Washington at Stanford

Recap

The Big Storyline: The second meet of the weekend for both teams saw a slight dip in scores but a solid performance overall from both teams. Stanford’s final two beam performers struggled, but the Cardinal still hit 49 on the event; Likewise, Washington wasn’t perfect on beam. Stanford closed the meet with an impressive floor performance to edge the Huskies by over three tenths. 

Implications: Washington and Stanford both move up in the in-progress rankings to Nos. 25 and 22, respectively. Both teams also have enough meets for an NQS: Washington at 196.115 and Stanford at 196.280. Stanford’s relative consistency on the team score front this season leaves it dropping a 196.075, but the Cardinal is still counting low-196s in its NQS. A road 196 is appreciated for Washington, as the Huskies can drop one of three 195 scores. Next stop for the Huskies is aiming to drop those other two from their NQS. 

Controversies: Washington submitted multiple inquiries on beam and ended up having its score raised slightly at the conclusion of the meet. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 26 Washington at No. 24 Stanford

Why You Should Make Time to Tune in: In one of the tightest-ranked matchups of the weekend, two Pac-12 foes will dual in a meet with big regular season standings implications. The Huskies enter 0-3 while the Cardinal 2-1 but only ranked two spots lower; it’s a huge opportunity for Washington to nab its first conference win of the year. It’s also the first of two straight duals between these two teams, as they’ll face off at Washington next Monday.

Need More Proof? After some bars misses, Stanford’s international upperclassmen stepped up on beam as Isabela Onyshko and Ira Alexeeva each hit 9.925 to help tally a giant 49.500. Their ability to keep that up will be crucial to fend off the Huskies in their quest for a repeat win over the Cardinal. Washington got a standout performance from a freshman during last week’s off outing, with Thu Nguyen hitting 9.900 on floor and showcasing the perfect compliment to Amara Cunningham to end that lineup. This will be the second meet of the weekend for both teams, as Washington duals Arizona on Friday and Stanford competes at Metroplex on Saturday.