Post-meet Quotes: #5 Michigan 197.125, Maryland 194.575
2/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 7, 2015
Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the result ... "It was very important for us. I think it could have been even better. I'm so proud of this team. I've said it all along -- we've absolutely earned, without a shadow of a doubt, every tenth we've gotten this year. In the end, that makes us a much better team, because when we go head-to-head with the other strong teams, we're comfortable knowing that we've earned everything. I'm pleased how we're continuing to go out and improve. This was our highest away score, but there's always something we can do to get better."
On the uneven bars and balance beam rotations ... "I'm thrilled with how it went all the way around. That beam score was even with a few wobbles from Briley and an uncharacteristic fall from Talia. We had some fantastic routines on those two events and I'm very happy with those performances."
On Brooke Parker ... "It's awesome. Makes me feel so good and I'm so excited for her. I've said before, I wish we had more time with Brooke. Only having two years with her, I wish she was coming back for another year. She's such a talented kid and it takes time to rebuild someone's confidence back up. She's really doing such a fantastic job and I see that competitive sparkle back in her eye instead of looking and seeing fear. I'm seeing confidence and an eagerness to compete. That's what is helping her find success. Not only did she get a spot in the bar lineup, but it came because Nichelle didn't have a great warm-up. It was a last-minute change. Sometimes that can be hard from a confidence side because you don't have the time to prepare and get set, but she didn't let it affect her. She went out and hit a great routine with a big score. She's been doing a fabulous job."
On the warm-up ... "Mentally, you cannot let a difficult warm-up prevent you from going out there and doing what you're capable of. We talk so much about controlling the controllables and this team has done a good job of that. They're not letting a subpar warm-up effect how they go out and compete."
U-M Senior Sachi Sugiyama
On the team's performance ... "I think we did really well. We came out after last weekend and just carried the energy on through. We were excited to be on the road again, too. This was a new place that I don't think any of us had ever been to. The arena was very nice and their team was very nice. All in all, we competed well because we were motivated to keep up this little streak we've been on."
On the progress made on balance beam ... "I really think that in the gym, we've been practicing a lot on sticking landings. That's been carrying over into our meets. We had a little wobbles here that we didn't have last weekend. I think going forward, we have to stay motivated and not let those things make us nervous. We do a good job of trusting each other. We knew we would hit. In the gym, we have to keep training under pressure."
On uneven bars ... "That really got our momentum going. It's very exciting to see the scores really escalate with every routine that went up. Seeing those early 9.900s got us fired up and motivated. The judging didn't deter us at all."
On the takeaways moving forward ... "I think on balance beam, again, we have to be more cautious and a little more confident. That's going to improve as move on here. We need to brush off the nervousness and stick some more landings. It's about fine-tuning everything and what we're doing. We're a team that's definitely on the right track. I'm excited to see what happens next."
U-M Senior Brooke Parker
On being a last-minute replacement into the uneven bars lineup ... "I was very nervous going in, but I knew if I stayed in the present, I'd be able to get a good score, especially in the anchor position. To see a 9.900 pop up, which I didn't expect, was exciting."
On becoming a four-event, versatile gymnast ... "It's something I worked hard all summer. I wanted to contribute on more than just floor and vault. I spent most of the summer doing the things I needed to improve in order to get into the uneven bars and balance beam lineups. My dismount on bars is more consistent now than it was last year. That was a big improvement. As for how it feels, it's great to be able to contribute every single week for the team. It's great to be out there."
On overcoming a rough warm-up ... "We definitely had a rocky start in warmups, me in particular. We went back into the locker room and decided that we were going to turn it around. We just wanted to bring energy onto the floor. We didn't have a lot of that during warmups. We wanted to have it there. We brought it for Nebraska and Ohio State, so why not here? The energy is what sets the tone for the meet. It's been critical to our success."
Players Mentioned
