UCLA Edged Out By Utah, 196.175-196.075
January 09, 2009 | Gymnastics
Jan. 9, 2009
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Salt Lake City, UT - If Friday night's season opener was any indication, the future looks more than bright for the fourth-ranked UCLA gymnastics team. Bruin underclassmen competed 22 of the team's 24 routines, including 16 by the freshman class alone, leading the way to a near victory at Utah. The second-ranked Utes eeked out the win, 196.175-196.075 in front of 12,951 fans at the Huntsman Center. Despite the inexperience of the squad, the Bruins did not have to count a fall on any of the four events.
Freshman Aisha Gerber took home first place honors on balance beam, scoring a 9.9. She also placed third in the all-around with a 38.625.
The Bruins got off to a strong start on uneven bars in the first rotation when sophomore Marci Bernholtz, performing on bars for just the second time in collegiate competition, recorded a collegiate-best 9.725. Senior Ariana Berlin followed with a stellar routine and stuck full-twisting double back dismount that merited a 9.825. Gerber added a 9.85, freshman Vanessa Zamarripa scored a 9.8, and junior Anna Li added a 9.85 to give UCLA a 49.05. Utah, led by a 9.95 from Nina Kim, hit a 49.425 on vault to take the early lead.
In the second rotation, the Bruins counted five 9.8+ scores to total 49.175. Sophomore Mizuki Sato earned a 9.825 on her first collegiate vault, and freshman Kaelie Baer recorded a 9.8 on her first routine. Gerber added a 9.85, and Zamarippa scored a team-high 9.9 on an effortless Yurchenko full. Freshman Alyssa Pritchett, pressed into last-minute duty, came through with a 9.8 on a Tsukahara layout full. UCLA outscored Utah in rotation two with a 49.175 on vault to Utah's 49.075 on bars, which trimmed the Utes' lead to .275, 98.500-98.225.
UCLA hit five of six floor routines in rotation three but were hit hard by the judges on start values and credit for skills. Sophomore Niki Tom led off with a 9.75. Baer followed with another clean routine but had one judge award just a 9.9 start value, which dropped her score to 9.75. Sato had the team's high score with a 9.825. Zamarripa did not fully complete her double turn and had her start value lowered to 9.9, giving her a 9.75 final score. After a fall on her second pass by Gerber, Hopfner-Hibbs needed a hit routine to keep the Bruins from counting a fall, and she delivered with a stuck Arabian double front opening pass and a double pike dismount. A stumble on a pair of illusions, however, dropped her score to just 9.675, bringing UCLA's total to 48.75. Utah, meanwhile, totaled 49.025 on beam and increased its lead to 147.525-146.975.
Finishing up on balance beam in the final rotation, the Bruins relied on two sophomore and four freshmen to try to make up ground. Bernholtz opened with a 9.8, and Tom scored a 9.775. Baer followed with a 9.775, and Gerber earned a first-place mark of 9.9. Things got interesting with both teams' final two performers. First, Zamarripa suffered two falls, then Utah's Nina Kim fell twice on floor exercise. Hopfner-Hibbs delivered a strong anchor routine on beam with a 9.85 to give the Bruins a final score of 196.075. When Utah All-American Kristina Baskett fell on her final tumbling pass, the Utes would have to count a fall, but her 9.375 was enough to give Utah a one-tenth victory.
"Overall we could not be more happy, especially competing with such young athletes out there," said UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field. "Even though they were great tonight, they have done so much better than this in training. We did about 75% of the gymnastics we're capable of doing with this team, not counting the (injured) girls we have coming in the next few weeks. So the future looks bright."
The team score of 196.075 was the highest by a Bruin squad in a season opener since the 2005 team scored 197.3 at Utah in 2005.