One winning streak had to come to an end when the No. 24 UA gymnastics team faced off against the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal on Friday.
The Cardinal came into McKale Center undefeated for the season, and the Wildcats were riding a 5-meet winning streak. Arizona eventually fell to Stanford 195.300-194.675.
“”We weren’t sharp enough,”” said head coach Bill Ryden. “”It was the little things; it wasn’t the gymnastics as much as it was the quality of the little details. We gave away too many tenths.””
Stanford averaged a team score of 196.650 this season, but had to settle for a score a full point below its average in McKale. Stanford’s struggles gave Arizona a chance to come back, but the Wildcats couldn’t capitalize.
“”It was not a great meet for Stanford at all,”” said assistant coach John Court. “”Stanford is one of the great teams in the country and they are going to legitimately challenge for the national championship.””
The Arizona team struggled with the same issues that have plagued it all year. The gymnasts wrestle with little wobbles during their routines, which cost them tenths of points. The small deductions eventually add up, losing Arizona the meet.
“”It’s definitely a lesson,”” Ryden said. “”We got to put down all the little details.””
The Wildcats continue to struggle on the beam event, at which they have had issues with all year. During Friday’s meet, there were two falls and almost a third before Jordan Williams was able to catch her balance.
Ryden said the lack of consistency is frustrating.
“”Not for lack of effort,”” Ryden said. “”We just keep looking for that right combination. And sometimes it turns out, and more often than not it has been avoiding us.””
Junior Deanna Graham said she continues to believe that the beam team has the skill to be one of the best in the country.
“”We just need to stay confident out there, the beam is the same beam that we practice on,”” Graham said. “”We have a very young beam team and I am happy with the effort everyone is putting out there.
“”It’s kind of disappointing thinking we had that chance (to beat Stanford). You don’t want to sit there and just dwell. It’s just a matter of putting that meet behind us, working towards the next one and just trying to get better.””
Arizona will head out on the road this week, traveling to Utah to compete against Brigham Young University on Saturday. The team has already lost to BYU once this year and hopes to capitalize on its second opportunity against the Cougars.
