NORMAN, Okla. – The West Virginia University gymnastics team earned its highest road score of the season to finish second at No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday night inside the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Mountaineers (8-7, 1-2 Big 12) posted a 195.675 team total, finishing behind the host Sooners who earned a program-best 198.575. OU topped WVU on all four events, including 49.625-48.875 on vault, 49.65-48.875 on uneven bars, 49.625-48.775 on balance beam and 49.675-49.15 on floor exercise.
Opening the meet on bars, West Virginia recorded a solid 48.875, led by sophomore
Brooke Alban with a 9.85. Classmate
Anna Leigh and senior
Emily Holmes-Hackerd were just shy of Alban with matching 9.8s. Senior
Kianna Yancey tallied a 9.75, before fifth-year senior
Kendra Combs recorded a 9.675 to complete the first rotation.
Continuing to vault, a pair of sticks from senior
Abbie Pierson and junior
Kiana Lewis helped WVU earn another 48.875 event score. Pierson led the way with a 9.825, followed by Lewis' 9.8. Freshman
Emma Wehry earned a 9.775, while Yancey and freshman
Brooke Irwin completed the scoring with a 9.75 and 9.725, respectively.
The Mountaineers then went to floor, earning a 49.15 for their eighth consecutive score of 49.0+ on the event. Junior
Ellen Collins led the way with a career-high matching 9.9 for the second week in a row, while Leigh also added a season-best 9.875. A pair of 9.8s from Pierson and Holmes-Hackerd followed, and Yancey's 9.775 rounded out West Virginia's best event.
WVU closed the meet on beam, where it overcame adversity following a fall to secure a 48.775. Leigh led the way with another season-best 9.85. Pierson secured a 9.775 and Combs added a 9.75, before Holmes-Hackerd and Wehry posted a pair of 9.7s to close the rotation.
Yancey was West Virginia's lone all-around competitor, earning a 38.375 total on all four events.
West Virginia now has a quick turnaround, as it completes its first two-meet weekend of the season and travels to Denton, Texas, on Sunday, Feb. 26, to compete against Texas Woman's. Action inside TWU's Kitty Magee Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
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