UCLA’s last trip to Minnesota in 2022 remains a sore spot for Bruins fans, but those days are firmly in the rearview. Expect a very different matchup tonight at Maturi Pavilion. This UCLA squad has steadily improved since Week 1 and cracked the elusive 198 mark for the first time last weekend, posting a season-high 198.150 at home.
Jordan Chiles continues to lead the charge, making the most of her senior season with 10.0s in three consecutive meets. She’s backed by standout specialists like Ciena Alipio and a freshman class that’s growing more confident and consistent by the week. The depth is clicking, and the momentum is real.
While UCLA has asserted itself early in Big Ten competition, Minnesota’s season has been anything but forgettable—particularly on its home floor, where it has already notched statement wins over Michigan and Arkansas. The Gophers are especially dangerous on floor, ranking inside the top 10 nationally. Junior Jordyn Lyden anchors that lineup and has gone 9.925 or higher on bars and beam this season; she’s more than capable of delivering a late-meet number that could flip the standings. Minnesota’s season high of 197.150 places it fifth in the conference and hungry to climb even higher.
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Rotation 1: Minnesota VT, UCLA UB
Stewart (Minn): Opens the meet with her Yurchenko 1.5, some early twist on the table but clean in the air. Small step forward on the landing. 9.850
Alipio (UCLA): Toe on, Maloney, Bail – some foot separation throughout. Late handstand on the blind full. Toe on front tuck half dismount, lands with low chest and has to hop forward. 9.775
I Nguyen (Minn): This is her vault debut after some successful exhibitions – Yurchenko 1.5 is clean and opens early, really pretty in the air and a small hop forward. 9.875
Barros (UCLA): High Pak salto. Really solid handstands on the low bar. Clean van Leeuwen. Double layout dismount with a small step. Solid routine! 9.800
Moraw (Minn): Yurchenko full with great distance and a hop in place. 9.875
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Chow to Pak, great height. Short handstand on the low bar. Flies on the full in dismount, lands with a slide back. 9.800
Crump (Minn): High Yurchenko 1.5, looked cleaner in the air than last week’s! Lunge forward on landing. 9.875
Matthews (UCLA): Great handstand before her Pak salto. Small leg separation on the van Leeuwen. Double layout, arm swing to hold the stick. It was time to see some sticks! 9.825
Gerdes (Minn): Yurchenko 1.5 is clean in the air, but it looks like the landing surprised her a little. Slightly underrotated and takes a step back. 9.850
Sullivan (UCLA): Great height on her Tkatchev to Pak. Short handstand on the low bar, better on the high bar. Double layout with a stick – it’s contagious. 9.925
Ostrum (Minn): She drilled this for a 9.900 last week – and she repeats it here! That vault is the total package: excellent height, tight body position in the air, and a great landing position. What a way to cap off a stellar vault rotation for the Gophers. 9.950
Chiles (UCLA): The Bruins will want a big score here, and Chiles can deliver it. Piked Tkatchev to Pak is clean and dynamic. Excellent handstand on the high bar. Lets go a touch early for the double layout but she knows how to hold onto it and gets the stick. 9.900
Ex – Steensland (Minn): Yurchenko full with a pike down and small hop back. 9.775
Ex – Anyimi (UCLA): Blind change to piked Jaeger to overshoot – some bent arms on the Jaeger catch but otherwise clean. Sticks her full in dismount.
AFTER ONE: Minnesota 49.425, UCLA 49.300
Minnesota sets a season-high vault total after a rotation that showed off its precision and technique, capped off with a big stick from Ostrum. The balance of difficult 1.5s and clean, consistent fulls works really well for this team. UCLA was a little slower to start, but found its sticks by the second half of the rotation. The Bruins are down 0.250 from last week’s bars rotation, so they’ll have some work to do in the coming rotations to approach the 198 mark.
Rotation 2: UCLA VT, Minnesota UB
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Sky-high Yurchenko full with great form, maybe the slightest bounce in place? It’s hard to say. 9.900
Gerdes (Minn): Toe on, Maloney, Bail with some foot form. Full in dismount with a step back. 9.775
Anyimi (UCLA): Great block on her full, gets a lot of distance and lands with a hop back. 9.825
Crump (Minn): Toe on, Maloney, Pak – some foot form. Late handstand on the low bar. Great height on her double layout, I love how she does it with her arms out. Step back. 9.800
Rosen (UCLA): Yurchenko 1.5, some bent knees and a hop forward. 9.875
Ostrum (Minn): She’s back in the all-around tonight and has the opportunity to make a big impact after that vault. High piked Jaeger. Tight body position on her Pak. Double layout, lands a bit short and takes a medium step back with an arm swing. 9.775
Jenkins (UCLA): Good height on her 1.5, with a step forward. 9.875
Slevin (Minn): Maloney to Pak with excellent form. Really precise handstand before a clean van Leeuwen. Finishes with a floaty double layout and a stick. 9.900
Sullivan (UCLA): Yurchenko 1.5 with a good square block, gets lots of power and steps forward and across. Some really solid vaults from the Bruins tonight, but the sticks aren’t quite there save for Sumanasekera! 9.875
Saltzmann (Minn): Toe on half to Jaeger with good height. Clean bail. Double layout with some leg separation and a hop in place. 9.875
Chiles (UCLA): Yurchenko double full, bent arms on the table but still gets her signature height and distance, medium hop back on the landing. 9.875
Lyden (Minn): Toe on, Maloney, Bail – super solid handstand. Beautiful double layout with superb height, lands with a hop. Her work on this event is always so precise and tidy. 9.825 – maybe I missed something? I thought that was a stronger set than Saltzmann’s.
Ex – Eichman (UCLA): Underrotates her Yurchenko full and has to pike down and hop forward. 9.675
Ex – Stewart (Minn): She’s a strong bar worker but has been out of the lineup this year due to dismount trouble – it’ll be interesting to see what she does here. Maloney to Pak, catches close and has to bend her legs. Very clean van Leeuwen. Toe on front pike half dismount, lots of distance but not much height and has to take a big step back – it is an improvement on last week’s. 9.650
AFTER TWO: UCLA 98.700, Minnesota 98.600
UCLA didn’t have the stickiest feet on vault, but dynamics and form kept scores high to total 49.400. Sumanasekera’s leadoff full was the highlight, proving that a clean full can be a safer bet than a riskier 10.0 start. Minnesota put together a solid bars rotation led by Slevin’s elegant work for a 49.175, but gave away some precious tenths on landings. The gap is small, and both teams are headed to strong events – there’s no margin for error in rotation 3.
Rotation 3: Minnesota BB, UCLA FX
Ostrum (Minn): BHS LOSO is clean, doubts herself a little on the landing and takes a step back. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, good split positions. Cat leap to side aerial with a lean. BHS gainer full off the side with good rise and a stick. Good job working through an early bobble for a strong leadoff routine. 9.825
Rosen (UCLA): Opens with a double tuck, great control on the landing. Second pass double pikes, small front foot movement on landing. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full, good body positions. 1.5 to front layout with nice height. Awesome leadoff for the Bruins. 9.900
Gerdes (Minn): Front aerial, solid. BHS LOSO with a small bobble. Bigger bobble on the full turn. Split jump to stag ring jump, both positions looked a little bit short. BHS gainer full off the side, stuck with an arm swing. 9.775
Alipio (UCLA): Floor has been a strong addition to her repertoire this season. Opens with a double pike, underrotates and lunges forward. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full, rotations don’t look as precise as Rosen’s but the split positions were strong. Loses balance on her double wolf. 1.5 to front layout, lacks rise on the second salto but sticks the landing. 9.625
Moraw (Minn): Confident and clean through the BHS LOSO. Cat leap to side aerial is solid. She’s excellent at holding onto landing positions in situations where it would be easy to have a balance check. Small lean on her dance series but covered well. BHS gainer full off the side, tries to hold the stick but has to step back. 9.800
Barros (UCLA): There’s some pressure here to drop Alipio’s score, but Barros knows how to step up when it counts. 1.5 to front layout, good height, could have used more control but solid. Switch full looked good. Front tuck through to double tuck, slightly underrotated and hops out of it. Switch half to wolf full is excellent in height, form, and precision. Not her best landings on the tumbling, but that should replace Alipio’s score. 9.750
Rowray (Minn): BHS LOSO, clean and precise. Switch leap to straddle half, excellent split positions. Front toss to wolf jump, very good. She looks so calm up there. Balance check on her full turn – she had basically a perfect one going before that! Front gainer full off the side with a stick. 9.900 – I really think the turn was the only deduction.
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Getting a pep talk from Chiles before she goes up. Sumanasekera put up a career-high 9.925 on this event last week. Double layout, some pike down and hops out of it. Switch ring to switch half to wolf full, great split positions but rotations not quite precise. 1.5 to front layout, gets it around cleanly. 9.825
Pearl (Minn): Solid through the BHS LOSO. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, great amplitude and split positions. Front aerial to beat jump, very clean. BHS gainer full off the side with some leg form but a great landing. That was excellent beam work. 9.925
Sullivan (UCLA): High double layout and drills the landing, great control there. Switch full to Popa, good body position. Front tuck through to double back, another super precise landing. UCLA had some solid routines but that was on another level of precision and cleanliness. 9.950 to match her career high.
Lyden (Minn): Double wolf turn, good toepoint and control. BHS LOSO is solid and really shows off her excellent lines. Cat leap to switch side with great amplitude. Round off to 1.5 dismount with a foot slide. The back half of this Minnesota beam lineup was just on fire. 9.875
Chiles (UCLA): She brought back the Prince routine and the Minnesota crowd is loving it! Double layout is clean and super well-controlled. Split full to wolf full is high, maybe a little off on the rotations. Front tuck through to double back, drills the landing. She’s been so dialed in on floor landings this season. Both judges go 10.000 – that’ll be her fourth consecutive week of perfect scores!
Ex – Steensland (Minn): Clean and high BHS LOSO. Cat leap to front aerial is clean. I have no idea how she’s staying focused through the crowd cheering for Chiles. 9.825
Ex – Anyimi (UCLA): Front double full, not the most controlled landing but clean. Double back, lands short with chest down. I missed her last pass. 9.675
AFTER THREE: UCLA 148.125, Minnesota 147.925
Minnesota matched last week’s beam score with a lineup that got stronger as the rotation went on. If they can get the front half of that lineup can match the back half – which I definitely think is possible – this beam team could put up some seriously threatening numbers. UCLA also dealt with some highs and lows, but the one-two punch of Sullivan and Chiles to round out the rotation helped the Bruins extend their lead going into beam. It’ll be hard for the Gophers to catch up, but the Bruins do have to deliver in rotation 4 in order to secure the W.
Rotation 4: UCLA BB, Minnesota FX
Rosen (UCLA): Switch leap to split jump, solid. Beat jump to Onodi with some foot form, connection a bit slow but should be enough for credit. Secure through the BHS LOSO. She’s such a cool and collected leadoff. Round off to 1.5 dismount with a stick. What a way to start! 9.900
Saltzmann (Minn): Huge double pike to start! Great control on the landing too, good upright chest position. Front layout to front full, doesn’t get the punch and is really underrotated but manages to save it with just a step back. Good split positions through the dance series. Double tuck stuck cold, perfect! Shame about the second pass, the rest of the routine was really brilliant. 9.750
Barros (UCLA): Switch leap to straddle 1/4, hard to tell from this angle but body positions looked accurate. Side aerial to BHS is solid, and it’s nice to see a different acro series in a sea of BHS LOSOs. BHS gainer full off the side with a small slide back. 9.900
Steensland (Minn): Starts with a Rudi to LOSO with great form. Switch half to wolf full to wolf full, not quite precise in the rotations but body positions were good. 2.5 twist, could use a bit more control on the landing but clean in the air. These twisting passes really show off her excellent lines. 9.750
Eichman (UCLA): BHS LOSO is solid. Cat leap to side somi with a balance check and arm wave, holds on. Beat jump to switch half, small hesitation but covers it well. Front tuck full dismount with a hop forward. 9.725
Gonsiorowski (Minn): Opens with her signature high full in, great control on the landing. Front tuck through to double tuck is good. Switch side to Popa to straddle jump gets great height. Excellent floor work from this specialist! 9.875
Sumanasekera (UCLA): Switch leap to split jump, no question about 180. BHS LOSO is clean and solid. Front aerial to split jump, nicely done. BHS to 1.5 dismount, lands a little short and takes a hop back. 9.850
Swartzmiller (Minn): Another standout floor specialist looking to put up a big score for the Gophers here. Rudi to straddle jump that flies up and back. Switch side to Popa, super amplitude and straddle positions. 1.5 to front layout, good tight body position. 9.850
Chiles (UCLA): BHS LOSO, solid. Cat leap to switch side, balance check and leg up but she works out of it well. Well-controlled side aerial. Round off to double twist, great height and a small shuffle back. 9.850
Ostrum (Minn): Front tuck through to double tuck, great control and chest position on landing. Switch side to Popa to straddle jump, very accurate. Rudi to super high LOSO. Her form throughout is so pleasant – and that can be said for the entire Minnesota floor lineup. You can tell they’ve put a lot of emphasis on perfecting the basics. 9.925
Alipio (UCLA): BHS LOSO LOSO, super secure. Clean side aerial. Split leap to switch leap to beat jump, great form as usual. Gainer tuck full off the end is stuck – a really strong set from Alipio! 9.925
Lyden (Minn): 1.5 to front full with good rise. Switch side to Popa, good straddles but rotations are off. 2.5 twist and nails the landing, which we don’t often see on that kind of twisting pass – really nice work from her to close out the meet. She always delivers as an anchor. 9.950
FINAL: UCLA 197.550, Minnesota 197.275
UCLA is down on last week’s massive score but still puts up its second-highest team total of the season. We didn’t see any major mistakes from the Bruins tonight, but there were some bobbles here and there. Of course, Chiles got the 10.0, but I’m going to name Sullivan as the Bruins’ MVP: she scored 9.875 or higher on all three of her routines and is really proving herself as a reliable competitor in only her freshman season.
That’s a season high for Minnesota, led by impressive vault and floor totals. My impression of this team is always that the basics and technique are so spot on, but the landings need refining. Some more sticks – especially on bars – would get this team firmly into 197.500 territory. I think these lineups can make it happen by the postseason.
VT: Ostrum (Minn) – 9.950
UB: Sullivan (UCLA) – 9.925
BB: Pearl (Minn), Alipio (UCLA) – 9.925
FX: Chiles (UCLA) – 10.000
AA: Chiles (UCLA) – 39.625
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Live blog by Sophie Poirier
