Alabama Gymnastics Posts Huge Score in 197.650-196.275 Win over Kentucky
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After competing in huge nationally televised meets at Oklahoma and Florida the past two Sundays Sunday and coming up short, it was a quick turnaround for Alabama gymnastics for the home opener against Kentucky on Friday.
The five-day span between meets seemed to be no issue for the Crimson Tide as Alabama posted its highest ever home opener with a 197.650 in the win over the Wildcats' 196.275 in Coleman Coliseum. It was Alabama's first win in three tries this year.
"I think we had an idea of what OU was going to look like for us, and we fell short of what our goals were," Alabama head coach Dana Duckworth said. "And instead of having a pity party, the girls came in, and they were on fire. And they just honed in on the details and did all the things they needed to to get better."
Alabama started strong on vault and continued that momentum through the final routine on the floor exercise. It wasn't without a couple bumps along the way though.
The Crimson Tide had a fall in the third spot on the uneven bars from Shania Adams, and Ella Burgess opened the beam rotation with a fall. Both times, Alabama responded with hit routines so that the team could drop the scores from the falls.
"This group of women, they're special," Duckworth said. "They have a bond and a chemistry that when someone makes a mistake, they absolutely pick their sister up, and you saw that tonight."
Junior Makarri Doggette was next up on the beam after the fall from Burgess. She responded with a solid routine that scored a 9.8 and helped get Alabama back on track.
"We have her back regardless," Doggette said. "We have anybody's back. We know what to do, and it's the confidence like Dana [Duckworth] was saying. We know how to do gymnastics, and we know how to come back after a fall. We practice it, and we love it. Pressure's a privilege."
In a video posted by Alabama gymnastics earlier this week, freshman Lilly Hudson talked about how she shifted her dream from competing in the Olympics to competing in Coleman Coliseum and wearing the script A on her chest.
Not only did she get to do that for the first time on Friday, she also competed in the all around for the first time in her Crimson Tide career and posted a 39.525 highlighted by a 9.925 on bars and 9.95 on floor.
"It felt like a dream coming true," Hudson said. "It just feels so surreal. I can't believe that I'm finally here doing what I've wanted to do my whole life. It was incredible, and I just can't wait for the rest of the season."
Hudson said she's been training the all-around the whole time she's been at Alabama, but learned Thursday that she would be competing in all four events on Friday night.
Duckworth put freshman Jordyn Paradise back in the vault lineup and it paid off. She scored a 9.875 with the Yurchenko 1.5, which is a 10.0 start value. The Crimson Tide earned a 49.225 on vault, the highest of the season, and Duckworth said Friday's vault performance is huge for where this team can go.
On the uneven bars, Alabama finished with three scores of 9.925 or better from Cam Machado, Luisa Blanco and Doggette. Blanco also closed the beam rotation with a 9.925. Bars and beam were the only events that Blanco competed on. She was pulled from the floor lineup as a precautionary measure after presenting some lower leg pain according to Duckworth.
Alabama's best event of the night was the floor exercise where the Crimson Tide posted four scores of 9.925 or better led by 9.95s from Hudson and fifth-year senior Lexi Graber.
Gallery: Alabama Gymnastics Win over Kentucky- Jan. 21, 2022
Photos Courtesy of Alabama Athletics
Even though the 197.650 is significantly higher that the 196.925 Alabama scored against the Gators, Duckworth said there's still a lot more left in the tank for this team. By the end of the season, she said there will be six 10.0 start value vaults in the vault lineup.
Next up for Alabama is a road meet at Auburn on Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
"Lots of progress tonight," Duckworth said. "We really came out here to be aggressive and increase our stick percentage. I love when I see these ladies feed off the crowd."
