Feb. 16, 2001
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Arizona State's 11th-ranked women's gymnastics team put up a strong fight, but could not upset No. 3 Utah as the Utes produced the highest team total in the nation this year to defeat the Sun Devils 197.9-196.1 in front of 9.861 in attendance at the Huntsman Center Friday night.
With the loss, the Sun Devils dropped to 3-4 on the season, while Utah improved to 6-1 overall and increased its national-best home winning streak to 161 meets dating back to 1979. In crossing the 196-point barrier for the third time this season, the Sun Devils earned the seventh-best team score all-time at ASU.
The Sun Devils were led by senior co-captain Kelly Cowley, who matched or exceeded personal season-bests in each of her three events. First on the uneven bars, Cowley tied her career-high with a 9.925, before setting an ASU season-high on vault with a 9.875. On the floor exercise, Cowley wrapped up her fantastic evening by matching her team-leading 9.9.
Yet while Cowley earned half of ASU's four scores at 9.9 or above, Utah's Deidra Graham crossed the 9.9 line four times on her own as the Utes' put up 12 such scores on the night. Graham was nearly flawless, winning a share of the vault with a 9.95, tying for third on bars with a 9.9, finishing second on the balance beam with a 9.925 and winning the floor outright in 9.925 to take the all-around title with a grand total of 39.725 points.
ASU's hopes of an upset were dampened early as Cowley's second-place effort (9.925) and junior Laura Moon's 9.9 were countered by two falls on bars that contributed to the Sun Devils' second-worst total of the year on that apparatus (48.725).
In the meantime, Utah hit each of its vaults en route to a 49.525 total before moving to bars and adding 49.45 more in the second rotation.
On vault, the Sun Devils got back on track by landing each attempt for a 48.925, the second-best ASU total in that event this year. In addition to Cowley's leading mark, freshman Maggie Germaine scored a 9.8 and junior Ashley Stewart contributed a 9.775. In the third rotation, senior Kristin Fanning matched Cowley's 9.9 on floor, but the Sun Devils' team score of 49.225 in the event would not compare to Utah's 49.575 tumbling spectacular in the final rotation.
After feeling the wrath of Utah's home venue advantage, the Sun Devils will get a chance to build upon their own home winning streak next week when they return to action at Wells Fargo Arena in the UNO's Classic at 7 p.m. (MST), Friday, Feb. 23. Making the trip to challenge ASU in Tempe will be a trio of West Coast rivals in Boise State, California and UC Santa Barbara.
Complete results and box score available above in PDF format.
Utah 197.9, ASU 196.1
Vault - Utah 49.525, ASU 48.925
Bars - Utah 49.45, ASU 48.725
Beam - Utah 49.35, ASU 49.225
Floor - Utah 49.575, ASU 49.225
Individual Top-Three/Other Sun Devil Scores
Vault -
1t. Graham (Utah) 9.95, 1t. Leclerc (Utah) 9.95, 3t. Vituj (Utah) 9.9, 3t. Wagner (Utah) 9.9.
Cowley 9.875, Germaine 9.8, Stewart 9.775, Giorgianni 9.75, Moon 9.725, Vreeke 9.725
Bars -
1. Kulikowski (Utah) 9.975, 2. Cowley (ASU) 9.925, 3t. Graham (Utah) 9.9, 3t. Moon (ASU) 9.9.
Germaine 9.8, Fanning 9.75, Wojciak 9.35, Skinner 9.2
Beam -
1. Kulikowski (Utah) 9.95, 2. Graham (Utah) 9.925, 3t. Vituj (Utah) 9.875, 3t. Ellsberry (ASU) 9.875, 3t. Robinette (ASU) 9.875.
Vreeke 9.85, Germaine 9.825, Moon 9.8, Wojciak 9.25
Floor -
1. Graham (Utah) 9.95, 2t. Bowles (Utah) 9.925, 2t. Wagner (Utah) 9.925
Cowley 9.9, Fanning 9.9, Ellsberry 9.825, Germaine 9.825, Moon 9.775, Vreeke 9.6
All-Around -
1. Graham (Utah) 39.725, 2. Wolf (Utah) 39.425, 3. Germaine (ASU) 39.25. 4. Moon (ASU) 39.2.