Jan. 26, 2011
Pre-meet interview with Valorie Kondos Field
Complete Release in PDF Format 
UCLA At Oregon State - The ninth-ranked UCLA gymnastics team (5-4) travels to Corvallis, OR to take on seventh-ranked Oregon State (8-3) for the second time this month. The two teams earlier met on Jan. 9 in Pauley Pavilion at the Pac-10 Showcase, with UCLA outscoring Oregon State, 195.925-195.375. The rematch will take place on Friday, Jan. 28 at Gill Coliseum at 7 pm and is part of Oregon State's annual Pink Out meet, which helps raise money and awareness for breast and cervical cancer.
Live Coverage - OSUBeavers.com will host a free live video broadcast featuring both teams, as well as live stats.
In The Rankings - After the third week of competition, UCLA now stands at No. 9 in the national rankings with a season average of 195.119. The Bruins rank eighth on vault (49.025), 11th on bars (48.863), 19th on beam (48.425) and 15th on floor (48.806). Individually, the Bruins have three gymnasts ranked in the Top 25 in the all-around - Olivia Courtney (6th, 39.3), Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs (16th, 39.113) and Sydney Sawa (39.025). Courtney is tied for first in the nation on beam (9.875). Aisha Gerber is tied for 14th on beam (9.825), and Sawa and Monique De La Torre are tied for 14th on bars (9.833). Hopfner-Hibbs is tied for 23rd on floor (9.838), and Tauny Frattone ranks 25th on vault (9.844).
Last Week: UCLA At Stanford - A short-handed Bruin squad matched second-ranked Stanford score-for-score for three rotations before counting two falls on beam in the final round and ultimately losing 196.2-194.825. The Bruins competed without all-around standouts Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs and Olivia Courtney, who were resting injuries, had Monique De La Torre limited to just bars and lost Lichelle Wong for the final two rotations after a mishap on vault. Junior Aisha Gerber led four all-around competitors for UCLA, scoring a season-high 39.225. Freshman Sydney Sawa added a 39.025 in her all-around debut. Junior Tauny Frattone won the vault with a 9.875 and recorded season-high marks on all four events and the all-around.
Injury Update - Monique De La Torre (ankle) returned to the lineup on uneven bars at Stanford and is probable for a return to the vault lineup. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs (muscle spasms in her neck), Olivia Courtney (hamstring) and Lichelle Wong (mild concussion) are day-to-day.
About Oregon State - Oregon State enters the weekend 8-3, with a season-high score of 195.925 and season average of 195.338. The Beavers rank second in the nation on the uneven bars with an average of 49.163. Olivia Vivian leads the team on the event with a 9.9 average and season-high of 9.975. Leslie Mak is tied for first in the nation on beam with an average score of 9.875. Oregon State is coached by Tanya Chaplin, who was a six-time All-American and two-time Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year at UCLA. Beaver Associate Head Coach Michael Chaplin was a two-time All-American and member of UCLA's 1987 NCAA champion men's gymnastics team.
Gerber Takes Lead On Beam - Junior Aisha Gerber has taken over the all-important leadoff position on beam the last two meets. At Southern Utah, her 9.775 leadoff score led the way towards a season-high 49.1 team mark. At Stanford, she led off with a 9.8. Gerber had been fifth in the lineup in the first two meets of the season and scored 9.875 and 9.85. She currently ranks 14th in the nation on beam with a season average of 9.825.
Oh Canada - UCLA's Canadian trio of Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, Aisha Gerber and Sydney Sawa have been amongst the team's standouts so far this season. Hopfner-Hibbs won the all-around at the Pac-10 Showcase with a nation-high score of 39.55 and also placed first on beam (9.95) and floor (career-high tying 9.95). She also tied for first on bars at Utah with a 9.8. Gerber won beam at Utah with a 9.875 and has placed first on uneven bars at the Bruins' last two meets. At Stanford, she placed second in the all-around with a 39.225, her highest all-around total since 2009. Sawa has been extremely consistent all season, hitting all 13 of her routines without a fall and averaging 9.7 or better on all four events. She has highs of 9.85 on vault, 9.9 on bars, 9.825 on beam and 9.85 on floor.
Consistent Bruins - UCLA ended its 2010 season with amazing consistency, hitting 95 of 96 postseason routines without a fall. Three returning Bruins missed just one routine all of last year (all on beam) - Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs and Brittani McCullough, who each went 40-for-41, and Aisha Gerber, who hit 30-for-31. Vanessa Zamarripa, who is redshirting this season, hit 52-for-53, and graduated senior Anna Li was a perfect 47-for-47. This season, McCullough is 9-for-10 on the year and has hit 99 of 104 career routines. Gerber has hit 41 of her last 43 routines and is 11-for-12 on the year. Hopfner-Hibbs is 8-of-9 in 2011 and has hit 63 of her last 65 routines. Freshmen Sydney Sawa (13-for-13) and Olivia Courtney (10-for-10) have hit all of their routines without a fall so far this season.
Heart Of A Champion - UCLA's Feb. 21 home meet against North Carolina State will be dedicated to helping raise money and awareness for Camp del Corazon, which is a camp for youngsters with heart disease. Fans who purchase a t-shirt for $10 at the Camp Del Corazon website (campdelcorazon.com) will receive free admission to the meet. All proceeds go to the camp. Campers from the Camp del Corazon will be singing the national anthem, and there will be a celebrity guest speaker after the meet giving more information about the camp and how to help its cause.