Huskers Fall to No. 20 Tigers
Lincoln --- The No. 4 Nebraska women's gymnastics team dropped its first meet of the season on Friday night, falling to the No. 20 Missouri Tigers, 195.725-194.55, in front of 1,044 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers, who scored above 49.00 on all but one event, fell to 2-1 on the season, while Missouri improved to 4-0.
"I told the girls it doesn't matter what happened tonight," Head Coach Dan Kendig said after the meet. "We cannot change what happened tonight. It's out there. The only thing we can do is go back and make adjustments. It's mental. We will be better. This team's going to be great."
The Huskers captured three event titles and had the highest all-around score from true freshman Jessie DeZiel (39.375). DeZiel also tied for the beam title with MU's Racel Updike after the pair scored a 9.80 and finished tied with senior Lora Evenstad for the floor title, scoring a 9.90. Junior Janelle Giblin took home the bars title for the third consecutive time this season.
Opening on vault, the Huskers recorded two career-high scores and a season-high mark from junior Jamie Schleppenbach, who led the Huskers with a 9.90. Freshman Jennifer Lauer scored her second consecutive career-high mark after she scored a 9.825, while Evenstad scored a 9.850 and Emily Wong tied her career-high with a 9.875 en route to a total score of 49.30.
Janelle Giblin scored a 9.90 on the bars to tie her career-high and win her third consecutive bars title this season. Giblin has scored a 9.90 on the bars in all three meets the Huskers have competed in. Wong kicked off the event with a 9.85 and was followed by a career-high 9.775 from Schleppenbach. DeZiel scored a 9.825 for the Huskers, while Evenstad closed the Husker out with a 9.775.
The Huskers struggled on the balance beam, scoring a season-low 46.950. DeZiel led NU with a 9.80 and was followed by senior Katelyn Busacker, who scored a 9.475 in her first action as a Husker.
The Huskers finished strong on the floor exercise with DeZeil and Evenstad closing the meet out with consecutive 9.90s. For the second meet in a row, Jennifer Lauer recorded a 9.675 on the floor, while Wong scored a 9.875 to tie her career high, and Schleppenbach scored a season-high 9.825.
The Huskers return to action next Friday, Feb., 3, when they travel to Norman, Okla., to compete against Oklahoma, Minnesota and Centenary. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. Continue to check back to Huskers.com for more information on the women's gymnastics team.
Name Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around
Katelyn Busacker --- --- 9.475 --- ---
Deanna Barmore --- --- --- --- ---
Jessie DeZiel 9.85 9.825 9.80 9.90 39.375
Lora Evenstad 9.85 9.775 --- 9.90 ---
Janelle Giblin --- 9.90 --- --- ---
Amanda Lauer --- --- --- --- ---
Jennifer Lauer 9.825 --- --- 9.675 ---
Kassandra Nathe --- --- --- --- ---
Jamie Schleppenbach 9.90 9.775 9.30 9.825 38.80
Brittany Skinner --- --- 9.125 --- ---
Desire' Stephens --- --- --- --- ---
Emily Wong 9.875 9.85 9.25 9.875 38.850
Team Score Vault Bars Beam Floor Total
Nebraska 49.30 49.125 46.95 49.175 194.550
Missouri 49.25 48.775 48.675 49.025 195.725