Feb. 27, 2008
Complete Illinois at Auburn Notes in PDF Format
No. 25 Illinois at No. 12 Auburn
Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 // 7 p.m. // Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum // Auburn, Ala.
The Meet
The Fighting Illini head south to Auburn this Friday, Feb. 29, as they take on the 12th-ranked Tigers at 7 p.m. at the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. The Illini escaped with a narrow victory in their only encounter last season, topping the Tigers at Huff Hall by a score of 195.975-195.775.
In the Rankings
The Illini are ranked No. 25 in this week's GymInfo rankings, down four spots from last week, and are seventh in the South Central Region. Illinois ranks 24th in nation on beam (48.360) and 25th on bars (48.520). Freshman Allison Buckley is currently ranked 18th in the nation on floor exercise (9.850), 36th on vault (9.830) and 20th in the all-around (38.965), while sophomore Nicole Cowart is ranked 36th in the all-around (38.680) and 67th on bars (9.760). The Illini have been ranked as high as No. 19 this season (after week one). All rankings are now based on Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) rather than average scores.
About the Tigers
Auburn comes into this Friday's meeting as the 12th-ranked team in the nation with an RQS of 195.510. Last weekend, the Tigers fell on the road to 11th-ranked Arkansas by a score of 196.425-195.950. Auburn is led by Lindsey Puckett (39.315-8th), Julie Dwyer (39.145-13th), and Krissy Voss (38.915-22nd), who all rank in the top-25 in the nation in the all-around.
Looking Back
Last weekend, the Illini took third in a triangular meet in Iowa City with a score of 194.150. Iowa won the competition with season-high a score of 195.575 and Michigan State placed second with a 194.875. The Illini struggled in their first event of the day on beam (48.450) leading to an early disadvantage after the first rotation. The Illini then moved to floor (48.550), followed by vault where they took a 48.425. Illinois finished the day on bars, posting their second-best score of the season of 48.725. Freshman Allison Buckley led the Illini with a season-best all-around score of 39.225 to take second in the event behind Iowa's Jenifer Simbhudas (39.275). Buckley also took second place on vault (9.825) and floor (9.875), as well as tying for fourth on beam (9.825). Sophomore Sarah Schmidt tied for fourth on bars with a 9.775 and Nicole Cowart had four solid routines giving her an all-around score of 38.975.
Buckley Off to Blazing Start
Freshman Allison Buckley has wasted no time making a name for herself in the Illini program. The Schaumburg, Ill. native has competed in the all-around competition in every meet this year, capturing ten individual titles and 18 top-3 finishes. Last week in Iowa City, she took second on vault (9.825), floor (9.875), and in the all-around with a person-best 39.225.
Schmidt Hits the Bars
Sophomore Sarah Schmidt won the bars title two weeks ago in her first return to action following an ankle injury and placed fourth this past weekend in Iowa City with a score of 9.775. Prior to her injury, Schmidt won the all-around competition with a career-best 39.050 at Iowa. In the past two weeks, she has been limited to participating only on bars, but will soon return to action on both vault and beam with a slower return to floor.
Crall-ing Back
Junior Julie Crall returned this year after suffering a season-ending Achilles' tear on March 9 of last season. Crall had been a top performer for the Illini in each of her first two seasons earning her second team All-Big Ten honors in both her freshman and sophomore campaigns. She currently has three beam titles this season and was ranked as high as sixth in the nation before suffering a fall at the Chicago Style Meet. Crall has also been competing bars for the Illini, earning a career-high 9.725 in Chicago. She has been working on her vault with the possibility of cracking the line-up in the near future.
Other fresh faces
Sophomore Laura Woolf made her first appearance for the Illini last weekend in Iowa City, cracking the line-up on vault. In addition, Buckley and three other freshman have also seen action this season. Melissa Fernandez has been a solid contributor on the vault, beam, and floor, while Lashlee Morris has been in the beam line-up in every meet, posting a season-best 9.800 last weekend, and has also seen action on bars and floor. Samantha Perino made her debut last weekend in Iowa City on floor exercise, scoring a 9.700, and is still pushing to crack the line-up on beam.
