Happy Friday, gymnastics fans! I’m live from Littlejohn Coliseum for the second time this season. Tonight, Clemson hosts Alabama for “Little Up Littlejohn” night. The Crimson Tide is the highest-ranked team the Tigers have hosted in program history, having been ranked No. 8 in the preseason.
Tonight marks the first meet of Alabama’s season. After finishing eighth at the NCAA championships last year, Alabama looks hungry yet composed. It brings back 13 returners, many of whom competed at nationals, including Corinne Bunagan, Karis German, Gabby Gladeaux, and Chloe LaCoursiere. It also adds a dazzling freshman class, which was the ninth-ranked signing class of 2025, featuring Jasmine Cawley, Azaraya Ra-Akbar, and Derin Tanriyasukur.
Clemson rounded out week one with a 196.150, ranking fourth among the 20 teams that competed. Some early-season nerves aside, the Tigers looked strong and poised on every event. The standout events were bars and floor, where most of the routines landed 9.8s or better. Junior Quinn Kuhl was named the ACC Event Specialist of the Week, after earning a career-high 9.9 on bars. Other names to watch include Brie Clark, Sierra Church, Lilly Lippeatt, Madison Minner, and Tara Walsh.
The meet will be streamed on ACCNx at 7 p.m. ET and scores can be found on Virtius.
The atmosphere in the coliseum tonight is energetic and DJ Sha is keeping the vibes high! The media and entertainment team have already put the light-up wristbands to use, and the stands are so cool to see all lit up in orange and purple. Even the Alabama fans are enjoying the atmosphere in here.
Rotation 1: Clemson VT, Alabama UB
Minner (CU): Tucked Yurchenko 1.5, steps forward. 9.825
Cawley (Bama): Pretty Jaeger. Nice Pak to pirouette. Sticks the dismount. 9.80
Clark (CU): Huge Kasamatsu, stuck cold! 9.775
Gladieux (Bama): A little bit of form on her Jaeger. Goes right into a bail, nicely controlled. Solid blind full to double back, almost gets the stick. 9.85
Holman (CU): Solid FHS pike half, just a bit of foot separation in the air. 9.75
Fuller (Bama): Pretty Pak to Van Leewen. Double layout, slight leg separation in the air, small hop forward. 9.85
Jackson (CU): Yurchenko 1.5, a little short on her block but lands it nicely. 9.825
Pawlak (Bama): A little over on first handstand but keeps it still. Shaposh to bail, solid. Nice control on dismount, just takes a small step forward. 9.825
Walsh (CU): Yurchenko 1.5, stuck cold. I’m genuinely convinced she has glue on her feet. 9.85
LaCoursiere (Bama): Pretty Shaposh to Pak. Couldn’t tell if she tucked her legs on the way back up or not, she honestly might’ve just been that tight in form. Solid dismount, gets the stick. 9.925
Arnold (CU): Yurchenko half, takes a large step forward. 9.675
Ra-Akbar (Bama): Beautiful Pak to Van Leewen. Pretty lines throughout. The most gorgeous stalder to double back I’ve ever seen, wow just wow. 9.975
AFTER ONE: Alabama 49.425, Clemson 49.025
Both teams look calm and confident tonight. After one, we have what looks to be a close meet between these two.
Rotation 2: Alabama VT, Clemson UB
Cawley (Bama): Yurchenko 1.5, stuck cold right out of the gate. What a way to start the Tide off on vault!
Berry (CU): Shaposh to Pak, a little soft in the elbows. Aggressive swing throughout. Pretty double layout, sticks it. 9.775
Sears (Bama): Yurchenko 1.5, lacked a little bit of amplitude and takes a large step forward. 9.775
Lippeatt (CU): Solid Ray to immediate bail. Pretty lines throughout. Blind full to double back, stuck. 9.875
Kvamme (Bama): Yurchenko 1.5, takes a large step forward. 9.8
H. Clark (CU): Solid piked Jaeger. Nice swing and lines. Double layout, takes the smallest of hops in place. 9.85
Paradise (Bama): Yurchenko 1.5, looks like she missed her block just a smidge, lands it short and steps back. 9.775
Jackson (CU): A little too aggressive on her first handstand and has a huge arch. Solid Tkachev and goes into an immediate bail. Slightly close to the bar on her bail catch. Takes a deep breath and does a huge full-twisting double back, sticks it. 9.75
Gladieux (Bama): Pretty Yurchenko 1.5, takes a super tiny hop forward. 9.85
Cesario (CU): Beautiful Jaeger to bail. She has the prettiest lines ever. Nice and aggressive double layout, almost gets the stick. 9.85
Ra-Akbar (Bama): Yurchenko 1.5, hops forward. 9.875
Kuhl (CU): Huge Ray to bail, nice control. Love how aggressive she swings. Double layout, small hop in place. 9.85
AFTER TWO: Alabama 98.625, Clemson 98.225
We still have a close meet here, as both teams had some landing struggles on vault. Now we enter the part of the meet where both teams typically shine. The energy here right now is electric, so let’s see if that feeds into the teams during the next rotation.
Rotation 3: Clemson BB, Alabama FX
Walsh (CU): Pretty full turn. Bhs loso, pretty lines. Beat jump to front toss, nice control. Great rise and extension in jumps. Ro back 1.5, stuck. A great routine to start beam off for the night. 9.85
Matters (Bama): Front through to double back, a little bit of foot form but solid. Love the energy her music has! Good extension in leaps. Slightly underrotated her double pike and steps forward. 9.775
B. Clark (CU): Nice power in front tuck to beat jump. Covers up a balance check well. A little off to the side when landing her series and comes off. Solid full turn. Switch leap to split jump, nice control. Small hop on dismount. 9.375
LaCoursiere (Bama): Pretty double back to open. Nice lines and extension on her ring leap series. Punch front layout to Rudi to double stag jump, just a little under-twisted and lands crooked. 9.90
H. Clark (CU): Nice control on her series. Solid full turn. Switch leap split leap, pretty lines and extension. Beautiful front toss to arabesque. Nice control on dismount. 9.70
Sears (Bama): Huge first pass, just a little too much sauce and takes a huge lunge step back. Great amplitude in her leap pass. Loving this Beyonce mashup as music. Front through to a nice and high double back, could’ve had a little more control on the landing but solid overall. 9.90
Lippeatt (CU): Pretty full turn. Love her acro series to backward shoulder roll. Hitch kick to side aerial to switch leap to sissone, great control here. Ro back 1.5, almost gets the stick but ends up stepping back. 9.725
Ra-Akbar (Bama): Beautiful back 2.5, dances right out of it. Great height in second pass, the most perfectly controlled front layout connection ever. She really is that girl. 9.85
Cesario (CU): Pretty full turn. Beautiful triple series, drills it into the beam and doesn’t move. Switch half to split jump, great extension and rise. Front double full, absolutely stunning and gets the stick. 9.90
Cawley (Bama): I missed her first pass ugh. Wolf full to wolf half, nice control. Front layout to Rudi, takes a small studder step out but covers it up well. 9.875
Kuhl (CU): Beautifully controlled triple series. Love the rise she gets in her leaps. Solid full turn. Ro back 1.5, nails it to the floor and doesn’t move. 9.90
Gladieux (Bama): Huge full-in, almost sticks it. Tour jete half to Popa, nice amplitude. Has the Clemson fans engaged in her routine! Overrotates the twist just a little and bounds forward out of the connecting split jump. 9.90
AFTER THREE: Alabama 148.050, Clemson 147.300
Alabama took the opportunity to pull forward and ran with it. However, the vibes are still high so let’s see what the last rotation brings.
Rotation 4: Alabama BB, Clemson FX
Fuller (Bama): Pretty lines in her opening dance. Nice full turn. Bhs loso, solid and controlled. Huge amplitude on her switch leap. Ro back 1.5, small hop. 9.80
Holman (CU): A little underrotated on her opening pass and steps forward. Love the rise on her leaps, even though her front leg was a little low. Fhs Rudi, great control and height. 9.825
Cawley (Bama): Nice control on wolf turn. Bhs loso, solid. A small balance check after her side aerial. Hitch kick to switch half, pretty. Side gainer full, stuck. 9.90
Lippeatt (CU): Nice rise on ro double back. Tour jete half combo was nicely controlled. Sissone straight into running punch front double full to front full, solid landing. 9.825
Ladanyi (Bama): Pretty front aerial to split jump. Solid full turn. Bhs loso, nicely controlled and great amplitude. Switch leap to split half, solid. Side gainer full, fights hard for the stick and gets it (I think…hard to see over here *cries*) 9.925
Minner (CU): Fhs to front double full, small step to the side. Punch Rudi to back loso, a little bit of low chest on the punch but great control on the landing. 9.80
Kvamme (Bama): Solid full turn. Pretty extension in her leaps. Front toss, love how aggressive this was. Front gainer full off the side, almost gets the stick. 9.85
Jackson (CU): Huge full-in to open. Switch full to split half, doesn’t quite get it all the way around but has nice amplitude. Front layout to front full, small foot form in the air but good control. 9.
LaCoursiere (Bama): Pretty split jump to double stag. Front aerial to bhs, solid. Nice full turn. Ro back 1.5, stuck. 9.925
Walsh (CU): Beautiful front full to front full. Switch leap to switch ring, I wish her front leg was a little higher in the ring. Punch Rudi, great amplitude and control.
Gladieux (Bama): Front aerial to two-footed bhs, solid. Lovely lines in her leaps and jumps. Nice full turn. A pretty and floaty back 1.5 dismount to close, stuck.
B. Clark (CU): Huge double layout to open, the crowd loves it. Love her Simone Biles inspired choreo. Punch front layout to front full to front tuck, great control.
FINAL: Alabama 197.475, Clemson 196.500
VT: Cawley (Bama) 9.90
UB: Ra-Akbar (Bama) 9.975
BB: LaCoursiere & Ladanyi (Bama) 9.925
FX: Clark (CU) 9.925
AA: Cawley (Bama): 39.475
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Live blog by Jessica Brock
