NORMAL, Ill. – Through three rotations Wednesday night the score was tied between host Illinois State and visitor Southeast Missouri State, however the Redbirds finished strong on floor in the final rotation to come away with a 195.600-194.475 victory over the Redhawks in a dual between Midwest Independent Conference foes.
Scoring Breakdown:
•   Illinois State: 195.600
•   Southeast Missouri State: 194.475
Thoughts From Head Coach Bob Conkling:
"I wasn't sure how that was going to turn out as we went into the final rotation tied. We are good on floor and was confident we were going to hit our routines, but SEMO had been good on beam the last few meets. The scores there were good all night, so if they had scored well, it would have been tight. However, we did what we were supposed to do and came away with the win. Even with some mistakes, we are 195 team and without mistakes we are a 196 team. That's where our focus is moving forward to have no major mistakes and scoring 196 plus."
Team Notes:
•   The Redbirds started strong on vault with a score of 49.000 to take a slight advantage over the Redhawks, who scored a 48.775 on bars.
•   ISU held onto its narrow margin halfway through the meet, after the Redbirds scored a 48.900 on bars to increase their lead to 97.900-97.450.
•   In what has become a rarity this season, the Redbirds struggled on beam with a 48.550 which allowed the Redhawks to come back and tie the meet heading into the fourth and final rotation with a score of 146.450.
•   ISU closed things out strong on floor however, scoring a season-high 49.150 on floor to come away with the victory.
•   The 195.600 ties for the 10th best score in school history, and now 7 of the top 11 scores all-time have come in the last 11 meets.
Gymnast Notes:
•   Senior Angelica Labat won the all-round for the second-straight meet, scoring a season-high 39.325 to finish ahead of SEMO's Taylor Ingle and Lydia Webb.
•   Jaye Mack was the winner on vault with a score of 9.850, followed closely by teammate Alana Laster in a tie for second place with a 9.825.
•   The Redbirds took the top three spots on bars, with Sara Wabi leading the way with a career-high score of 9.875 and Reese Grolla and Labat tying for second place with matching scores of 9.800.
•   Labat took home the title on beam, as she scored a career-high 9.900 to finish ahead of freshman Ally Lau in second with a 9.825 and Mya Robinson in third with a 9.800.
•   Laster took home the floor title with a 9.875, with Kaitlyn Donovan just behind in a tie for second place with a 9.850 and Wabi and Laster tying for fifth with scores of 9.825.
Up Next:
The Redbirds return to the mat on Sunday, Feb. 11, when they travel to St. Charles, Missouri, for a dual meet with MIC foe Lindenwood scheduled to start at Noon CT.
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