1.5 dismount small hop. 9.050
McGowan – floor: Huge full-in, hop back, gets the leaps around, 1.5 to full to finish. 9.875
Knight – beam: Back dive mount, smooth opening dance connection, saves the aerial to BHS, sticks the gainer dismount. 9.775
Moors – floor: Gets the front double-full to tuck under control, leaps are under control and have great amplitude, Rudi to close, under control. 9.9 with a 9.85/9.95 split is interesting.
Coppola – beam: Aerial to round off, gets the connection, side aerial to two feet, chest low but cool skill, tuck/layout? full gainer dismount stuck.
Campbell – floor: Her Missy Elliot audition tape routine, full-in step back, switch full to straddle full, good extension, double tuck to lunge, disguises short landing, I HATE WHEN THE CAMERA PANS TO THE AUDIENCE INSTEAD OF THE GYMNAST WHILE THE ROUTINE IS ONGOING CAN WE NOT??? Front layout to full, lunge forwards. Great routine. 9.850
Cho – beam: BHS LOSO, clean, switch leap to switch half to beat, good, side aerial is clean, 1.5 dismount stuck. Great work.
Chiles – floor: Double layout, shows control, switch full to wolf full, front tuck to double-tuck dismount – chest a tad low but landing is under control. 9.950
Sapp – beam: BHS LOSO, switch leap to switch half, under 180, stuck gainer full dismount.
Barros – floor: 1.5 to full, hop forwards, misses the ring position in the switch ring, double tuck is under control, this is one of my favorite floor routines in this lineup, switch half to wolf full, nice.
FINAL: UCLA 197.200, Illinois 194.700
UCLA coming away with another successful meet. The Bruins shifted some of their lineups today and that decision paid off. Janelle has some interesting lineup choices in the coming weeks. Will she test potentially higher-scoring, yet riskier routines? Or will she continue with some safer, more conservative options.
Things started okay on vault and bars for the Illini, but the wheels started to come off on floor and beam. Chloe Cho continued to prove herself as the team’s MVP with a 39.350 all-around performance.
VT: Campbell, Chiles (UCLA) 9.925
UB: Esparza (UCLA) 9.925
BB: Cho (Illinois) 9.925
FX: Chiles (UCLA) 9.950
AA: Campbell (UCLA) 39.400
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Live blog by Daniel Rothwell
Jordan Chiles was on exhibition for beam, how can she win the all around? I know Virtius lists her as winning, but it seems it should not?