Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re back at Littlejohn Coliseum tonight for an exciting ACC showdown, as the Clemson Tigers host N.C. State in their annual Pink Meet for Breast Cancer Awareness. These teams last met at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad in Oklahoma City, where Clemson narrowly edged out the Wolfpack. Let’s see who comes out on top this time.
This is N.C. State’s third consecutive ACC matchup. After selling out Reynolds Coliseum for the first time in program history when they hosted Cal, the Wolfpack secured a home win against Pitt, posting their second-highest team score of the season and a season-best on floor. Key performances from Caroline Volk, Maddie Hall, Katie Harper, Chloe Negrete, and Ashley Knight led to that victory. Knight also earned her second ACC weekly honor, being named Specialist of the Week.
Clemson, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to North Carolina, struggling on beam but excelling elsewhere. Madison Minner won vault, and Hannah Clark and Lauren Rutherford took first and third on bars. Clemson posted a season-high 49.250 on bars, and Brie Clark continued her dominance on floor with another title and a 9.950 to close the night.
Rotation 1: Clemson VT, N.C. State UB
Kuhl (CU): Yurchenko full, takes a large step. 9.7
Adomaites (NCSU): Shaposh to Pak, solid. Last handstand was a little short. Stalder to double back, almost gets the stick.
Bryant (CU): Yurchenko full, a little short. 9.6
Childs (NCSU): Pretty Tkachev to bail. Great swing throughout. Blind full to double back, stuck.
Holman (NCSU): Yurchenko full, some form in the air but solid. 9.75
Myers (NCSU): Solid Shaposh to bail to handstand.
Minner (CU): Tucked Yurchenko full, solid. 9.825
Volk (NCSU): Huge Ray to open, misses her grip and falls. Repeats the Ray, beautifully done. Goes right into a bail, solid. Double layout dismount to close, gets the stick. 9.275
Walsh (CU): Pretty Yurchenko 1.5, steps to the side. 9.75
Hadrick (NCSU): Nice Jaeger to bail, a little close on her Jaeger catch but pretty. Solid swing throughout. Huge full-twisting double back, stuck cold. 9.8
Jackson (CU): Huge Yurchenko 1.5, small stutter step. 9.825
Harper (NCSU): Pretty piked Jaeger to bail to handstand. Love how aggressive her swing is. Huge double layout, another stick for the Wolfpack. 9.9
After 1: Clemson 49.075, NC State 48.850
After an accident on interstate 26, I have made it…only 6 minutes late and man was I stressed. Any who back to the regularly scheduled programming. I have to say the scoring is a wee bit weird tonight.
Rotation 2: N.C. State VT, Clemson UB
Adler (NCSU): Solid Yurchenko full. 9.8
Lippeat (CU): Solid Ray to bail. Loses her rhythm a little on her giants leading up to her dismount but recovers well. Pretty blind full to double back. 9.775
Hall (NCSU): Yurchenko full, some form in the air and hops backward. 9.75
Jackson (CU): Beautiful Jaeger to bail. Pretty swing throughout. Full-twisting double back, takes the smallest of hops. 9.825
Wright (NCSU): Solid Yurchenko full, hops backward. 9.8
Rutherford (CU): Beautiful Ray to bail. Nice aggressive swing in her giants. Almost goes over on last handstand but saves it. Huge double layout, almost gets the stick. Glad to see her back in the lineup! 9.725
Zultevicz (NCSU): Yurchenko full, sends it way back and lands with her feet a little far apart. 9.775
H. Clark (CU): Pretty piked Tkatchev to bail. Nice height on her full-twisting double back, stuck. 9.825
Negrete (NCSU): Yurchenko full, not her cleanest landing I’ve seen but a solid vault. 9.85
Wells (CU): Nice Jaeger to immediate bail. Great aggressive swing. Full-twisting double back, stuck cold.
Knight (NCSU): Fhs front pike half, nice block but slides back on the landing a bit. 9.85
Kuhl (CU): Huge Tkatchev to bail, a little close on the Tkatchev catch. Great swing throughout. Sticks the double layout. 9.8
After 2: NC State 98.250, Clemson 97.825
I just discovered that the Tigers are supporting an additional cause tonight. They are wearing burgundy ribbons in their hair as a sign of solitude in remembrance of the 7th anniversary of the Parkland shooting, as Clemson senior Kielyn McCright is a survivor.
Rotation 3: Clemson BB, N.C. State FX
Lippeat (CU): Front aerial bhs swing down, pretty. Split leap split half, small balance check. Side aerial beat jump, nice rhythm. Solid full turn. Front gainer full off the side, stuck. 9.7
Adler (NCSU): Fhs Rudi to immediate straddle jump, nice control after the straddle. Switch half to switch side, nice height. Round off to back loso as dance, pretty. 9.85
B. Clark (CU): Standing front tuck to beat jump, fights to keep her shoulder square. Bhs loso, has a pretty significant balance check but saves it. She seems a little tense, out of the ordinary for sure. Straddle jump to straddle half, nice amplitude and extension. Punch Rudi, stuck. 9.675
Hadrick (NCSU): Front layout to front double full, beautifully done. Nice full turn. Ro back 1.5 to punch front layout, great amplitude and control. 9.8
Nielsen (CU): Cat leap to switch leap, nice extension. Bhs bhs loso, ever so steady and solid. Side aerial beat jump, small balance check. Ro 1.5, stuck cold. 9.825
Zultevicz (NCSU): Ro bhs 1.5 to front layout, so so pretty to watch. Split full to wolf full, a little low on amplitude. Huge ro bhs double back, cowboys the second flip a little but solid overall. 9.725
Church (CU): Starts out with the floatiest bhs loso I’ve ever seen. Pretty switch leap split half. Nice full turn. Side aerial split jump, the most beautiful extension ever. Ro 1.5, stuck cold. That was hands down the best routine I’ve seen her do. 9.9
Myers (NCSU): Switch ring to split half, I wish her ring was a little sharper. I don’t even know what happened but the rest of what I typed disappeared somehow:/ She was off on the connecting punch into the front full and does a tuck front half instead. 9.0
Kuhl (CU): Bhs bhs loso, solid. Split jump to tuck 3/4, great amplitude but I think she missed the connection here. Nice full turn. Ro tuck 1.5, stuck. 9.45
Knight (NCSU): Punch front double full, dances right out of it. Switch half to stag leap, love the extension she gets on the stag. Pretty full turn. Punch Rudi to back tuck, I forgot she did this lol but this is such a fun pass! 9.875
Walsh (CU): Solid full turn. Bhs loso, seemed a little unsteady but hides it really well. Cat leap to front toss, makes it look easy. Switch leap to split half, solid. Ro 1.5, stuck. 9.875
Negrete (NCSU): Huge double pike to open. I love how silent the student section is during her routine, makes it even more intense. Pretty tour jete half. Beautiful front double full to front layout. Switch half split full, great extension. Great ro bhs double back, that might have been one of the best routines I’ve seen her do. 9.925
After 3: NC State 147.250, Clemson 146.825
Rotation 4: N.C. State BB, Clemson FX
Adler (NCSU): Bhs loso, solid. Nice full turn. Switch leap straddle 1/4, pretty lines. Nice side aerial, love the control. Side gainer full, stuck. 9.8
Lippeat (CU): Opens with a nice double back, slides her back foot back a bit. Switch half to Shushunova, great height and control. Ro 1.5 front layout, dances right out of it. 9.8
Hall (NCSU): Bhs bhs loso, solid. Nice full turn. Switch leap split half, nice amplitude but a wee bit off balance. Front aerial beat jump, super steady. Pretty side gainer full, slightly picks her foot up but maybe no one noticed teehee. 9.775
Holman (CU): Fhs front double full, steps out of it. Switch side to Popa, I love this series so much. I want to say I missed something as the team is standing in my view but I’m not entirely sure. Man this place is POPPING tonight. Everyone in here is so hype for floor. 8.775 -> looks like I did indeed miss something so that’s unfortunate.
Knight (NCSU): I have no clue what I was watching but apparently I spaced out during her entire routine. That’s a bit unfortunate…my apologies. 9.675
Minner (CU): Fhs punch double full, the height she gets on this baffles me. Switch full to pike half, solid. Shushunova full, I always love this ah. Fhs Rudi back loso, moves her feet a little on the landing. 9.8
Childs (NCSU): Bhs loso, solid. Switch leap straddle 3/4, doesn’t quite hit the straddle completely. Nice backward shoulder roll. Pretty side aerial, just barely drops her shoulder. Bhs side gainer full, stuck. 9.675
Arnold (CU): Huge full-in to open, a small leg separation toward the end of the routine. Another huge pass with a ro double full to punch front, looked like she almost slipped in the punch before the front tuck but recovered well. 9.8
Harper (NCSU): Huge switch side, love the extension she gets. Nice full turn. Pretty front toss. Tuck front full, small step. 9.7
Jackson (CU): Her grip on her leg definitely slipped but she opens with a huge full-in, no one would’ve noticed the slip. Switch half split half, great extension. Front through to ro bhs double back, solid as always. Tuck jump full as part of her dance, nice control. 9.8
Negrete (NCSU): Pretty front aerial to bhs. Cat leap to split half, great lines. Solid full turn. I saw her do what looked like a split jump by itself but I’m not entirely sure why (maybe I’m losing it who knows). Ro back 1.5, stuck. 9.85
Clark (CU): The queen has hit the floor. Huge to bhs double layout to open. Switch half split full, great height. Front layout front full front tuck, great amplitude and nice controlled landing. 9.925
FINAL: NC State 196.050, Clemson 195.950
Man, this was a close meet! As we enter the halfway point of the season, I’m intrigued to see how these two teams and the rest of the ACC wrap up the season.
VT: Ashley Knight (NCSU) 9.85
UB: Katie Harper (NCSU) 9.9
BB: Sierra Church (CU) 9.9
FX: Chloe Negrete (NCSU) & Brie Clark (CU) 9.925
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Live blog by Jessica Brock
