Michigan
Maize and Blue Intrasquad (ex)
Blue Squad Defeats Maize in Intrasquad Exhibition Meet
12/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team opened its 2003-04 season on Saturday (Dec. 6) with the Maize and Blue Intrasquad in front of a Cliff Keen Arena crowd of 882. The Blue team emerged victorious with a total score of 116.600 to the Maize's 115.700, with each team's top three scores in each rotation counting toward the team score. Maize team members Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) and Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) finished 1-2 in the all-around with scores of 39.125 and 39.000, respectively, followed by the Blue's Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) in third (38.950).
Deiley and Ray each won two events. Deiley finished first on the vault (9.825) and floor exercise (9.825), while Ray, who missed the entire 2003 season while recovering from shoulder surgery, took first on the balance beam (9.850) and shared first place with Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame HS) on the uneven bars (9.825). Ryals was second on the beam (9.825) and floor exercise (9.775), tied for second with Ray on vault (9.750) and placed third on bars (9.775).
The Blue team opened with a 28.900 on vault while the Maize was scoring 29.000 on the uneven bars. The two teams swapped apparatus and turned in three clean performances each, with the Blue scoring 29.325 on bars and the Maize posting a 28.925 on vault. At the end of the second rotation the Blue team pulled ahead by three-tenths, 58.225-57.925.
The Blue squad increased its lead during the third rotation, when it had four quality routines on the balance beam and scored 29.400, paced by Ray's first-place finish and by Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham HS) and freshman Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus HS), who tied for third (9.775). The Maize team only sent three competitors to the floor, but Deiley and Ryals turned in solid routines to aid the team's 28.650 score. Still, the Blue team led by more than a point at the end of the rotation, 87.825-86.575.
In the final rotation, the Maize team narrowed the deficit with three steady routines all above 9.600, but the Blue gymnasts had no difficulty closing out the victory on the floor exercise, led by Bruck's 9.725 that was good for third place.
The Wolverines will open the 2004 season with a trip to Lincoln, Neb., to face the University of Nebraska on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. CST.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the team's performance ... "I think overall everybody did well. I'm excited to have this behind us. This is always the definite transition point between the preseason and competition season. Now that we've been through this, the team is ready to go compete. They're excited about that; I'm excited about that. This time of year is when all the payoffs come for everything -- all the blood, sweat, and tears from September till now. I'm pleased with how everything got started out. We made a few mistakes, but most of the mistakes we made were mental not physical."
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
