Cardinal Set to Face Bruins

With the first half of its regular season finished, the No. 8 Stanford women’s gymnastics team is right where it needs to be. The past five weeks of competition have been demanding, including a face-off with five-time defending NCAA Champion and current No. 9 Georgia as well as a dual meet with then-No. 1 UCLA. But with three victories and two close second-place finishes, the Cardinal (6-2) has proven just how prepared it is to take down its opponents in its five remaining meets.

First, and perhaps most importantly, No. 8 Stanford will again meet up with No. 5 UCLA (5-1) on Sunday in what will be another opportunity to upset the national rankings. The Bruins’ only loss came on the Farm three weeks ago. Before Jan. 24, UCLA reigned supreme in collegiate gymnastics, but following its 196.425-195.875 loss to the Cardinal, it plummeted from the No. 1 ranking, which it has been unable to regain.

However, Stanford did not overtake the Bruins with extreme ease. In fact, UCLA’s overall score edged the Cardinal’s up until the final event when Stanford’s outstanding floor performances handily outscored UCLA’s low floor scores, which were the result of multiple falls. The win for Stanford was a product of confidence and consistency in all four events, both of which Head Coach Kristen Smyth emphasizes as key components of the team’s success.

Now, as they prepare to travel to Los Angeles for Sunday’s dual meet, the Cardinal gymnasts plan to employ generally the same approach as last time, with a few additions to the lineup. Sophomore Nicole Pechanec and junior Shelley Alexander will be adding new dismounts to their bar routines, which should make the team’s bar difficulty a lot stronger as a whole.

Senior Allyse Ishino will also be an important addition to the floor rotation, as she will be competing for the first time after only performing exhibitions in the past several meets. Ishino’s teammates and coaches are excited to get her out on the floor because they expect that her addition to the lineup will change the team’s overall look in the event.

It is this energy the team hopes to gain from additions like Ishino that Stanford will use to compete in the away gymnasium. Performing in Burnham Pavilion has proven to be advantageous to the team, but now the Cardinal gymnasts will have to compensate for being on the road by feeding off each other’s confidence and enthusiasm.

“It’s always wonderful to be at home because of the energy and excitement,” Smyth said. “The crowd is so involved in what we do, so we definitely miss that no matter where we go. But a team that can compete well on the road is a team that can compete at the end. We need to bring our A-game and build off of each other rather than rely on outside stimulus to give us anything extra.”

A tremendous incentive in its own, however, is the intense rivalry that has developed between the Stanford and UCLA gymnastics programs over the years. The two Pac-10 powers have been battling back and forth, swapping conference titles every year since 2003. In fact, in their last eleven matchups, the Card has claimed six wins and the Bruins have taken five. In order to break the trend of trading victories, “We will automatically have to bring a little bit extra,” Smyth said.

Though it has had significant success so far this season, the team has nowhere to head but up.

“We still haven’t had that meet where we’re hitting 24 routines, but we’re exactly where we need to be as far as being able to get 196-plus scores,” Smyth said. “We still have improvements and adds to be made, so we’re in a really good position.”

The team heads to Los Angeles armed with confidence from a solid first five weeks of competition and is hopeful of a repeat of the last face-off with the Bruins. UCLA and Stanford will battle on Sunday at 2 p.m.