University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Scores Season-High 197.475 In Return To Pauley
February 21, 2011 | Gymnastics
Feb. 21, 2011
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Los Angeles, Calif. - Sometimes there really is no place like home. In its first home meet in six weeks, the ninth-ranked UCLA Gymnastics team scored a season-high 197.475 to easily win a dual meet over North Carolina State (195.025) on Monday afternoon. The Bruins (7-6) earned seven scores of 9.9 or better and had 21 out of 24 routines score at least 9.8.
UCLA started the meet with a huge score on vault, earning a season-high 49.4 after four Bruins stuck their vaults. The rotation started with a 9.75 on a stuck Yurchenko layout full from Sydney Sawa, followed by a 9.8 from Aisha Gerber. Inserted late into the lineup, Lichelle Wong earned a career-high 9.85 with a stuck Yurchenko full. Brittani McCullough had a near-stick and tied her season-best with a 9.875. Olivia Courtney powered a high and stuck Yurchenko full for a career-best 9.925, and Tauny Frattone closed with another stuck vault on her Yurchenko half-on, piked front off, scoring a career-high tying 9.95. The Bruins' first-event total was nearly eight-tenths ahead of North Carolina State's 48.625 on uneven bars.
In rotation two, McCullough led off with a season-best 9.85, a score matched by Sawa, who stuck her stuck double layout dismount. Gerber had a very clean routine with a stuck double pike dismount and also scored 9.85. Monique De La Torre kept things going with a meet-best 9.875, and Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs (9.8) and Samantha Peszek (9.825) closed the rotation with strong marks to give UCLA an event total of 49.25 and a two-event score of 98.65. NC State scored 48.875 on vault to bring their two-event score to 97.5.
The Bruins scored another season-high on beam, earning a pair of 9.95s and totaling 49.4. Gerber and Niki Tom led UCLA off on beam in rotation three with a pair of 9.825s. Sawa earned a 9.75, and Frattone scored a career-high 9.85. McCullough was nearly flawless in her routine, soaring high for a double back dismount and scoring a career-high 9.95. Her score set up anchor Hopfner-Hibbs for a huge mark, and she delivered with a season-high-tying 9.95. NC State had a strong third rotation, scoring a season-high 49.15 on floor, thanks to a pair of 9.9s from Brooke Barr and Stephanie Ouellette, but still fell further behind the Bruins, 148.05-146.65.
UCLA finished strong on floor, with three Bruins scoring 9.9 or better. Frattone's leadoff score of 9.8 paved the way for a 9.875 from Tom. Sawa earned a career-high 9.925, and Courtney tied her career-high with a 9.9. Hopfner-Hibbs recorded a 9.925 to lead UCLA to a 49.425 team total and their first 197 score of the season. The Wolfpack scored 48.375 on beam and finished with 195.025.
Sawa won the all-around for the first time as a Bruin, scoring a career-high 39.275. She also tied for first with Hopfner-Hibbs on floor. McCullough was second in the all-around with a 39.05, and NC State's Ouellette placed third with a 38.3.
UCLA remains at home on Sunday, Feb. 27 for a tri-meet with Denver and Minnesota at 2 pm.
