Michigan
Nebraska
Karas Floors Nebraska for 'Flip for Chip' Win
2/3/2019 5:05:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
» Michigan honored the life of Chip Hills in its fourth annual Flip for Chip meet.
» Senior Olivia Karas' 9.950 floor routine gave the Wolverines the victory over Nebraska.
» Michigan earned its season-high score on the uneven bars rotation, led by freshman Natalie Wojcik's winning 9.925.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Event: Flip for Chip meet
Score: #10 Michigan 196.500, #13 Nebraska 195.700
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 10 – vs. Iowa (Crisler Center), 2 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In the fourth annual Flip for Chip meet, the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team defeated No. 13-ranked Nebraska, 196.500-195.700, on the final routine of the meet on Sunday (Feb. 3) inside Crisler Center.
Senior Olivia Karas stepped out on floor exercise and put on a show worthy of a Super Bowl halftime performance in front crowd of more than 2,500. She electrified the audience and received a score of 9.950, receiving a 10.0 from one of the judges for her routine. The score was good enough to put the Wolverines on top for good after trailing by .025 heading into the final routine.
Senior @lil_livkay on the emotions of winning the #FlipforChip meet with a 9.950 on floor. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/Se5yw0bPMW
— Michigan Women's Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) February 3, 2019
With the victory, Michigan stayed in first place in the Big Ten standings with a 3-0 conference record and handed Nebraska its first conference loss of the year.
Karas earned her third consecutive victory on floor exercise, tying a career high. She also won the all-around for the first time this season with a 39.400. She scored 9.800 or better on all four events.
Freshman Natalie Wojcik had another impressive meet after an early stumble on vault, finishing with wins on the uneven bars (9.925) and balance beam (9.875). She also finished second on floor with her second straight 9.900.
Michigan posted season highs on both bars and floor with a 49.300 on both events. The two big rotations helped U-M overcome the Huskers and notch their highest team score of the year.
Senior Emma McLean and freshman Abby Brenner also had solid meets for Michigan. McLean was back in the floor lineup after a week off and put together a clean routine for a 9.875. Brenner matched personal bests on bars (9.875) and floor (9.850) while also scoring a 9.850 on vault.
During the meet, the team honored the life of Chip Hills -- father of former Wolverine Cailee Hills -- by wearing purple accessories with their leotards and "Flip for Chip" T-shirts during warmups. The crowd also was peppered with purple shirts as the meet continues to grow each year.
The Wolverines will be at home again next Sunday (Feb. 10) when they host Iowa at 2 p.m. in Crisler Center. The meet will be Michigan's enchanted meet, with fans encouraged to dress in their favorite princess, super hero or fictional character for the meet. All children in eighth grade and under can select between a light-up crown, light-up fairy wand or light-up saber while supplies last.
Players Mentioned
