Big Al Surrenders to UGA VI Despite Shining Performances Early On

While the real UGA VI was somewhere back in Athens snoring away in his luxury doghouse, his GymDawgs were busy outperforming the defending National Champions in Tuscaloosa this past Saturday Night, claiming the Dawg's first dual meet victory over the Tide in Coleman Coliseum since February 1999.  Despite the loss, Bama had several sparkling moments, starting with Jeana Rice's perfect 10 for the meet's opening routine.  Following a superior performance on the uneven bars, the Tide was hoping to break the meet wide open with a similar performance on the balance beam.  Unfortunately, either that gremlin was still hanging around from last week or UGA VI belched at just the right moment to scare Larissa Stewart, Kristin Sterner and Mari-Christine Bayer into a trio of uncharacteristic performances on beam that ultimately cost them vital tenths towards the final team score.  All joking aside, this was definitely another great meet in the UA-UGA series, which by far continues to be the best gymnastics rivalry in the NCAA.

Vault 

The fans could not have asked for a better start to the meet than junior Jeana Rice's perfect 10 performance on the vault.  Her Yurchenko 1/1 was simply awesome.  Freshman Dana Pierce perhaps tried a little too hard to match her performance with a Yurchenko 1/1 of her own, only to either twist too late or miss a solid push off the vaulting table, resulting in a knee brush-down on the mat (9.400).  Sophomore Alexis Brion vaulted a stupendous pike ½ twist but only scored 9.775 despite achieving superior height and distance (only one hop back after she landed it feet together).  Kristin Sterner (9.875) threw a Yurchenko ½ off front layout with a small hop forward and Stephanie Kite vaulted a front pike for a 9.800 (one foot forward on landing).  Ashley Miles pumped up the crowd with a super Yurchenko 1/1 (9.975) and basically hopped in place with the incredible power that she generated.  Total score for Bama on vault: 49.425.

Georgia meanwhile was experiencing some initial problems on the bars but handled the pressure very well after freshman Keri Lee Sullivan's fall on her dismount (9.325) by posting a trio of 9.90 scores from juniors Kinsey Rowe, Chelsea Byrd and Cory Fritzinger.  Their team total on bars was 49.375.

Uneven Bars

Welcome back Shannon Hrozek! The Texas sophomore confidently swung through her super Gienger release move, made all of her handstands and nailed the double tuck dismount the way you're supposed to for a 9.85. We couldn't figure out where they deducted. Sophomore Michelle Reeser completed her Tkatchev release and rotated confidently with legs together, striving for perfect handstands.  Her dismount cost her a deduction as she stepped one foot back on the landing (9.775).  Kristin Sterner had another great routine this week, throwing the full twisting Tkatchev and the Tkatchev release moves and sticking her double front dismount for a 9.90.  Freshman Larissa Stewart's two inverted giants to half turn to Tkatchev combination was solid and she stuck her double layout dismount to the delight of the partisan crowd (9.85).  Jeana Rice was just shy of perfection on the bars with her two inverts, a Tkatchev and a full in dismount (9.95).  Freshman Dana Filetti (9.85) was thrilled that she completed all of her big moves this week, highlighted by a booming Gienger release that was way above the high bar, with beautiful extension and toe point.  She also tamed that double front dismount that had been giving her trouble in previous meets.  Team total on bars: 49.400.

Georgia was on fire on the vault with freshman Brittany Smith (9.925), Kinsey Rowe (9.95) and Chelsea Byrd (9.975) taking top honors for the Dawgs.  Team total on vault: 49.575.

Balance Beam

This is where things started off well but then began to get spooky again by the mid-point routines.  Michelle Reeser was solid overall in the performance of her routine but not as crisp on her dismount of the bhs to layout, where she took a hop back on the landing (9.825).  Dana Pierce (9.85) had one slight shoulder bend but otherwise was super in performing her two-footed bhs to layout and the side switch leap had great amplitude as always. Larissa Stewart (9.60) showed uncharacteristic nerves for the second week in a row by struggling on her flight series (bailed after the second element, a bhs) and not completely connecting her leap series.  She also had a little balance check on her front aerial to wolf to sissone leap combination.  Kristin Sterner had a perfect routine going (bhs, bhs, layout; two straddle leaps; switch leap ½ combination; wolf to standing back pike) until several bounding steps backward had to be taken after her double pike dismount was over-rotated (9.60).  What amazing ankle and calf strength that girl has! Welcome back freshman Mari-Christine Bayer! Unfortunately, a gremlin grabbed hold of her for awhile on the beam as well.  Despite a nice front aerial to immediate bhs to Korbut (fish flop) her subsequent leaps were very tentative and not smoothly connected at points (9.70).  That gremlin even grabbed hold of Jeana Rice for a moment as she threw the bhs-layout-layout series (walked out of her third element after completion and bent to the side); the rest of her routine was solid for a 9.85.  Team total on beam for the Tide was 48.825. 

The GymDawgs were paced on floor exercise by freshman Jamie Ackerman's 9.925 (double layout and a double tuck) and Chelsea Byrd's 9.975 (super whip to bhs to tuck full in and a very nice double pike at the end).  Total on floor for Georgia was 49.425.

Floor Exercise

You have to give the Alabama crowd credit.  Once again they were on their feet at this point to cheer the ladies on to victory despite being behind by .725.  This fueled awesome performances by Michelle Reeser (9.875), junior Lauren Holdefer (9.875 for four tumbling passes, three double backs), Kristin Sterner (9.925) and Stephanie Kite (9.90).  Jeana Rice (9.95) threw her pike full in, a whip to 2 ½ twist and a whip to double full while Ashley Miles (9.95) countered with her double layout and ended with a crisp double pike.  The Tide finished strongly with a 49.600 on floor but Georgia was determined to bag this victory by performing solid routines on the balance beam when they had to.  Kinsey Rowe threw a beautiful full twisting Korbut (9.90) and junior Sierra Sapunar (9.875) performed bravely and nimbly despite a painful rotator cup tear in her shoulder.  The Dawgs finished on beam with a 49.250.  Final Score: Bama: 197.250   Georgia: 197.625.

Bama hits the road for their final regular season meet against the Auburn Tigers Friday Night at 7:00 pm.  The Medalist Club will have a large contingent of fans to take over Beard-Eaves Coliseum.  Join us on www.gymtide.com if you cannot make the meet in person.  Roll Tide!