(Photo by John Kelley)
The tenth-ranked Georgia gymnastics team will return home to face No. 14 Kentucky on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for its second SEC matchup of the season. The Gymdogs are 1-0 in SEC competition after a win last weekend against Missouri. Kentucky is 0-1 in the league.
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The meet will air live on SEC Network +, and it can also be seen Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Georgia has hosted meets in three consecutive weekends, and following the matchup with Kentucky, the Gymdogs’ 2015 home schedule will be halfway complete.
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Saturday’s meet will also serve as Georgia’s annual Pink Meet which raises money and awareness for breast cancer. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase T-shirts and participate in a silent auction that will benefit the Athens Regional Breast Health Center.
[break] [break] Georgia vs. Kentucky History
This marks the 78th all-time meeting between Georgia and Kentucky with the Gym Dogs holding a 76-0-1 advantage in the series. Incidentally, this is the second consecutive year Kentucky has traveled to Athens. Kentucky and Arkansas will come to Stegeman Coliseum in back-to-back years this season, while Georgia will travel to Florida and Auburn for the second consecutive year.
[break] [break] Last Time Out
Georgia fell to No. 15 Denver 194.850-194.300 on Monday in its first road meet of the season. It was Georgia’s second meet in 72 hours, the first a 195.800-195.225 win over Missouri last Friday evening. The Gymdogs led by .925 entering the final rotation, but had to count two falls on beam and scored a 47.4 on that event.
[break] [break] Noteworthy
» Sophomore Rachel Schick recorded a team-best and meet-best 9.9 on bars against Denver. This career-high performance was only the third bars routine of her collegiate gymanstics career. She missed the 2014 season due to injury.
» Junior Brandie Jay posted the highest event-score for Georgia for the third time this season. She, along with Rachel Schick, scored a 9.9 on bars against Denver. She had a 9.95 on vault against Missouri and a 9.925 on vault in the opener with Michigan.
» Sophomore Ashlyn Broussard earned her first event title with a career-high 9.875 on vault. She shared the title with Denver’s Nina McGee.
» Senior Sarah Persinger competed the all-around the last two meets for the first time since she was a freshman in 2012. She competed on vault, beam and floor in the opener and exhibitioned on bars.
» In Georgia’s last two meets, 14 of its 24 routines have been performed by freshmen or sophomores. The 2015 UGA roster consists of 11 freshmen and sophomores.
» Georgia head coach Danna Durante and Kentucky head coach Tim Garrison served together as assistant coaches at Nebraska from 2006-2011.
[break] [break] Rankings
The Gymdogs fell three spots to a No. 10 national ranking in this week’s top-25. Current rankings are based on average overall team scores. In team event rankings, Georgia finds itself in the top-10 on vault (No. 10) and bars (No. 8). Rankings do not reflect results from Georgia’s meet against Denver on Monday.
[break] [break] Up Next
The Gymdogs will hit the road for consecutive away meets at Florida, LSU and North Carolina. Up first is No. 1 Florida, who shares the top ranking with Oklahoma, at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 30. The meet will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
[break] [break] Georgia vs. Kentucky History
This marks the 78th all-time meeting between Georgia and Kentucky with the Gym Dogs holding a 76-0-1 advantage in the series. Incidentally, this is the second consecutive year Kentucky has traveled to Athens. Kentucky and Arkansas will come to Stegeman Coliseum in back-to-back years this season, while Georgia will travel to Florida and Auburn for the second consecutive year.
[break] [break] Last Time Out
Georgia fell to No. 15 Denver 194.850-194.300 on Monday in its first road meet of the season. It was Georgia’s second meet in 72 hours, the first a 195.800-195.225 win over Missouri last Friday evening. The Gymdogs led by .925 entering the final rotation, but had to count two falls on beam and scored a 47.4 on that event.
[break] [break] Noteworthy
» Sophomore Rachel Schick recorded a team-best and meet-best 9.9 on bars against Denver. This career-high performance was only the third bars routine of her collegiate gymanstics career. She missed the 2014 season due to injury.
» Junior Brandie Jay posted the highest event-score for Georgia for the third time this season. She, along with Rachel Schick, scored a 9.9 on bars against Denver. She had a 9.95 on vault against Missouri and a 9.925 on vault in the opener with Michigan.
» Sophomore Ashlyn Broussard earned her first event title with a career-high 9.875 on vault. She shared the title with Denver’s Nina McGee.
» Senior Sarah Persinger competed the all-around the last two meets for the first time since she was a freshman in 2012. She competed on vault, beam and floor in the opener and exhibitioned on bars.
» In Georgia’s last two meets, 14 of its 24 routines have been performed by freshmen or sophomores. The 2015 UGA roster consists of 11 freshmen and sophomores.
» Georgia head coach Danna Durante and Kentucky head coach Tim Garrison served together as assistant coaches at Nebraska from 2006-2011.
[break] [break] Rankings
The Gymdogs fell three spots to a No. 10 national ranking in this week’s top-25. Current rankings are based on average overall team scores. In team event rankings, Georgia finds itself in the top-10 on vault (No. 10) and bars (No. 8). Rankings do not reflect results from Georgia’s meet against Denver on Monday.
[break] [break] Up Next
The Gymdogs will hit the road for consecutive away meets at Florida, LSU and North Carolina. Up first is No. 1 Florida, who shares the top ranking with Oklahoma, at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 30. The meet will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.