Happy Saturday from Greensboro! Postseason action is officially underway, and today brings us two exciting sessions of the ACC championship. In the afternoon session, five-seed North Carolina and six- seed Pittsburgh will face off in a duel for conference positioning.
No. 36 Pittsburgh enters the meet squarely on the bubble, with no score that would guarantee advancement to regionals and more than a 50% chance of missing the postseason altogether. The Panthers’ narrow NQS window means even a strong performance may not be enough on its own; instead, they’ll need to push toward the top of that range and then rely on help from other results around the country. With a potential ranking swing from as high as No. 32 to as low as No. 40, every tenth will matter as Pitt fights to stay inside the cut line, knowing its postseason hopes hinge not just on its own hit meet, but on whether fellow bubble teams falter.
The meet will be on the ACC Network, and scores can be found on Virtius.
Rotation 1: North Carolina VT, Pittsburgh UB
Prejean (UNC): Starts off strong with a stuck Yurchenko full. 9.825
Duke (Pitt): Maloney to Pak, slight leg separation but solid. Blind full to double back, small hop on the landing. 9.70
N. King (UNC): Another stuck Yurchenko full for the Tar Heels, a little bit of foot form in the air though. 9.80
Lee (Pitt): Solid piked Jaeger right to a bail. Blind full to double back, fights for the stick but steps forward. 9.675
Fink (UNC): Yurchenko 1.5, crossed her feet in the air but the landing was solid. 9.80
Todd (Pitt): Piked Jaeger to a pretty toe-on. Nicely controlled bail to handstand. Blind full to double back, small step. 9.775
Seabrooks (UNC): Yurchenko full, pretty in the air, just a small step upon landing. 9.825
Pratt (Pitt): Huge Tkatchev, catches a little close to the bar. Nice and aggressive swing throughout. Double layout, hops forward. 9.675
Valahovic (UNC): Yurchenko 1.5, solid overall, just blocked off to the side a little and lands just over the boundary line. 9.85
Copperwheat (Pitt): Tkatchev to open. Nice bail immediately after. Pretty swing. Full-twisting double back, small step. 9.85
Forbes (UNC): Yurchenko full, a bit of form in the air, takes a hop on the landing. 9.775
Bobek (Pitt): Nice piked Jaeger to bail. A little bit of foot form throughout. Blind full to double back, slight hop forward. 9.70
AFTER ONE: UNC 49.100, Pitt 48.700
Rotation 2: Pittsburgh VT, North Carolina UB
Pratt (Pitt): Yurchenko full, landed slightly to the side but solid. 9.725
Stippich (UNC): Jaeger to immediate bail, slight leg separation on the bail catch. Solid double layout, stuck. 9.80
Bobek (Pitt): Yurchenko full, small hop backwards. 9.775
Seabrooks (UNC): Tkatchev to Pak, just a little loose in her core on the catch. Almost sticks the dismount. 9.55
Duke (Pitt): Solid Yurchenko full. 9.725
Stanley (UNC): Maloney to Pak, solid. Short on her last handstand. Huge double layout, fights for the sticks but slides her right foot a smidge. 9.775
Grant (Pitt): Yurchenko full, small hop. 9.70
Prejean (UNC): Pretty Tkatchev to bail. A little too much sauce on the double front dismount and leans too far forward, forcing her to put her hands down. 9.275
Giunta (Pitt): Yurchenko full, small hop. 9.775
Fink (UNC): Pretty Jaeger to bail. Nice aggressive swing throughout. Huge double layout, takes the tiniest of hops. 9.80
Green (Pitt): Yurchenko full, small hop. 9.75
Rueda (UNC): Maloney to Pak, pretty lines. Solid pirouette. Blind full to double back, almost sticks it. 9.80
AFTER TWO: UNC 97.800, Pitt 97.450
Rotation 3: North Carolina BB, Pittsburgh FX
Seabrooks (UNC): Bhs loso, her front foot slips but she fights to stay on. Switch side, solid. Front aerial, small balance check. Pretty dismount, small hop forward. 9.60
Giunta (Pitt): Double back to open, a little uncontrolled on the landing and slides her front foot around a bit. Solid amplitude in her leaps. Ro back half to front full, love the creativity of this pass. 9.725
McBride (UNC): Side aerial to bhs, great control. Switch leap to beat jump, switch leap lacked a bit of amplitude but pretty overall. Solid front aerial. Side aerial to tucked back 1.5, slight step forward. 9.75
Bell (Pitt): Pretty full to back loso, nicely controlled landing. Great amplitude on her leaps. Solid double back to end, nice and clean lunge back. 9.80
Aoki (UNC): Bhs loso, small balance check but covers it well. Solid full turn. Switch leap to switch side, great extension and control. Front aerial to beat jump, pretty. Almost sticks the dismount. 9.75
Copperwheat (Pitt): Ro back 1.5 to front layout, nice control. Switch half to split half, pretty. Double back, great rise and a clean landing. Glad we were able to watch her for one more year. 9.825
Fink (UNC): Aggressive in her leaps. Bhs loso loso, was a bit off but brings her arms down quick to cover it up. Solid landing on the dismount. 9.90
Lee (Pitt): Pretty lines in her opening pass, lands a little short and finesses out of the end of the twist. Switch side to straddle half, pretty but a little low in amplitude. A fun twisting pass to finish out her routine. 9.825
Naranjo (UNC): Front aerial to back loso, a little off on the front aerial but keeps it going. Great amplitude in her leaps. Almost sticks the dismount. 9.725
Todd (Pitt): Punch front layout to front full to front layout, slight leg separation on the first layout. Pretty lines on leaps. Huge double back, lands with a stuck lunge. 9.775
Valahovic (UNC): Nice full turn. Bhs loso, solid. Switch leap to switch half to beat jump, great extension and control. Sticks the dismount. 9.85
Grant (Pitt): Huge double pike to start. Fhs front full to front pike, nice control on the landing. Missed the rise on her straddle half, but pretty leaps overall. Double back, nice lunge out, just a small foot shuffle before her final dance. 9.825
AFTER THREE: UNC 146.775, Pitt 146.500
Rotation 4: Pittsburgh BB, North Carolina FX
Duke (Pitt): Bhs loso, lands leaning and comes off. Switch half to split jump, pretty lines. Ro back 1.5, small hop forward. 9.125
Naranjo (UNC): Opens with a double pike, solid landing. Switch full, doesn’t quite get the rotation around all the way. Nice rise and control on the final pass. 9.85
Chiu (Pitt): Solid full turn. Bhs loso, also comes off the beam. Pretty front aerial. Split jump to double stag jump, nice lines but wasn’t quite to 180. Small hop on the dismount. 9.15
Stippich (UNC): Missed her first pass by accident. Switch half to wolf full, nice amplitude. Punch front double full to front layout, nice control. 9.775
Todd (Pitt): Pretty lines in her leaps. Love how poised she looks up there. Nice control on her series. Side gainer full, almost. Great routine to put the Panthers back on track. 9.725
Aoki (UNC): Front through to double back, great height. Switch side to straddle half, nice lines and extension. Fhs front full to front layout, front full was a little low to the ground, but a clean pass overall. 9.80
Bobek (Pitt): Standing back loso to loso, stuck. Split half to beat jump, great control. Bhs to side gainer full, stuck. 9.725
Forbes (UNC): HUGE full-in to open. Punch front layout to front full, slightly moves her front foot on the landing. Switch half to split full, nice height. Ends with a stuck double back. 9.875
Lee (Pitt): Nice full turn. Bhs loso, has a balance check but keeps it on the beam. Switch side, nice control. Ro back 1.5, small hop forward. 9.65
Seabrooks (UNC): Great double pike, slides back out of the lunge a little. Switch side to straddle half, love the amplitude. Back 1.5 to front full, nicely controlled landing. Has a fun double stag jump to finish. 9.875
Copperwheat (Pitt): The beam queen is up! Pretty lines and extension in her leaps. Bhs loso, slight balance check but saves it. Pretty side aerial. Stuck side gainer full. 9.675
Rueda (UNC): Huge double back, slides her front foot back a little. Back 1.5 to front layout, nice control. Just lacked a little bit of amplitude on her straddle jump. 9.85
FINAL: UNC 196.025, Pitt 194.425
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Live blog by Jessica Brock
