MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team opened up its home and conference slates with a 197.600-195.725 loss to No. 6 Denver at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on Friday night.
 
WVU's score of 195.725 tops its score from last week's season opener by 1.725 points, while the Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) also bested their totals on uneven bars and floor exercise from last week. Despite finishing second to Denver (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) on all four events, the Pioneers narrowly outscored WVU on floor, 49.4-49.35, as West Virginia tallied five scores of 9.85 or better.
 
"Tonight, we started out with a much-improved warm-up period, which translated into success on the competition floor," WVU coach Jason Butts said. "We can still get better from here, as we still have a lot we can work on in practice. We gave away a lot of tenths in landings and things like that, but I'll definitely take this performance. Hitting 23 out of 24 routines is a vast improvement from last week."
 
Three different Mountaineers earned four podium appearances Friday night, including three on floor and one on the all-around. Senior Kendra Combs led the way in second place on floor with a career-high matching 9.9 total and third place on the all-around with a career-best 39.150. Junior Abbie Pierson and sophomore Kiana Lewis tied for third place on floor with a pair of 9.875 scores.
 
West Virginia opened the meet on vault, and Pierson anchored the lineup and secured a 9.825 in the final spot. Five of WVU's six gymnasts scored 9.7 or higher to help WVU earn a 48.775 total on the event. Additionally, freshman Brooke Alban earned a new career-high total, notching a 9.725. Pierson just missed the podium, landing in a tie for fourth place with Denver's Jessica Hutchinson.
 
UD's Lynzee Brown claimed the vault title with a 9.925.
 
In the second rotation on bars, WVU improved upon its performance from a week ago, hitting six-of-six routines after being forced to count three falls last week. Junior Kianna Yancey led the way for the Mountaineers with a 9.85, while Combs was just behind her with a stuck landing that scored a 9.8. Freshman Anna Leigh also earned a career-high 9.7 in the event, and Alban made her career bars debut with a matching 9.7. West Virginia went on to score a 48.750 in the second rotation.
 
The Pioneers claimed the top three podium spots on bars, with Rylie Mundell taking first with a 9.925.
 
Sophomore Agatha Handono led off WVU's lineup in the third rotation on beam, scoring a career-high 9.725. Pierson followed Handono in the No. 2 spot, as the New Kensington, Pennsylvania, native earned a 9.85 for her routine. Five-of-six Mountaineers tallied scores of 9.725 or higher on beam for a 48.850 total.
 
Mundell scored a 9.975 on beam to claim first place on the event.
 
In the final rotation, West Virginia sparkled yet again, narrowly besting its score from last week's competition with a 49.350. Combs led the way with a 9.9, while Pierson (9.875), Lewis (9.875), Yancey (9.85) and Leigh (9.85) notched scores of 9.85+. Denver's Brown also claimed the floor title with a 9.975.
 
Yancey made her season debut on the all-around Friday night, while Combs and classmate Rachel Hornung also appeared in all four events. Combs notched a total score of 39.150, marking her first career all-around score of 39+, taking third place. Hornung followed with a 38.950, and Yancey tallied a 38.425.
 
"This was also really good for the team's confidence," Butts added. "They needed this, especially heading into Iowa State next weekend. I'm very happy with today. There's always room for improvement, but this was a huge jump over last weekend."
 
Next week, West Virginia returns to the road to take on Big 12 foe Iowa State on Friday, January 28, in Ames, Iowa. The meet is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, inside Hilton Coliseum.
 
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