Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
WVU Preps for Weekend Road Swing
February 03, 2022 10:25 AM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) prepares for a pair meets this weekend, beginning with a trek to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on No. 13 Arkansas on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7:45 p.m. ET, inside Barnhill Arena. West Virginia then travels to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a quad meet at Pitt on Sunday, Feb. 6. WVU will be joined by NC State and Alaska Anchorage at Pitt, as the meet is set for 2 p.m., inside Fitzgerald Field House.
Friday's action against the Razorbacks will be broadcast live on SECN+, while Sunday's quad meet at Pitt will be available on ACCNX. Links to live results from this weekend's competitions can be found on the gymnastics schedule at WVUsports.com.
"We're really looking forward to getting on the road for two big meets this weekend," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "We're hoping to get a great road score down in SEC country at Arkansas, then come back to go against our big rival Pitt on Sunday afternoon. We would love to have two great road scores and come out of it hitting 48 routines for the weekend. That's going to be the goal."
On Friday, WVU and Arkansas will meet for the ninth time in program history, with the Razorbacks holding a 5-3 all-time record in the series. West Virginia and Pitt have a storied history, which dates back to WVU's first season of competition in 1974 and spans 86 total meetings. The Mountaineers are 67-17-2 all-time against the Panthers. West Virginia holds a 28-14 all-time record over NC State, while WVU and Alaska Anchorage meet for the first time on Sunday.
Of note, West Virginia is looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since the 2019 season, when it bested No. 22 Ohio State and No. 24 Penn State on March 17.
In this week's Road to Nationals rankings, West Virginia is ranked No. 8 on floor exercise with a 49.308 average. Overall, WVU did not crack the top 25 this week, coming in at No. 31 with a season average of 195.050. The Mountaineers are No. 3 overall in the Big 12 Conference, while they rank No. 2 in the league on floor. WVU is No. 3 on balance beam (48.7 avg.) and No. 4 on vault (48.883 avg.) and uneven bars (48.158).
Arkansas sits tied for No. 13 overall in the Road to Nationals rankings, while NC State checks in at No. 27, Pitt follows at No. 46 and Alaska Anchorage ranks 66th.
Following her career-high performance on Jan. 28, junior Abbie Pierson moved into this week's top 50 vault rankings and is tied for No. 32 nationally. Senior Kendra Combs is the lone Mountaineer inside the top 50 on floor this week, checking in at No. 41 overall.
West Virginia tallied a season-best road score, but fell, 196.225-195.425, to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Jan. 28. Iowa State outscored West Virginia (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) on vault, balance beam and uneven bars, but WVU secured a narrow, 49.25-49.225 victory on floor exercise.
West Virginia was led by Pierson, who logged wins on vault and balance beam. Pierson led WVU with solo event wins on vault and beam, while Combs ascended the podium three times. Combs finished tied for second on beam with a 9.85, before going on to match her career high on floor and finish tied for first place with a 9.9.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Friday's action against the Razorbacks will be broadcast live on SECN+, while Sunday's quad meet at Pitt will be available on ACCNX. Links to live results from this weekend's competitions can be found on the gymnastics schedule at WVUsports.com.
"We're really looking forward to getting on the road for two big meets this weekend," Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. "We're hoping to get a great road score down in SEC country at Arkansas, then come back to go against our big rival Pitt on Sunday afternoon. We would love to have two great road scores and come out of it hitting 48 routines for the weekend. That's going to be the goal."
On Friday, WVU and Arkansas will meet for the ninth time in program history, with the Razorbacks holding a 5-3 all-time record in the series. West Virginia and Pitt have a storied history, which dates back to WVU's first season of competition in 1974 and spans 86 total meetings. The Mountaineers are 67-17-2 all-time against the Panthers. West Virginia holds a 28-14 all-time record over NC State, while WVU and Alaska Anchorage meet for the first time on Sunday.
Of note, West Virginia is looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since the 2019 season, when it bested No. 22 Ohio State and No. 24 Penn State on March 17.
In this week's Road to Nationals rankings, West Virginia is ranked No. 8 on floor exercise with a 49.308 average. Overall, WVU did not crack the top 25 this week, coming in at No. 31 with a season average of 195.050. The Mountaineers are No. 3 overall in the Big 12 Conference, while they rank No. 2 in the league on floor. WVU is No. 3 on balance beam (48.7 avg.) and No. 4 on vault (48.883 avg.) and uneven bars (48.158).
Arkansas sits tied for No. 13 overall in the Road to Nationals rankings, while NC State checks in at No. 27, Pitt follows at No. 46 and Alaska Anchorage ranks 66th.
Following her career-high performance on Jan. 28, junior Abbie Pierson moved into this week's top 50 vault rankings and is tied for No. 32 nationally. Senior Kendra Combs is the lone Mountaineer inside the top 50 on floor this week, checking in at No. 41 overall.
West Virginia tallied a season-best road score, but fell, 196.225-195.425, to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Jan. 28. Iowa State outscored West Virginia (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) on vault, balance beam and uneven bars, but WVU secured a narrow, 49.25-49.225 victory on floor exercise.
West Virginia was led by Pierson, who logged wins on vault and balance beam. Pierson led WVU with solo event wins on vault and beam, while Combs ascended the podium three times. Combs finished tied for second on beam with a 9.85, before going on to match her career high on floor and finish tied for first place with a 9.9.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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