NQS season is officially here, and both N.C. State and North Carolina currently hold regional qualifying spots. North Carolina has been performing closer to its talent level this season, especially on beam—its highest-ranked event at 18th—bolstered by a strong 49.350 last week at Pittsburgh. This meet presents another valuable road opportunity for the Tar Heels, who are still counting a 195.225 from their season opener. To push past 196 again, they’ll rely heavily on freshmen Regan McBride and JoJo Valahovic.
N.C. State sits 18th in the rankings, close to a coveted top-16 seeded spot. However, the gap widens when looking at scores: while the teams ahead have all surpassed 197, the Wolfpack has only reached 196.500 once. This home meet is a prime chance to drop a 195.825 from its NQS, and to do so, N.C. State will need strong beam performances from Ashley Knight and Peyton Childs to bounce back from last week.
Rotation 1: N.C. State vault, North Carolina bars
Adler (NCSU): Square block off the table and had a hop on the landing of her full with just a small pike down. 9.85
Knower (UNC): Leg separation on the geinger catch. Hit the bail. Some bent elbows on the giants before the FTDT dismount which was stuck. 9.85
Myers (NCSU): A little more pike down in her Yfull with a step forward on the landing. Hit the back on the spring board and the table which caused the underrotation. 9.625
N. King (UNC): Slightly short first cast. Small leg separations on the Maloney to pak. Elbows and feet on the stalder and stuck the double tuck dismount. 9.75
Wright (NCSU): Elbows on the block of her Yfull. Hop back on the landing. Good dynamics. 9.775
Stippich (UNC): Big jaeger to overshoot combination. I liked the leg position in that. Small hop on the double layout dismount and slight leg separation. 9.85
Zultevicz (NCSU): Sticks her Yfull. Had to fight for that. Good distance but not the most height. 9.875
Fink (UNC): Feet on the jaeger. Clean bail. Small leg separation on the double layout dismount with a small hop back. 9.8
Negrete (NCSU): Better height and distance on that Yfull with a small hop back. Good open hips and flair out. 9.85
Schaefer (UNC): Great turnover and toepoint on the jaeger. Hit the bail. Small hop on the FTDT. Not the most height on that dismount. Feet on that too. 9.825
Knight (NCSU): Great height on the front pike half. Flexed feet on that and a hop back with an extra tiny step. 9.825
Dekanoidze (UNC): Legs glued on the toe hand to Maloney to bail. Crisp last handstand. Sticks the double layout dismount. Might have had some elbows on that last giant. 9.925
After 1: North Carolina 49.250, N.C. State 49.175
Both teams had a great start that rotation with mostly solid routines across the board and multiple near stuck or stuck landings. N.C. State scored a season high on vault with North Carolina nearing it’s season high. These judges seem willing to give scores today based on that vault rotation so both teams will be looking to capatalize to get a good score here if the momentum continues.
Rotation 2: North Carolina vault, N.C. State bars
N. King (UNC): Shoulder angle and prerotation on the block and a small pike down with a hop back on her Yfull. 9.75
Adomaites (NCSU): Slight leg separation on the pak after the toe hand and Maloney. Low landing on the double tuck after the stalder and had a small hop forward. 9.75
Fink (UNC): Much more square block on that Yfull but still a little angle on it and landed center of the map with a small hop. More open body position. 9.775
Childs (NCSU): Not a high jaeger or overshoot, but gets the connection. Good giant full finish and sticks the double tuck dismount. Not the most height on that either. 9.8
Knower (UNC): Biggest Yfull of the lineup so far and the most square block off the table. Small hop back.There is a slight pike down and slight leg separation on the block. 9.8
Myers (NCSU): Hit the toe hand to Maloney to bail. Feet on the double tuck and a small step back. Lacked the full toe point throughout. Highest double tuck of the lineup. 9.825
Dekanoidze (UNC): Almost sticks that Yfull and just has a small scooch back. Has some shoulder angle on the block and a small leg separation. 9.825
Volk (NCSU): Good turnover on the Ray to overshoot combination. Good job keeping the legs mostly together on the double layout. Almost had the stuck landing, but was falling back and stepped into the salute. 9.85
Valahovic (UNC): Great height on the Y1.5. Small leg separation and tried to hold the stuck landing on her toes. 9.875
Hadrick (NCSU): Great jaeger turnover before the overshoot. Great height on the FTDT and sticks the landing with her feet together. 9.875
Forbes (UNC): Great height and distance on that Yfull and maintained a straight body position and bounced in place on the landing. 9.9
Harper (NCSU): Clean clear hip to geinger. Hit the bail. Straight body in the double layout and didn’t get the height so it was a little underrotated with a medium hop forward. 9.9
After 2: N.C. State 98.425, North Carolina 98.425
TIED HALFWAY THROUGH. The scoring is interesting in this meet, but both teams are having a good meet with some great landings and hit routines. Those last two vaults for North Carolina were great and were the highlight of that rotation. And to reiterate, the scoring is a little weird, notice each team literally increased the score each routine.
Rotation 3: N.C. State beam, North Carolina floor
Adler (NCSU): Solid loso series. Not fully pointed feet. Clean switch to straddle quarter. Hit the side aerial. Slow connecting the cat leap to switch side. Sticks the gainer full. Very steady routine. 9.8
Naranjo (UNC): Slid the front foot back on the large lunge for the double pike. Controlled the front layout to front full. Feet on the switch half to wolf full. 9.825
Knight (NCSU): Arm wave on the full turn. Super solid front walkover to front toss. Great amplitude. Lean at the end of the split 3/4s. Slight adjustment on the side aerial. Solid switch to straddle. Small step on the Rudi. 9.825
Stippich (UNC): Out of bounds on the double pike. Controlled the double tuck. Hit to switch side half to straddle. Controlled the back 1.5 to front layout. Not the most lift on that front layout. 9.8
Smead (NCSU): Controlled the full turn. Not the smoothest connection on the front toss to bhs. Solid switch to straddle quarter. Cat leap to gainer full and stuck the landing. 9.875
Valahovic (UNC): Leg stagger on the FTDT in the air but controls it really well. Good control and height on the front tuck through to double tuck. Travels a bit on the jump combo. 9.875
Childs (NCSU): Solid full turn. Smooth loso series. Crisp switch to split 1/4. Lacked height on the cat leap to front toss and had a wobble at the end. Holds onto the stick on the bhs gainer full. HAd to hold it on her heels. 9.75
Forbes (UNC): Huge FTDT and controlled it really well. Could have used more height on the front layout to front full, but controlled it. Good jump amplitude. Broke out early on the double tuck and took a small step forward. 9.825
Harper (NCSU): Clean beat to straddle 3/4s. Feet on the bhs loso. Holds onto the switch to switch swide. Walks out of the front toss. Landed a little low. Sticks the tuck front full. 9.85
Knower (UNC): Controls the FTDT landing. Some leg stagger in the air on that. Almost gets the tour jete full around. Controls the front full to front layout. Hops out of the tour jete half to Popa. 9.825
Negrete (NCSU): Smooth full turn. Smooth front aerial to bhs. Good position on the cat leap to switch half. Really gets the hips turned on the switch half. Sticks the ro double full. 9.975
Miller (UNC): Short on the front tuck through to double tuck and steps forward. Short on rotation for the leap combo. Lands low on the double pike. Lacks amplitude on the switch ring half. This floor isn’t giving her the bounce today. 9.625
After 3: N.C. State 197.750, North Carolina 147.575
The was almost a great floor rotation for North Carolina with Miller in the Anchor spot having some short landings stopping the Tar Heels from dropping a lower score, but North Carolina can still get a season high with a solid beam rotation. Anything over a 49 on beam will give the Tar Heels a new season high. N.C. State is on 197 watch after that beam rotation that was capped off by the near perfect Chloe Negrete. N.C. State only needs to surpass a 48.8 to to post a new season high.
Rotation 4: North Carolina beam, N.C. State floor
Naranjo (UNC): Controlled full turn. A little crocked on the front aerial but connects it to the loso. Great triple jump combo with a nice switch half to wolf jump. Good pointed toes on the stuck back 1.5 dismount. 9.875
Adler (NCSU): Controlled the straddle jump out of the Rudi. Good position on the switch side half to straddle. Controlled the front full front layout. 9.85
Valahovic (UNC): Good height on the loso series. Slow connecting the switch to switch half to beat, but it was solid. Sticks the back 1.5. 9.95!
Hadrick (NCSU): Good height on the front layout to Rudi. Got the rotation on the switch half to wolf 1.5. Controlled the back 1.5 to front layout. 9.85
N. King (UNC): Fall on the candle. Went right over. Feet and lack of height on the bhs loso. Solid switch to split 3/4. Sticks the back 1.5. 9.25
Zultevicz (NCSU): Great height on the back 2.5 to front tuck. Great rotation on the jump combo. Good wolf position on the wolf full. I think my tv just repeated the jump combo twice, but now I am confused what I saw. Large lunge on the double tuck. 9.825
Knower (UNC): Great amplitude on the loso series. Lean on the switch to split half. Arm wave on the full turn. Great front toss to beat jump. Tiny hop on the back 1.5. That is the hop a .05 deduction is made for. 9.825
Myers (NCSU): Feet on the double tuck. Super high and took a couple steps back and out of bounds. Hit the switch ring to switch half and did a Popa out of it but didn’t get the rotation all the way around. Controlled the front layout to Rudi. 9.65
Fink (UNC): Crisp switch to switch. Falls on the triple series. Wobble on the full turn. Small hop on the gainer full. 9.075
This was going to be a great away score for North Carolina until that routine.
Knight (NCSU): Large step out of the front double full. So much height on the leaps. Floaty Rudi to loso. 9.85
McBride (UNC): Falls on the loso series. So two counting falls. Lean on the front toss. Small hop on the side aerial back 1.5. 9.125
Negrete (NCSU): Controlled the opening double pike. Almost got the first leap around. Solid back 1.5 to front layout. Iffy rotation on the switch half split full. Feet on the double tuck and controlled the landing. 9.9
FINAL: N.C. State 197.025, North Carolina 195.500
North Carolina was looking to capatalize on the loose scoring today and was on track to do so through the first two routines in the last rotation. Those falls on beam will hurt and this will be a missed oppotunity that hopefully the Tar Heels aren’t looking at in a month as a reason for barely missing regionals. N.C. State was able to capatalize with a season high and first 197 of the season which will greatly help as the Wolfpack looks to narrow the gap between N.C. State and the top 16.
VT: Forbes 9.9
UB: Dekanoidze 9.925
BB: Negrete 9.975
FX: Negrete 9.9
AA: Knower 39.300
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Live blog by Alyssa Van Auker
