No. 3 Alabama gymnastics traveled to Lexington on Friday night to take on No. 8 Kentucky. The Crimson Tide fell to the Wildcats 197.3-196.1.
“I am proud of how they continued to try to fight through a lot of challenging circumstances, but we just got to get better at making aggressive decisions to be able to command every performance and hit the way that I know we know how to,” head coach Ashley Johnston said.
Rotation 1
For the first rotation, Alabama was on the uneven bars and Kentucky was on the vault. At the end of Rotation 1, the Wildcats led the Crimson Tide 49.3-49.175.
In the anchor position, freshman Paityn Walker suffered a fall and posted a 9.0.
On the uneven bars, freshman Ryan Fuller posted the highest score for the Crimson Tide, a 9.925. The uneven bars title was shared between Fuller and Kentucky’s Skylar Killough-Wilhem.
“I think there were a lot of great highlights. I think Ryan on bars, that was a great moment for her,” Johnston said. “I thought Paityn did a good job even after taking kind of a weird fall on bars. She got up, she smiled and that really showed her team-first mentality.”
Rotation 2
Alabama was on the vault for the second rotation and Kentucky was on the uneven bars, with the Crimson Tide scoring a 49.35 and the Wildcats scoring a 49.325. This brought Kentucky’s total lead 98.625 – 98.525.
The 49.35 on vault was a season high for the Crimson Tide. After junior Karis German posted a 9.6 on vault, senior Corinne Bunagan was able to post a 9.85. The Crimson Tide then continued with scores of 9.8 or higher.
“I’m actually excited to see that on vault,” Johnston said. “Responding from a vault that wasn’t the ideal start, and then for Corinne and the rest of the lineup to continue to do what they know how to do, I think that was a good confidence builder for us.”
Senior Lilly Hudson posted the highest score for the Crimson Tide with 9.925. The vault title was split between Hudson and Kentucky’s Isabella Magnelli.
Rotation 3
For the third rotation, Alabama was on the floor and scored 49.025. Kentucky was on the balance beam and scored 49.4. The Wildcats finished the rotation up 148.025-147.55.
Kentucky was able to post three balance beam scores of 9.9 or above to increase its lead.
On the floor, junior Gabby Gladieux had the highest score for the Crimson Tide, posting a 9.9 and sharing the floor title with Kentucky’s Hailey Davis.
Rotation 4
For the final rotation, Alabama was on the balance beam and Kentucky was on the floor. The Crimson Tide posted a 48.55 and the Wildcats posted a 49.275.
Alabama had a rough final rotation after Bunagan had a shake on the beam to post a score of 9.65. Freshman Kylee Kvamme and graduate student Shania Adams both fell, and they posted a 9.1 and 9.275, respectively.
Gladieux posted the highest balance beam routine for the Crimson Tide, a 9.9. However, the balance beam title went to Magnelli, who scored a 9.925.
Hudson tied in the all-around with Kentucky’s Delaynee Rodriguez, each posting a score of 39.45.
“I think it’s moments like this that actually light a fire under a team like this,” Johnston said. “They’re competitive, they’re going to want to work hard in the gym and be prepped and ready for Oklahoma next week.”
The Crimson Tide will take on No. 1 Oklahoma at home on Friday. The match will start at 7 p.m. CT and can be streamed on SEC Network.