Early lineups for UCLA vs. Utah have been released and it is a bit of a revelation. Based on the lineup that UCLA is putting up, it appears that they believe that Stanford will be a bigger test than Utah. Miss Val has been accustomed to putting up B-Teams against opponents like Cal, even though she espouses that there is no such thing as big meets or little meets. Brittani McCullough is not listed on floor against Utah, nor if Lichelle Wong listed for bars. It appears that she is testing out the freshmen to see who will deliver for the Pac-10 Showcase. Lichelle Wong has a bar dismount to get under control, but she is likely to grow into the bar anchor this season. Aisha is also not vaulting and is certainly someone capable of deliver a top-notch vault. She is also the alternate on floor, but Val is holding back on her double arabian. They are trying to protect Aisha's ankles due to the years of being beaten up by Saadi.
Given UCLA's lack of star power on bars, it is imperative that they bring their A-Game to the land of Donny and Marie.
Vault
Sydney Sawa
EHH
MDLT
Brittani McCullough
Tauny Frattone
Olivia Courtney
Ex: Lichelle Wong
Uneven Bars
Aisha Gerber
Olivia Courtney
Sydney Sawa
Brittani McCullough
MDLT
Tauny Frattone
Ex: Niki Tom
That bars lineup is comprised entirely of "first half of the lineup girls" from last season.
Balance Beam
Niki Tom
Mizuki Sato
Lichelle Wong
Tauny Frattone
Aisha Gerber
EHH
Ex: Olivia Courtney
Floor Exercise
Sydney Sawa
Tauny Frattone
Olivia Courtney
Niki Tom
Lichelle Wong
EHH
Ex: Talia Kushynski
Alt: Aisha Gerber
Given the nature of collegiate gymnastics, I'd be surprised if the lineups didn't change slightly by Friday night.
Utah's Lineup:
Vault
Johnson
Lofgren
Damianova
McAllister
Lothrop
Robarts
Uneven Bars
Johnson
Damianova
Lothrop
Beers
Mackie
McAllister
Balance Beam
Mackie
Lothrop
McAllister
Beers
Lofgren
Robarts
Floor Exercise
Johnson
Lofgren
Damianova
McAllister
Robarts
Lothrop
Why isnt Allison Taylor competing all around or any events at the utah meet?
ReplyDeleteis this the line up order they're going to be competing in? If so, odd order in a few places.
ReplyDeleteIf UCLA hits, it's their meet to lose, the question is if they can handle the pressure of competing in the Huntsman Center, they've only beaten Utah once at home, and that was back in 2003. So excited for this meet!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe home-scoring in Hunstman is a much bigger issue than any ''pressure'' competing there.
ReplyDeleteHa, but an obstacle nonetheless... :)
ReplyDelete"Why isnt Allison Taylor competing all around or any events at the utah meet?"
ReplyDeleteBecause she's the biggest waste of scholarship ever? I'm sure Val will throw her a bone and let her do bars against some third-rate competition, but other than that, all she's good for is moving mats, keeping the team GOA up, and reminding everyone how she's best buds with Nastia.
What does GOA stand for?
ReplyDeleteWhile I have no doubt there is a home advantage, UCLA's losses at Utah at least in meets I have attended in '09, & '07 were due to complete meltdowns. Their loss in '05 was because Ashley Postell is fucking amazing!!! So while Utah has the home scoring advantage, can UCLA hold it together mentally?
ReplyDeleteAnon- expect to see Taylor to compete maybe against CSUF or Southern Utah. I bet she exhibitions for the last time on senior night.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Lichelle Wong isn't competing bars she's got a pretty good repertoire of skills. Are they benching her because she is working on her dismount?
I think they're resting their best players for the Pac-10 showcase, which is two days later, hence Lichelle not competing bars. UCLA usually uses that strategy about once a year, when they have two meets on the same weekend. Seeing as Stanford was looking a LOT stronger than Utah in the preseason videos and as the second meet is in front of UCLA's home crowd, the decision makes sense I think.
ReplyDelete