NORMAL, Ill. – Being back at Redbird Arena in front of a great crowd of excited fans proved to be a recipe for success for Illinois State Friday night, as the Redbirds led from start to finish in a 194.900 to 193.775 defeat of Northern Illinois.
Scoring Breakdown:
•   Vault: ISU 49.000, NIU 47.925
•   Bars: ISU 48.825, NIU 48.800
•   Beam: ISU 48.050, NIU 48.150
•   Floor: ISU 49.025, NIU 48.900Â
Thoughts from Coach Bob Conkling:
"I'm really proud of this team and it's great to get another win with a big team score. I think this team is hungry and strives to clean up mistakes every day in practice to be ready. They want to be pushed and be better, and when you have that kind of an attitude as a team you are going to improve each time out."
Team Notes:
•   The Redbirds scored a season-high 49.000 on vault, which was also their best single event score of the season, to take a narrow lead after the first rotation.
•   Another season high of 48.825 on bars extended the ISU lead to over a point headed into the third rotation.
•   ISU struggled a bit on beam with a 48.050 and a strong floor routine by NIU trimmed the Redbird lead to just .250 headed into the final rotation.
•   Needing a strong finish, the Redbirds posted their third season-high score of the meet with a team best 49.025 on floor to secure the victory.
Gymnast Notes:
•   The reigning MIC Gymnast of the Week was back at it, as Angelica Labat won the all-around competition tying her season best score of 39.275 set just last week against Bowling Green … Labat tied for first on bars (9.875) and was third on both vault (9.825) and beam (9.775) to come away with the victory … Madison Kipp came in second for the second week in a row, posting a score of 38.525.
•   Freshman Jaye Mack posted the highest individual score of the night with a career-best 9.900 on floor to win the event … it is the highest individual event score of the season for the Redbirds.
•   The Redbirds took the top four spots on vault, with last year's MIC Champion on the event J'Chelle Heard leading the way with a season-high 9.875 … she was followed by Kipp in second place with a season-best 9.850, Labat in third and Charlise Doctor in fourth with a 9.775.
•   Sofia Iribarren tied Labat for the individual event win on bars with a season-best 9.875 to give ISU a third event win.
Up Next:
The Redbirds have a return trip with the Huskies scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at the Convocation Center in DeKalb.
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