Gymnastics Set for No. 11 Penn State
March 07, 2015 12:48 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University gymnastics team opens a two-meet homestand at the WVU Coliseum on Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m., against No. 11 Penn State.
Sunday is a “Dollar Day,” and all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca Colas are available for $1 each. Additionally, it’s a “Gold Rush,” and the first 500 fans will receive a gold shaker courtesy of Coke Zero.
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WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU student I.D., and the first 100 WVU Maniacs will receive free pizza at the Blue Gate. A free WVU shuttle bus will be available for WVU students from the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop at 1 p.m., and return service to the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop will be available for an hour at the conclusion of the meet.
“Meets against Penn State are always exciting – they’re a great team that always challenges us,” said coach Jason Butts. “I know everyone’s been cooped up in their houses this week because of the snow, so Sunday is the perfect opportunity to get the family out and enjoy Mountaineer gymnastics. It’s going to be a great, fast-paced show.”
The Mountaineers (11-7-1, 0-0-1) are 2-3-1 at the WVU Coliseum this season and scored a season-high home score of 195.2 in their last meet in Morgantown on February 22. The Nittany Lions (10-2, 4-2 Big Ten) are WVU’s sixth ranked opponent of 2015 and third from the Big Ten Conference. WVU is 1-4-1 against ranked squads this season, with its lone win a 195.2-194.1 victory over No. 25 New Hampshire on February 22.
“We’ve done our job on the road this season, so we need to compete well at the Coliseum these last two weekends. We have to hit 24-for-24 Sunday – we can’t afford to count another fall at home,” explained Butts. “Eliminating small mistakes was the focus this week in Cary Gym, and I think we’ve had some great practices. We just need to put it all together Sunday.”
WVU and PSU have met at least once each season since 2005, with the exception of 2013. WVU is 1-10 in that time span, with its lone win a 195.15-193.375 victory at PSU in 2008. The Nittany Lions own a 37-6 all-time series advantage.
In their last meeting, the Mountaineers fell to the then-No. 15 Nittany Lions, 193.975-193.7, at No. 21 Kentucky in the 2014 season opener on January 10. Both squads lost to the Wildcats (195.0) and trumped Ball State (190.875). The teams last met in Morgantown in the 2012 season opener on January 8, with No. 13 PSU scoring a 195.775-195.1 victory in the first competition under coach Butts. The point total was WVU’s program record in a season opener. Seniors Beth Deal, Dayah Haley and Lia Salzano all contributed in their career debuts, with Deal placing second on beam (9.825) and Haley and Salzano tying for sixth on vault (9.775).
The Mountaineers enter the meet ranked No. 21 nationally on floor (49.05 RQS) and No. 23 on vault (48.98 RQS). The squad has tallied 49.0+ on floor in the last five meets. Conversely, the team looks to hit at least 49.0+ on vault since earning four consecutive 49.0+ marks from Jan. 17-Feb. 8.
“We changed some of our vault training this week to fix our landings,” said Butts. “We had two vault days this week, and that’s really helped. We compete beautiful vaults, but we’re giving away tenths on each landing. I think our team score can go up at least a half point if we can figure out the landings.”
Individually, sophomore Alexa Goldberg ranks No. 36 on bars with a 9.855 regional qualifying score (RQS). The Ivyland, Pennsylvania, native has taken the bars win five times this season and owns 10 career wins on the event. Additionally, junior Melissa Idell and Haley are tied at No. 39 on floor, and each shows a 9.86 RQS. The duo has combined for the last five floor wins.
The Mountaineers are coming off a first place, 194.975 showing at Pitt on February 28. WVU pushed its win total to double-digits for the first time since 2013 with victories over the Panthers (194.875), North Carolina (193.5) and Temple (191.225). The squad tallied a season-high 48.85 on beam, and Goldberg and Idell finished first on bars (9.85) and floor (9.9), respectively.
PSU, a 2014 NCAA Championships qualifier, sits at No. 3 in the Big Ten Conference with a 196.2 RQS. The Nittany Lions are one of 12 teams nationally to score 197.0 or better this season and boast a season-high mark of 197.025, earned in a win over Michigan State on February 7. PSU most recently scored 196.65 in wins over Iowa State (195.375), Penn (191.925) and Brockport (190.75) in its home season finale on February 28. Senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles ranks No. 12 nationally in the all-around with a 39.35 RQS.
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