Palo Alto, Calif., was unfriendly for the No. 14 Arizona women’s gymnastics team, as the Gymcats had their three-meet win streak halted by No. 10 Stanford 196.875-194.625.
The Cardinal gymnasts dominated Arizona (3-8, 3-3 Pacific 10 Conference) by taking the top three individual titles and winning all four rotations to set a season-high team total. Sophomore Liz Tricase scored a perfect 10.000 on the uneven bars to help lead Stanford (9-2, 4-1).
Arizona head coach Bill Ryden said he felt his team’s performance was a little flat.
“”We just were not sharp tonight,”” Ryden said in a press release. “”There are no excuses. Stanford was great tonight and we weren’t. Maybe it’s the fact that we’ve been on the road five out of the last seven weeks, but this is not what we expected.””
Still, the Gymcats had some bright spots amid the tough competition.
Junior Aubrey Taylor tied her career high in the uneven parallel bars with a 9.900 for the fourth time this season.
Also, junior Jamie Holton set a new career high in the vault with a 9.825, her first competition in that event this season.
“”It was a brand new vault and we put her out there and she landed it,”” Ryden said. “”She was very excited and I was very proud of her.””
However, the Wildcats’ downfall occurred in the floor exercise, as the usually reliable Taylor (9.250) and sophomore Karin Wurm (9.175) each struggled through their performances. The team turned in a season-low 48.375 for the event.
“”We just didn’t perform the way we expected to on floor,”” Ryden said. “”I never would have thought Karin and Aubrey would both miss on floor.””
Although the Gymcats’ three-match conference winning streak is over, they will have four weeks, including the next three at home, to get in top shape for the Pac-10 championships.
“”Thank goodness,”” Ryden said of the upcoming home stand. “”The first half of the season has been brutal. We are looking forward to being home for a month. We need the rest and we’re excited to get back and perform in front of our own fans.””
