The ASU gymnastics team wasn't exactly intimidated competing in a four-team meet hosted by UCLA, one of the country's storied programs on Sunday.
But the Sun Devils know they didn't perform close to their potential either, finishing with a 194.575 score to place them second in the meet. The No. 9 Bruins predictably finished first on their home floor with a 196.675 score, while wide-eyed Cal State Fullerton (189.800) and the University of California Davis (187.925) took third and fourth respectively.
Nine of ASU's 24 individual performances garnered scores of 9.600 or lower. The Sun Devils' team score was its lowest in five meets since a 193.15 mark at Boise State in the season opener.
"We weren't really sharp and not very crisp," ASU coach John Spini said. "I talked to the team, and I just felt like we could do a lot better. We haven't been very competitive the last two weeks. We've almost plateaued and gone down a bit, but I hope we start peaking fast."
ASU competed without freshman all-around performer Tia Orlando (foot injury) for the second straight meet, and freshman sensation Nicole Harris was limited to three events due to soreness after falling on her neck in a meet against Stanford last week. The injuries left coach John Spini scrambling to fill the gaps.
Junior Cassandra Jusino, who began the year doing just two events, performed the all-around for the second straight week. After hitting all four events against Stanford, Jusino experienced a complete 180 in Los Angeles, falling on all four apparatuses this time around and didn't score higher than a 9.450 in any event.
Freshman Ashlee Hinkle competed in three events, tying her season high, but struggled with marks of 9.650 (vault), 9.750 (beam) and 9.575 (floor). Freshman Tiana Jean was asked to step up on bars, but could only muster a 9.525. And sophomore Karissa Vossler, who missed last season with a knee injury, competed for the first time as a Sun Devil only to earn a 9.575 on floor.
The Sun Devils weren't without their solid performances, however. Senior Ashley Kelly was her reliable self, scoring a 39.350 in the all-around to finish third. On the beam, she earned a 9.850, tying UCLA's Jordan Schwikert for the victory in that event.
Junior April Boone continued the strong accent she has experienced all season, finishing just behind Kelly with an all-around score of 39.325.
Despite the sketchy team performance, the Sun Devils will likely improve on their No. 12 national ranking, as their 194.575 score on the road will replace its 193.15 mark from the Boise State meet. ASU also has a 195.175 road score in its back pocket from a meet at Washington last month.
"We had an off day, but we really fought hard to get a good score," Kelly said. "We all know we can do better than that, but we're glad we won't move back in the rankings."
Reach the reporter at drex1_phx@hotmail.com.
