Michigan
Georgia
Top-10 Showdown Goes to Michigan
1/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 9, 2016
» The Wolverines had four scores of 9.90 or better to buoy a 49.575 on floor.
» Junior Nicole Artz won the all-around for the second straight meet.
• Complete Results | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #7 Michigan 196.925, #9 Georgia 195.200
Records: U-M (3-0), UGA (0-1)
Attendance: 2,684
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 16 -- vs. Ohio State - Autism Awareness Meet (Crisler Center), 4 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team improved to 3-0 on the season with a 196.925-195.200 victory in its home opener over No. 9 Georgia on Saturday (Jan. 9) at Crisler Center.
Heading into the final rotation, the two teams were separated by just 0.150 points. Michigan was heading to floor, its best event in Cancun last week, and Georgia to beam. Senior Briley Casanova did what a captain does and led off with a career-best 9.90. After the Bulldogs suffered two falls in the first three beam routines, Michigan put on a show.
"It felt so great," said Casanova. "I didn't think that it would be a career best because I have had some good routines before but the judges responded to it I guess."
Freshman Olivia Karas showed her elite skill level with a crowd-pleasing 9.95, her highest score so far in her young career. Junior Talia Chiarelli was up next and got a 9.95 from one judge and a 9.90 from the other for a 9.925. Junior Nicole Artz then closed out the trifecta of brilliance with a 9.95, matching her high total from last week.
The combined score of 49.575 nearly cracked the top five in school history, falling just shy of the 49.600 mark. The last time a Michigan team scored more than 49.6 on floor was at the 2014 Big Ten Championships when it hit 49.700.
As good as floor has been in the first two weekends, Michigan knows it has room for improvement overall.
"It is the best of all scenarios because we came out with a win against a tremendous program like Georgia in front of our great fans, but we also came away with a lot of things we need to work on," said head coach Bev Plocki. "Today felt like work, and I think they can have more fun and come away with a better result."
Michigan trailed after the first rotation as Georgia started strong on bars, and the Wolverines' score on vault was not quite as good as last week. However, when the two teams reversed events, U-M came back to take the lead by 0.20 points.
Karas rounded out vault with a 9.90 to win the event. Michigan then counted five scores of 9.80 or better on bars with Artz tying Georgia's Sydney Snead for the win in the event.
The Wolverines did not get a 9.90 or better on beam, but Artz and Chiarelli tied for the top marks in the event with a 9.875. Beam was Georgia's lowest-scoring event on the day as two falls resulted in a 48.000.
Artz came away with the all-around title for the second straight week, scoring 39.450. The junior has scored 9.90 both weeks on bars and 9.95 both weeks on floor.
@umichwgym had an amazing floor rotation! What a score to be proud of at the first home meet of the season! #goblue 〽️
-- Gymnast Relate (@gymnastrelate) January 9, 2016
Michigan will take on Ohio State next Saturday (Jan. 16) at 4 p.m. in its Autism Awareness Meet at Crisler Center. [ Tickets ]
Players Mentioned
