Huskers Visit Iowa State for Quad Meet

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 3-2 Big Ten)
at Iowa State Cyclones (9-2) with North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-2) and Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles (8-0)

Sunday, February 21, 2 p.m. CT – Ames, Iowa (Hilton Coliseum)
Internet: Cyclones.tv (Subscription Required) Play-by-Play: Patrick Tarbox; Analyst: Kristen DeCosta
Live Stats: Cyclones.com

Huskers Visit Iowa State for Quadrangular Meet
The 14th-ranked Nebraska women’s gymnastics team heads to Ames, Iowa, this Sunday to take on Iowa State along with North Carolina State and Wisconsin-La Crosse in a quadrangular meet at the Hilton Coliseum. The meet is scheduled to start 2 p.m. CT.

The Cornhuskers (5-2, 3-2 Big Ten) look to get back to their winning ways as they step out of conference competition for three consecutive weeks. NU fell to Minnesota last Saturday by a score of 196.300-196.100. Grace Williams, a sophomore from Linden, Mich., finished second in the all-around against the Gophers after she posted a solid 39.350. Williams won her fifth balance beam title in six meets this season, hitting a 9.90 against Minnesota. Senior Hollie Blanske tied her career high with a 9.95 on floor exercise to claim the title for the Big Red.

Jennie Laeng continued to show consistency for the Huskers as she posted a 9.875, tying her season-high on the vault to capture the title. Laeng has 10 event titles throughout the 2016 season which leads NU.

Although disappointed by the results from the past two weeks, Nebraska Coach Dan Kendig carries optimism as the schedule hits the stretch run.

“We have to continue to work on landings and little mistakes,” said Kendig. “Goals are just that, goals and we need to get better in certain areas in order to achieve those goals.”

Nebraska and Iowa State will continue a storied series, as this meeting will be the 111th all-time. The Huskers hold a 95-14-1 advantage over their old Big Eight Conference rival. The Huskers last saw Iowa State in the 2015 NCAA Ames Regional hosted by Iowa State, as Nebraska ended the meet in second place with a score of 196.950, while Iowa State finished fifth with a score of 195.350. NU and NC State are meeting for the 12th time, with the Huskers holding a 10-1 advantage. Nebraska last saw the Wolfpack in 2010, with NU falling by a score of 195.575-195.000. The Huskers hold a 3-0 lead in the series against UW-La Crosse, but the two schools have not met since 1980.

Iowa State sports a 9-2 record heading in to Friday night’s triangular with Air Force and Minnesota. The Cyclones currently have an average of 194.625, good for 33rd in the country. The Cyclones, winners of three consecutive meets, are led by sophomore Haylee Young with an average all-around score of 39.033. Young was the Big 12 all-around champion in 2015. NC State is 38th in the nation with an average of 194.350. Michaela Woodford averages a 38.950 in the all-around to lead the Wolfpack. Wisconsin-La Crosse, a Division III school competing in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is ranked 71st with an average of 187.079. Dani Barmore leads the Eagles with an average of 37.044 in the all-around.

NU will begin the meet on uneven bars before moving to balance beam, floor exercise and ending on vault. The meet will be streamed live on Cyclones.tv (subscription required) with Patrick Tarbox and Kristen DeCosta on the call. Live scoring will be available for the meet at www.cyclones.com.

Notes to Know

Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State is 9-2 on the season heading into Friday’s triangular meet with Air Force and Minnesota. The Cyclones have an average score of 194.625 on the season, good for 33rd in the nation. The Cyclones are led by sophomore Haylee Young, who averages a 39.033 in the all-around, 49th in the nation. She also leads ISU on floor with an average of 9.854. Young was the 2015 Big 12 all-around champion. Freshman Meaghan Sievers paces the Cyclones on vault and bars with averages of 9.829 and 9.779, respectively, while senior Alex Marasco paces the Cyclones with an average of 9.804 on beam The Cyclones went 8-16-1 last season and finished 3rd at the Big 12 Championships. Iowa State is led by 10th-year head coach Jay Ronayne, a 1989 graduate of Massachusetts.

Scouting NC State
North Carolina State is currently 7-2 on the season with an average score of 194.350, good for 38th nationally. The Wolfpack is led by senior Michaela Woodford, who averages a 38.950 in the all-around. Senior Brittni Watkins paces the Wolfpack with averages of 9.756 on bars and 9.844 on beam. Sophomore Chelsea Knight leads NCSU with an average of 9.795 on vault, while sophomore Nicole Wild leads NC State with an average of 9.790 on beam. The Wolfpack was 9-15-1 in the 2015 season, finishing 3rd at the EAGL Championships. and 5th in the NCAA regional in Norman, Okla. NC State is led by 36th-year head coach Mark Stevenson, a 1978 graduate of Iowa.

Scouting UW-La Crosse
Wisconsin-La Crosse is a Division III school competing in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Eagles are ranked 71st overall with an average score of 187.079. UW-La Crosse is fourth in Division III, and sports an undefeated 8-0 record on the season. Freshman Dani Barmore leads the Eagles with an average of 37.044 in the all-around, as well as a score of 9.529 on beam. Sophomore Samantha Weikamp, the 2015 NCGA co-national champion on the uneven bars, leads the Eagles with an average score of 9.50 on vault. Sophomore Lauren Wilson paces UW-La Crosse on bars with a score of 9.444, while junior Savana Kettner leads the Eagles with an average of 9.525 on beam. UW-La Crosse finished first in the NCGA last season, and is led by 31st year head coach Barbara Gibson, a 1978 graduate of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Huskers Remain 14th
2016 Road to Nationals rankings will be determined by season average until February 21st. On February 22nd, the rankings will transition to RQS (regional qualifying score). Nebraska’s season average of 195.875 is good for 14th in the country for the third straight week. The Huskers remain second in the Big Ten and third in the South Central region. Oklahoma maintains the number-one spot for the second week in a row with an average 197.428. Florida holds steady in second place with an average 197.258 and Michigan stays in third with an average 196.993. Alabama is again fourth with an average of 196.959, while Utah has moved into the top five with an average of 196.729.

Williams Leads the Way Against Minnesota
Grace Williams continued to give strong, consistent all-around performances finishing second in the all-around for the third week in a row, scoring a 39.350 against Minnesota. Williams won her fifth balance beam title in six meets this season with a 9.90. Williams now has eight event titles this season. She also tied for third on uneven bars (9.85) and floor exercise (9.875) against the Gophers. Williams ranks eighth in the country on balance beam with an average 9.892, and ranks 20th in the all-around (39.310) and tied for 22nd on bars (9.854).

Blanske and Laeng Earn Titles Against Gophers
Senior Hollie Blanske tied her career high on floor exercise with 9.95 against the Golden Gophers, picking up her third floor title of the season and fifth event title this year. The score was Blanske’s second 9.95 on floor this season. Jennie Laeng also picked up another vault title against Minnesota, tying her season high with a 9.875 for the second week in a row. The title is Laeng’s third consecutive vault title and 10th event title of the season, which leads the Huskers. Laeng also set a new career high on floor exercise with a 9.875.

Season High on Floor Exercise
The Huskers ended the night strong against the Golden Gophers last Friday, setting a season high with a score of 49.375 on floor. Leading the way for the Huskers was senior Hollie Blanske, who tied her career high of 9.95. A trio of Huskers, Jennie Laeng, Catelyn Orel and Grace Williams all put up solid 9.875s to help the Huskers. Laeng set a new career high on floor exercise while Orel tied her career high on the event. To round out NU’s effort, freshman Sienna Crouse scored a 9.775.

Television/Internet Stream Schedule
The Huskers meet at Iowa State will be streamed live on Cyclones.TV (subscription required). Nebraska’s Feb. 27 Masters Classic can be seen on HuskersNSide Premium (subscription required). The Utah State dual on March 6 will also be shown on HuskersNSide Premium. The B1G Five meet on March 12 in Columbus, Ohio will be shown on BTN on a delay. The Big Ten Championships, held in Lincoln on March 19, will be shown live on BTN.

Big Ten Championships Ticket Information
The University of Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office has begun to sell tickets for the 2016 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Nebraska on March 19. General admission tickets for an all-day, two-session pass are $7 for adults and $5 for youth, seniors and UNL students. Children six years and younger are allowed $1 admission. For more information, go to huskers.com/tickets.

Looking Ahead
The Huskers return home next Saturday, Feb. 27 for the annual Masters Classic, set to begin at 6 p.m. CT at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska will face non-conference opponents in Northern Illinois, Sacramento State and Bridgeport in a quadrangular meet. A live stream can be seen on HuskersNSide Premium (subscription required) and live scoring will be available on Huskers.com. Sacramento State is currently ranked 40th with an average of 194.250, while Northern Illinois is 42nd nationally with an average score of 193.932. Bridgeport, the top ranked Division II school in the latest Road to Nationals poll, is ranked 43rd with an average score of 193.671.