NORMAL, Ill. – Once again, Illinois State and Northern Illinois squared off on the mat and for the second time in five days it was the Redbirds who came out on top as ISU posted a 193.925-192.850 win over the Huskies Tuesday night in the home opener for the Birds at Horton Field House.
Scoring Breakdown:
•   Illinois State: 193.925
•   Northern Illinois: 192.275
Thoughts From Coach Conkling:
"Well, it wasn't the home opening competition that we were hoping to have but we still did enough to pull off a win. I know this team is capable of so much more than they did tonight. It's time to put the confidence hat back on for our next meet on Friday with SEMO."
Team Notes:
•   The Redbirds started things off on the vault, scoring 48.700 with consistent scores of 9.700 or above.
•   However, the second rotation on bars was not as favorable as ISU posted a 47.950 as the Huskies trimmed the Redbird lead down to under three tenths of a point.
•   A beam score of 48.375 helped give ISU a bit more cushion after the third rotation, before the Redbirds posted a 48.900 on floor to pull away as the Huskies had to take a 47.975 on their final rotation on beam.
Gymnast Notes:
•   It was another solid all-around performance for senior Mya Robinson, who took first place with a total score of 38.825 highlighted by a strong score on floor.
•   Senior Julia Heiner tied for the event win on bars, as she posted a 9.775 to tie with NIU's Natalia Kraus … freshman Savannah Ray was third with a 9.750, Jada Beswick was fourth with a score of 9.700 and Robinson was fifth with a 9.600.
•   A pair of Redbirds tied for the event win on balance beam, as Leah Davis and Jaye Mack each scored 9.825 to finish in a three-way tie with NIU's Ellery Werner.
•   The Redbirds took the top four spots on the floor exercise, with Robinson leading the way with a 9.850 and Mack right behind in second place with a 9.800 … Alana Laster was third with a score of 9.775 and senior Kaitlyn Donovan tied for fourth place with a total of 9.750.
•   On vault, Mack was the top Redbird finisher in a tie for second place with a 9.775, while Sara Wabi and Robinson tied for fourth place with scores of 9.750.
Up Next:
The Redbirds will hit the road for their third meet in eight days, when they travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for a Midwest Independent Conference dual meet at Southeast Missouri State. Action is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Houck Field House.
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