No. 6 Huskers Fall to No. 3 Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah ? The No. 6 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team posted a score of 193.00 Friday night, falling to No. 3 Utah (195.75) in front of 12,131 fans at the JonM.HuntsmanCenter. The Huskers moved to 4-2-1 on the season.

 

The Huskers produced several highlights on the night, including a season-high 49.225 on vault. Sophomore Emily Parsons led the way for the Huskers, capturing the vault title by tying her career best with a 9.95, as well as the balance beam crown (9.875). Parsons, a native of St. Charles, Mo., also finished fourth in the all-around (39.10) while tying for second on floor exercise with Utah’s Ashley Postell and ninth on the uneven bars (9.425).  

 

Junior Stephanie Carter earned fifth-place honors with a mark of 38.775, and sophomore Desire’ Sniatynski (38.425) finished sixth. Utah swept the top three all-around spots, as Kristina Baskett (39.325), Nicolle Ford (39.275) and Postell (39.125) posted the top scores of the night in the all-around.

 

“It was a tough competition in a lot of ways tonight,” Head Coach Dan Kendig said. “When you have a rough start on the first event, it’s hard to stay motivated. Our team did an outstanding job coming back on vault, and we had one right after the other hitting on that event. We had four good routines on floor, and we had a lot of fight finishing up on beam. I really see beam coming around and people getting their confidence up.”

 

NU began the competition on bars, where they counted a fall and scored 47.40. Junior Michele Zabawa was the team’s leader with a score of 9.70 for fourth place, and Carter followed with a 9.60 routine to finish sixth. Sophomore Brittney Williams and Parsons each posted a 9.425, while Sniatynski added a 9.25 mark. The Huskers finished the first rotation trailing Utah, which earned a 49.225 on vault.

 

The Huskers then responded with a 49.225 on the vault behind Parsons' winning score of 9.95. Parsons won her third vault title of the season by tying her career-high 9.95. Carter and Zabawa both scored a 9.85 to tie for third, while Sniatynski added a 9.80 for ninth. Freshman Tricia Woo made her first appearance of the year on vault and contributed a mark of 9.775, tying for 10th with fellow newcomer Sabrina Long. 

 

Nebraska moved on to the floor exercise for its third event of the dual, and Parsons set the pace with a score of 9.85 to finish second. Woo added a 9.75, finishing seventh, and Carter followed with a 9.725 to place eighth. Sniatynski’s 9.70 left her in ninth place, and the Huskers finished with an event score of 48.50, trailing the Utes, 146.575-145.125, entering the final rotation.

 

NU capped the evening on balance beam, where freshman Kylie Stone made her collegiate debut, scoring a 9.325 for the Huskers. Parsons then turned in a stellar performance, earning a 9.875 to grab the event title. Sniatynski took home sixth-place honors with a mark of 9.675, while Carter added a 9.60 to land in seventh place, and Long received a 9.40 for her effort. NU posted a team score of 47.875 to finish the competition.

 

“I feel like we’ll use this meet to our advantage later in the season,” Kendig said. “We’ll look back in a few months to this day as the turning point in our season and what it takes to get it done. Sometimes you need a push to get moving forward, and I think that’s what tonight will prove to be for our team.”

 

The Huskers return home to the BobDevaneySportsCenter next Sunday, Jan. 29, to take on No. 11 Missouri. Competition is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m