Feb. 4, 2011
AUBURN - The Auburn gymnastics team (2-3, 2-2 SEC) captured a come-from-behind victory against Kentucky (1-4, 0-4 SEC) Friday night at the Auburn Arena before a crowd of 3,906, defeating the Wildcats 194.625-194.450. Senior Rachel Inniss claimed her fifth individual title of the season and her third on floor, tying her career-best 9.900 for the fifth time.
"We do bring a lot of positives out of some of these meets, but as a group we didn't do a very good job tonight," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We weren't very sharp. We had our best week of practice, and we keep getting better in the gym. We just didn't bring our "A" game tonight. That's the frustrating part. I think that this was a hiccup more than it was actually our team. It's good to go out and get a win, but it doesn't feel good when you don't go out and do your best job."
Auburn led off with a solid rotation on vault posting a 48.800, its second-highest score of the season. Sophomore Toi Garcia led the Tigers with a 9.800, as juniors Kylie Shields and Justine Foster contributed 9.775's. It also marked Shields' first vault performance of the season. Auburn had a strong eight-tenths lead going into the uneven bars, as Kentucky was forced to count a fall in its first rotation on bars.
The Tigers took a step back on bars with a season-low 48.100, while Kentucky posted a season-high 49.200 on vault with all five gymnasts earning a 9.800 or better. Shields led on bars for Auburn with a 9.800, and senior Leah Vining contributed a 9.725, but the Tigers were forced to count a fall. Auburn looked to regain momentum going into their strongest event on balance beam.
A nice beam performance kept the Tigers in the meet during the third rotation, while the Wildcats continued their strong showing, posting a 48.875. Shields continued to lead Auburn, earning a 9.825 on beam. Senior Rachel Inniss added a 9.800, and freshman Abbey Habicht posted a 9.775. After a controversial finish on floor for Kentucky, the Tigers trailed by .475 going into the fourth and final rotation.
After a couple of shaky beam routines, Kentucky didn't have enough to hold off the Tigers. Auburn put together a solid floor rotation in the final event, as Inniss' 9.900 propelled the Tigers to the win. Garcia rounded out a strong evening and earned a 9.850, her second-highest floor score of the season.
The Tigers return to action next Friday as they travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to take on No. 6 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The meet will be televised by Fox Sports Network.
For more information, contact Kirk Sampson at 334-844-9800.
Vault
Petrina Yokay - 9.675
Allyson Sandusky - 9.700
Lauren Brzostowski - 9.750 (T-season high)
Kylie Shields - 9.775 (First season performance)
Justine Foster - 9.775
Toi Garcia - 9.800
Total: 48.800
Uneven Bars
Kendall Swartz - 9.200
Toi Garcia - 9.675 (Season high)
Leah Vining - 9.725
Petrina Yokay - 9.300
Allyson Sandusky - 9.600
Kylie Shields - 9.800
Kareen Kaveh (exh.) - 9.575
Total: 48.100
Balance Beam
Lauren Brzostowski - 9.650
Petrina Yokay - 9.100
Abbey Habicht - 9.775
Kylie Shields - 9.825
Allyson Sandusky - 9.650
Rachel Inniss - 9.800
Laura Lane (exh.) - 9.050
Total: 48.700
Floor Exercise
Lauren Brzostowski - 9.700
Petrina Yokay - 9.775 (Season high)
Laura Lane - 9.800
Justine Foster - 9.300
Toi Garcia - 9.850
Rachel Inniss - 9.900 (T-Career high for sixth time)
Total: 49.025
All-Around
Petrina Yokay - 37.850