Arizona State at Utah

Recap

The Big Storyline: Even with an uncharacteristically wobbly beam rotation, Utah used two near-perfect scores in the final two rotations to defeat visiting Arizona State and start the Pac-12 season 1-0. Jillian Hoffman led the Utes off on floor with her huge 9.975 that helped earn a massive 49.675. The Sun Devils were led by Hannah Scharf’s impressive night that saw her take the all-around title over superstar freshman Grace McCallum.

Implications: Pac-12 favorite Utah started its conference slate in the ideal way with a victory, pulling in a total that should maintain its current ranking but won’t pull the Utes closer to nation-leading Michigan. Arizona State’s total was consistent with its opening-meet performance, but the Sun Devils may slide down the rankings slightly with other teams posting higher scores.

Records: Hoffman’s and Isa’s 9.975s are career-high marks on their respective events.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 13 Arizona State at No. 2 Utah

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: After Utah’s dominating win over Oklahoma last weekend, the Utes have looked the part of a title contender this season and will face a good test from Arizona State, who began its season last week with a program record opening score.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Utah’s freshmen had a mixed bag of results in week one, but popped off last week with Grace McCallum and Sage Thompson both notching scores in the 9.9s. Fellow freshman Kara Eaker will likely miss this dual as she deals with an ankle sprain. Arizona State also has an impressive freshman, with Alex Theodorou putting up three scores of 9.850 or higher in her NCAA debut, including a 9.900 on vault.