(Photo: Nick Wicksman/WCSN)
The Gym Devils will head to Cedar City on Friday to face the No. 21 Southern Utah Thunderbirds for the second time this season.
Arizona State’s first meet of this season was against this same SUU team at Wells Fargo Arena on Jan. 9, which resulted in ASU’s first and only win with a 194.200 overall vs. Southern Utah’s 193.925.
ASU was down through three rotations, but hit a stride on floor while Southern Utah struggled on beam. This resulted in the Gym Devils’ eventual comeback and victory.
For ASU head coach René Lyst, however, the early-season victory is a thing of the past.
“I mean they have had a great season thus far and we’ve had our ups and downs,” Lyst said. “We know we’ve got to go in there and got to do one routine at a time, and really be aggressive.”
The Gym Devils are coming off a loss to the No. 10 UCLA Bruins at home on Saturday. Sun Devil junior Allie Salas said she worked on the “little details” in practice this week in preparation.
“Hitting handstands, sticking vaults, and sticking dismounts on beam,” Salas said. “That’s all that matters now that were heading in towards the end of the season.”
Statistically, SUU leads ASU by an average of 1.580 points as a team total. Lyst said this number does not necessarily make her confident entering the meet.
“You know, every meet is different,” Lyst said. “I’m not concerned whether they can make their routines or not, it’s just how well we can do them.”
The meet will take place Friday at 7 p.m Mountain Time at the Centrum Arena in Cedar City, Utah.
You can reach the author via eMail at Amanda.B.Foster@asu.edu.
