Neither of these teams have quite had the start they were looking for. Illinois had a mess of a first meet, but has slowly been building back closer to where it wants to be. Nebraska started well, but has had some odd lineups and low scores since the first week due to several injuries to key performers.
For Illinois, falling is the problem. In week one, it was a rash of bars falls. Last week, it was two quite odd falls on Yurchenko fulls. Every week, some nervy beam has been sprinkled in as well. The Illini are capable of a solid score, if they can put the pieces that have worked each week together into one hit meet. This means no random falls, no beam wobbles from Mary Jane Otto and Rae Balthazor getting back to peak form.
For Nebraska, Megan Schweihoffer and Sienna Crouse are the questions. Crouse was limited to beam last week at Rutgers with a finger infection. She did show tumbling on the team’s Instagram story on Thursday, and seems probable to return to at least that lineup. Schweihoffer competed beam week two and beam and floor last week. She had shoulder surgery over the summer, and it is presumed that Heather Brink is managing that injury. She was also tumbling on the team’s Instagram story this week.
Unfortunately for the Huskers, Crouse and Schweihoffer’s injuries make bars seem like their least-likely return. Nebraska is depleted on the event, especially with Kynsee Roby (foot) out for the season and Catelyn Orel (knee) out for several months. Last week, the Huskers put up one routine that wasn’t up to the level, and redshirt senior Kelli Chung made her competitive debut on the event. While it scraped by, that is not the bar rotation you expect from a team that qualified to Super Six last year. Taylor Houchin is carrying this injury-laden team on her shoulders.
https://twitter.com/IlliniWGym/status/1089312683084660737
Ten minutes to go an I’m still seeing a “video link available at start time” message so…good start.
Whoop there it is!
(Everybody get up, it’s time to slam now
We got a real jam goin’ down
Welcome to the Space Jam
Here’s your chance, do your dance at the Space Jam.)
Sorry I just really like Space Jam. ANYWAY. Gymnastics.
…maybe. If it loads. YAY.
In the meantime, here’s a great new leo!
https://twitter.com/IlliniWGym/status/1089326922327314432
BUT WILL WE GET VIDEO?
https://twitter.com/HuskersWGym/status/1089328862436253696
I’m still staring at a black screen. This is fun and good.
Rotation 1: Nebraska vault, Illinois bars
We still have a black screen! Curtis went 9.7 on vault, followed by a 9.75 from Quinn, and Dwyer had a 9.75 on bars. Everything is fiiiiiiine.
Biondi added a 9.85 on bars. She must have hit her Weiler + Jaeger this week. Wish we could’ve seen it!
This is going well, apparently! 9.9 for De Jesus and 9.85 for Dujakovich (she presumably did the Y1.5), and on bars, a 9.875 for Donovan. La la la everything is fine, nothing is a dumpster fire where is the video.
Howell added a 9.9 on bars. She can be stunning, I bet her toe point was lovely as always!
Crouse with a 9.8 on vault. Her finger infections seems to be cleared up, which is good news for the Huskers.
Houchin added a 9.85 for her DTY, would assume she had landing issues like the past few weeks, because it’s lovely in the air.
Otto with a 9.875 on bars for her Maloney/Pak/van Leeuwen/full in set. It’s a beaut.
Is anyone else furious right now? Me too. This black screen is GREAT.
Balthazor with a big 9.925 to anchor!
After 1: Illinois 49.425, Nebraska, 49.15
Illinois will be THRILLED. Bars was its downfall week one, and has had rocky moments in every outing since. This is a massive improvement, with key hits from the back three in Howell, Otto and Balthazor.
Nebraska, I would assume from scores since WE CAN’T SEE ANYTHING was probably hoppy on 1.5s and pikey on FTYs, but a 49+ score is always a good start, and Crouse back is key.
Let’s talk about advertising a live stream and not having one, for a sec. That’s absurd. A team should at least tweet that it’s not working/has been cancelled. Especially a top program like the Huskers. I’m pretty furious! I’ll do a second rotation of this, but not a whole meet. We’ll see if the video deigns to show up, but I have doubts.
HEY THERE IT IS. Thank you, Nebraska.
https://twitter.com/HuskersWGym/status/1089333902534152193
No Crouse or Schwehoffer, more or less expected on bars. This was a weak point for Nebraska last week.
Rotation 2: Nebraska bars, Illinois vault
Dwyer (Ill): FTY. We hear she hopped but WE DIDN’T GET TO SEE IT GOOD GOD.
Johnston (UNL): Ray, good catch. Toe hand + bail hand sloppy legs. Toe shoot, good last handstand. Full-in, stuck. Good start!
Otto (Ill): FTY, Good body, small hop back.
Chung (UNL): Earned this spot last week! Arched first handstand. blind + Jaeger. Pak, rough feet. Better last handstand, DLO crazy legs in the second flip, hop.
Howell (Ill): Big FTY, piked throughout, hop.
Hargrove (UNL): Ray, very good rotation + Pak, messy legs. Short last handstand. Stalder + double tuck, hop forward.
Balthazor (Ill.): FTY, tucked some, bounded back out of it, maybe three steps. Big distance.
Verceles Carr (UNL): Hect mount. Blind + Jaeger piked, big nice. Bail. Blind full + double tuck, holds the stick. Very nice.
Meeks (Ill.): FTY. Clean FTY, good amplitude, small hop straight up.
De Jesus (UNL): Ray, nice, + bail. Arabian double stuck. Phew! Huskers are on a roll.
Roe (Ill): In for Bixler at the last moment it seems. Tuck Y full, hop to the side.
Houchin (UNL): Lines for days. Blind full + Tkatchev, little low for her, bail hand. GREAT last handstand. DLO, small step back.
After 2: Nebraska 98.525, Illinois 97.725
A very solid bar rotation moves Nebraska ahead of Illinois. The Illini struggled to get out of the 9.7s, and had to count Dwyer’s 9.575 after a wild full from Balthazor.
Rotation 3: Nebraska beam, Illinois floor
Curtis (UNL): She has such pretty toes. Moving with confidence. Wolf + punch front, break at the hips. My feed is buffering STAY WITH ME. bhs loso, small check. Switch + switch good splits. RO 3/2 stuck. Great leadoff, just those two early errors.
Scott (Ill): Leading off is new for her I think? FHS 2/1 nice, lunged to the side a touch. 3/2 + front lay, dragged a foot on the landing a bit, lost some height on the lay. Gorgeous lines, and she’s learning to perform a bit more. Switch ring + tour jete 1/2, I want her front leg higher on the ring. FHS rudi, good landing, just a bit of a hop.
Hargrove (UNL): BHS chest stand mount, with a really great mount sequence. Bhs loso, solid, great leg extension. Front aerial, medium check, bent at the hips a touch. Split, small check, resets, split repeated + sheep. Just hesitant. Gainer pike hop forward. That was her beam debut! Not a terrible first routine.
Roe (Ill): Her ’70s dance party set is so fun. Front lay + rudi, stumbles back out of it a little. Switch 1/1 + wolf 1/1. She shows off this set so well. Double tuck, hands down. Those landings. She’s not in peak form today.
Crouse (UNL): Good to have her back. Front aerial bhs, good connection. She’s very steady today, not always a given for her. Switch + straddle 1/4, good. Front toss totally solid. Gainer pike 1/1, good landing.
Biondi (Ill): She’s also a great performer, with a really expressive face. Double pike, flexed feet but good controlled lunge out. Double tuck, chest down and bounds back a bit. Probably .3-.5? Switch side + wolf 1/1. FHS front lay front 1/1 hop to the side.
Schweihoffer (UNL): Bhs layout two feet, solid. Switch + switch 1/2, good splits. She’s moving well. RO 2/1 flaired it out and stuck. That’s a postseason-quality set.
Balthazor (Ill): Some music problems, so she steps off and we’ll wait. Illinois doing the I-L-L I-N-I chant to stay relaxed. Okay! Here we go! Nope just kidding. I think the team is moon walking across the floor now. THIS MEET IS SO FUN.
OK we’re going to beam.
Houchin (UNL): Bhs loso, completely steady. She finishes all of her movements, which is what elevates a routine on beam. Front aerial + beat. Switch + split. Not a wobble in sight. Cat + side aerial small check I cursed her. RO 2/1, small hop.
Still confusion on floor.
Hassel (UNL): Bhs loso, small check, picked up her front foot a bit. Front aerial, good. Split + sheep, no problems. Small check she covered well on the full turn. RO 3/2, maybe a hop, they could call it stuck. Hard to tell from this angle.
I think I heard music, Balthazor seems to be resetting. This has been a MASSIVELY long wait. We’ll see how it affects her performance, not only for her, but the following two sets as well.
Balthazor (Ill): BIG cheers from her team for support. She points her toes consistently in her dance, which is wonderful. High double tuck, hops back. Tour jete 1/1, pretty. Tour jete 1/2 + Popa, nice, seemed to get a touch off in the air in her body on the Popa but landed well. 3/2 + front lay small hop forward. Good for her after waiting so long.
Verceles Carr (UNL- exhibition): Side aerial with a medium break. Small check on full turn. Bhs loso, solid. Split + split 3/4, nice, would like a little more split. Cartwheel 3/2, stuck.
Howell (Ill): Her dance is so so gorgeous. Such a performer. Front through double tuck, good landing. Switch side 1/2 + straddle 1/2 + wolf 1/1, good rotation. Double pike, great landing. Just a pretty set.
Noonan (Ill): Fhs 2/1, very good landing, good control. Fhs front lay + rudi, again, great control. Love seeing the rudi as the third element in that pass. Switch ring + cat 3/2, good. 3/2 + front lay, good landing again. She is on! Great anchor set.
Donovan (Ill-exhibition): Oooh fun opening choreography! Tour jete 1/1, good. FHS 2/1, stutter stepped out of the landing. This is a FUN set. Round-off loso. Front lay + rudi, some messy legs but good landing. Switch ring. Good! That’s a fun set. With cleaner landings it could break in.
After 3: Nebraska 147.75, Illinois 146.475
Not the floor rotation Illinois wanted, with some early low numbers. The long wait didn’t seem to adversely effect the team, though, which is impressive. Nebraska was strong on beam, with just little wobbles and checks.
Rotation 4: Nebraska floor, Illinois beam
Roe (Ill): Bhs loso, off a touch but recovered. Small check. Beat + straddle 3/4. Cat + gainer loso, solid. RO 3/2, small hop. She’s such a stalwart leadoff every week.
Johnston (UNL): High double pike, steps back out. She has Biles’ Rio music. Whip 1/2 + front 1/1. Switch 1/2 + split 1/1, good. Double tuck, better landing, chest a touch low but didn’t move her feet.
Biondi (Ill): Switch + straddle 1/2. Bhs loso, good. She’s moving so quickly. Cat + front aerial, she’s off, sat on the beam and came completely off. RO 3/2, very deep landing steps back.
De Jesus (UNL): She’s a great performer. 3/1 to open, uncontrolled lunge out, maybe a step. 3/2 + front lay stepout walks right out into dance. Switch side + Popa, good. Double pike, hops back. Just some landing errors.
Otto (Ill): She has great lines and deliberate movement. Great full turn. Bhs loso, solid. Had a big error there last week, good improvement. Switch + tuck 1/1, small check. Side aerial + stuck 1/1. Great set for the Illini after a fall!
Schweihoffer (UNL): Full-in, good landing. She took the bhs out of that pass, maybe protecting her shoulder? Front lay + rudi, stepped back, I don’t think she went OOB. Missed her leaps! Front lay + front 1/1, definitely as little time on that shoulder as possible.
Noonan (Ill): Bhs bhs loso, and she’s off. Illinois will count a fall. Small check on full turn. Sisonne + gainer loso, small check. She’s just tight. Switch + split, good. Cartwheel gainer full, small step.
Hassel (UNL): FHS 2/1, good landing, steps to the side a touch. Cartwheel loso. 3/2 + front lay, good. Switch 1/2 + wolf 1/1. Fhs rudi + big straddle jump, fun ending.
Howell (Ill): Gorgeous mount. She has great extension in everything she does. Bhs layout two feet, totally secure. Switch + straddle 1/4. Cat + switch side, good. Huge front scale directly to gainer pike, stuck. Great set.
Crouse (UNL): Front 2/1 + front lay, great. Switch side + popa. 3/2 + barani + stretch jump. We’re hearing this is new choreo this week. FHS rudi + loso, just floats the loso, gorgeous!
Balthazor (Ill): Cat + switch side HUGE. Bhs loso small check, leg up a bit. Front toss + sisonne, good. Gainer pike, small hop.
Houchin (UNL): Huge pike full-in, good landing. 3/2 + front lay, good control. Switch ring + switch 1/1, good splits. Double pike, so high, slightly deep knee bend on the landing, but good control out. A great set.
FINAL: Nebraska 197.25, Illinois 194.675
I believe Nebraska’s total is now the highest in the Big Ten this year, and the first 197 in the conference. The Huskers went 24-for-24 and looked steady throughout. This is right where they want to be in January, putting up solid numbers at home. The test will be replicating this performance on the road. For Illinois, this was another struggle bus meet. Vault mistakes and counting a fall on beam killed what could have been a huge total after that massive start on bars. This team just hasn’t been able to put it together, yet, at a time when the rest of the middling teams in the conference are starting to hit that 196 mark in big ways.
Live blog by Emily Minehart
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