Both teams turned in season-best totals at the K-Country Night dual meet, but it was the No. 10 University of Florida gymnastics team (5-2) that claimed the win, 196.95-196.675, over No. 19 Nebraska (0-3) Friday night in front of a Stephen C. O'Connell Center crowd of 3,748.
The Gators got season-best totals in three events Friday. UF needed to put up strong marks throughout the meet as the Cornhuskers led the meet by two-tenths at the midway point. Florida posted a season-best 49.375 on balance beam to take a two-tenths lead into the final event. The Gators matched their season high of 49.225 on floor to edge its final lead to .275.
"I thought that they did a tremendous job staying focused and that was our goal coming in this week. We wanted to be not only consistent, hit our routines and correct our mistakes that we had made in our previous two meets, but also to keep our intensity throughout the entire meet and not to let it drop in any one event. They really did a great job with that," UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn said. "I was especially proud of our new performers who came in and did a wonderful job for us - Katie (Rue) on bars and Samantha (Lutz) on floor and then Samantha (Lutz) back in on beam again. They did a great job so I was just really proud of them."
"What we are trying to do is to increase the difficulty in our routines and skill level. However, if those skills are not performed as perfectly as possible with stuck landings, legs together and such - it's all those little things that add up that bring scores down. We spent all week really trying to perfect everything and studying video from the last two meets so they could see it for themselves. You could see tonight that they really did try to make those corrections and we still have a way to go, without a doubt, but tonight they stepped up for sure."
Florida opened the meet with a 49.00 on vault, just off its best of 49.175 of a week ago. Freshman Tiffany Murry led the Gators on the event with season-best 9.875 to take fourth overall.
Next up came the uneven bars, an event that had given Florida some problems in the early meets. The Gators were able to increase its season-best bars total by .65 with their set of 49.35 Friday. Sophomore Samantha Lutz shared her second uneven bars title of the season at 9.90 with Nebraska's Kristi Esposito and Desire Sniatynski. Senior Orley Szmuch and Sherie Owens also turned in bars marks of 9.875 to share fourth overall with Nebraska's Richelle Simpson.
Lutz spoke about how the hit bars set boosted the Gators confidence.
"Absolutely it was key for us to come in and nail bars after we'd had some mistakes the previous couple of meets, but that's what we know we're capable of doing every time is hitting all our routines like that," Lutz said. "It shows how that when we hit routine after routing how much the scores improve and it gives the rest of our line up confidence. We're hoping to continue to do that and I think we will throughout the season."
Sophomore Breanne King's collegiate-best balance beam score of 9.95 led the Gators to their best event score of the evening Friday, 49.375. The score also gave King her third consecutive beam title of the season. Fellow sophomore Katie Rue turned in her season-best beam score of 9.90 to share second with UN's Jamie Saas and Simpson.
"We've been working real hard on beam and everyone is just getting more and more consistent and I think it shows a lot every time we compete," King said. "We're just going to keep doing what we're doing and it will pay off for sure."
Florida needed a strong floor set to lock the win and the team got it, matching its season-best total of 49.225 for the second consecutive week. Lutz, performing her first floor routine of the season, earned her second event title of the evening with a 9.90. She shared the evening's floor crown with UN's Simpson and Emily Parsons. Murry also turned in a 9.875 for the Gators.
"It was a lot of fun," Lutz said. "It was my first time on the floor this season, so I was really excited just to be out there and I really enjoyed doing it."
Simpson, the 2003 NCAA all-around champion, claimed the all-around title with a 39.65. UF's Rue, competing in only her second all-around of her collegiate career, was second at 39.35. Simpson also won the vault at 9.975.
Next up, the Gators play host to perennial power Alabama for Dodge Night on Friday, Jan. 28. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and tickets are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 & under and UF students with ID are admitted free
