Sunday, January 31
Norman, Okla.
8:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
194.775
at
195.850
Oklahoma
Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
Mountaineers Suffer Setback in Norman
January 31, 2021 11:31 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team suffered a 195.850-194.775 loss to No. 3 Oklahoma on Sunday evening, inside the Lloyd Noble Center, in Norman, Oklahoma.
Competing in their first meet away from Morgantown, the Mountaineers (0-2, 0-2) defeated the Sooners (4-0, 2-0) on balance beam (48.400-47.850) for the second consecutive week. OU claimed the team victories on vault (49.225-48.775), uneven bars (49.400-48.600) and floor exercise (49.375-49.000).
WVU scored season highs on vault (48.775) and floor (49.000). The Mountaineers also matched their season-opening meet total on uneven bars.
"Overall, I thought the team showed up with a ton of energy," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "It was a long travel day yesterday, but they showed up with a lot of positive energy. They were excited, and they maintained that energy all the way through the meet. This is just our second competition of the year, and we should be really proud of the way we hit on the road tonight.
"Overall, I am very happy with our performance. We were conservative, but it's still early in the season. We have another week of practice, so we just have to clean up our handstands and little bobbles here and there. We had a minor mistake on floor, but that's all fixable."
West Virginia overcame adversity in the first rotation after sophomore Emily Holmes-Hackerd had an unfortunate fall on her series in the No. 4 position. Juniors Esperanza Abarca and Kendra Combs paced the bars lineup and tied for sixth overall with matching 9.8s, a season-best score for the duo. Sophomore Kianna Yancey scored a 9.75 and placed eighth, while junior Rachel Hornung and freshman Kiana Lewis added marks of 9.725 and 9.525, respectively. Hornung's mark was just short of a career high, while Lewis competed on bars for the first time.
OU's Audrey Davis finished first on bars with a 9.95.
The Mountaineers bounced back in the second rotation and hit six-for-six on vault for the second straight week. Senior Michelle Waldron, sophomore Abbie Pierson and Lewis each posted a 9.775 mark and tied for fifth overall. The score was just short of Waldron's personal best. Yancey finished in a tie for eighth with a season-high total of 9.75, while senior McKenna Linnen rounded out the top 10 with a season-high 9.7 mark. Holmes-Hackerd also scored a 9.575 for a season best.
OU's Evy Schoepfer and Allie Stern tied for first place with 9.9 totals.
The Mountaineers gained momentum in the third rotation, tallying a 49.000 mark on floor and pushing their running total to 146.375 for a .025 lead over the Sooners. Four-of-six Mountaineers scored 9.85s and tied for fourth overall, with Holmes-Hackerd matching her career high in the event. Yancey also earned a season high, while Linnen and Combs matched their marks from last weekend. Pierson tallied a 9.6 total, while Hornung returned to the lineup for the first time since the 2019 NCAA Regional Championships, scoring a 9.575 in the No. 6 slot.
OU's Anastasia Webb and Ragan Smith shared the floor title with matching 9.925s.
Abarca paced the Mountaineers in their final rotation, scoring a season-high 9.825 total in the anchor position to tie for second overall on beam. Linnen and Pierson posted matching 9.75 marks and tied for fourth, while Hornung tallied a 9.725 and placed sixth. Hornung's mark was a season high, while Pierson matched her mark from last weekend's season-opening meet. Holmes Hackerd and Combs added marks of 9.35 and 9.025, respectively.
OU's Webb placed first with a 9.875 total.
With tonight's results, the Mountaineers drop to 1-21 all-time against the Sooners.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers return to Morgantown for a pair of competitions, starting with Iowa State on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. WVU then plays host to Big 12-affiliate Denver on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 1 p.m.
"My goal is to get this team confident, and they know that," Butts said. "We now have one home and one away meet under our belts, so now, I think we can get a little bit more aggressive with what we are doing."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Competing in their first meet away from Morgantown, the Mountaineers (0-2, 0-2) defeated the Sooners (4-0, 2-0) on balance beam (48.400-47.850) for the second consecutive week. OU claimed the team victories on vault (49.225-48.775), uneven bars (49.400-48.600) and floor exercise (49.375-49.000).
WVU scored season highs on vault (48.775) and floor (49.000). The Mountaineers also matched their season-opening meet total on uneven bars.
"Overall, I thought the team showed up with a ton of energy," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "It was a long travel day yesterday, but they showed up with a lot of positive energy. They were excited, and they maintained that energy all the way through the meet. This is just our second competition of the year, and we should be really proud of the way we hit on the road tonight.
"Overall, I am very happy with our performance. We were conservative, but it's still early in the season. We have another week of practice, so we just have to clean up our handstands and little bobbles here and there. We had a minor mistake on floor, but that's all fixable."
West Virginia overcame adversity in the first rotation after sophomore Emily Holmes-Hackerd had an unfortunate fall on her series in the No. 4 position. Juniors Esperanza Abarca and Kendra Combs paced the bars lineup and tied for sixth overall with matching 9.8s, a season-best score for the duo. Sophomore Kianna Yancey scored a 9.75 and placed eighth, while junior Rachel Hornung and freshman Kiana Lewis added marks of 9.725 and 9.525, respectively. Hornung's mark was just short of a career high, while Lewis competed on bars for the first time.
OU's Audrey Davis finished first on bars with a 9.95.
The Mountaineers bounced back in the second rotation and hit six-for-six on vault for the second straight week. Senior Michelle Waldron, sophomore Abbie Pierson and Lewis each posted a 9.775 mark and tied for fifth overall. The score was just short of Waldron's personal best. Yancey finished in a tie for eighth with a season-high total of 9.75, while senior McKenna Linnen rounded out the top 10 with a season-high 9.7 mark. Holmes-Hackerd also scored a 9.575 for a season best.
OU's Evy Schoepfer and Allie Stern tied for first place with 9.9 totals.
The Mountaineers gained momentum in the third rotation, tallying a 49.000 mark on floor and pushing their running total to 146.375 for a .025 lead over the Sooners. Four-of-six Mountaineers scored 9.85s and tied for fourth overall, with Holmes-Hackerd matching her career high in the event. Yancey also earned a season high, while Linnen and Combs matched their marks from last weekend. Pierson tallied a 9.6 total, while Hornung returned to the lineup for the first time since the 2019 NCAA Regional Championships, scoring a 9.575 in the No. 6 slot.
OU's Anastasia Webb and Ragan Smith shared the floor title with matching 9.925s.
Abarca paced the Mountaineers in their final rotation, scoring a season-high 9.825 total in the anchor position to tie for second overall on beam. Linnen and Pierson posted matching 9.75 marks and tied for fourth, while Hornung tallied a 9.725 and placed sixth. Hornung's mark was a season high, while Pierson matched her mark from last weekend's season-opening meet. Holmes Hackerd and Combs added marks of 9.35 and 9.025, respectively.
OU's Webb placed first with a 9.875 total.
With tonight's results, the Mountaineers drop to 1-21 all-time against the Sooners.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers return to Morgantown for a pair of competitions, starting with Iowa State on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. WVU then plays host to Big 12-affiliate Denver on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 1 p.m.
"My goal is to get this team confident, and they know that," Butts said. "We now have one home and one away meet under our belts, so now, I think we can get a little bit more aggressive with what we are doing."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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