Sixth-Ranked Cyclones Fall to No. 5 Huskers

AMES, Iowa-- Despite an all-around title by senior Janet Anson, the sixth-ranked Iowa State gymnastics team (4-1, 0-1 Big 12) fell to No. 5 Nebraska (5-1, 1-0 Big 12) by a score of 195.725-195.325 at Hilton Coliseum Friday.

Anson led the Cyclones, placing first in the all- around earning a total of 39.125, with second-place finishes on vault (9.875) and floor (9.900). It marked the third straight meet that Anson has scored a 9.90 on floor. The opening home meet for the Cyclones boasted a record crowd of 3,429 to welcome first-year head coach Jay Ronayne and his staff.

"I'm very impressed with the crowd,” said Ronayne. “I didn't know what to expect coming into tonight but the crowd was really into the competition. I loved it. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone here again at the next home meet."

Iowa State started the night on vault, where it earned a team score of 48.950. Anson's season-high 9.875 vault was Cyclones' top score. Megan Barnes had another solid vault performance and earned a 9.85 to place third in the final standings. Nikki Dilbert tallied a career-high 9.75 to tie for seventh place. Nebraska's Emily Parsons (9.950) anchored a solid vault rotation for the Huskers.

In the first rotation, Nebraska scored a 48.675 on bars to give Iowa State the early advantage. NU's Vanessa Meloche won the event with a 9.825.

Heading to uneven bars in the second rotation, Iowa State looked to carry the momentum from a good first rotation, but the lead from the first rotation would be the Cyclones' only advantage of the night.

Dilbert made her bars debut and was solid, scoring a 9.800 to finish second. Ceilia Maccani (9.775) came in third for ISU, tying her season-high score. After the completion of the second rotation, Nebraska moved ahead 97.725-97.450.

"When we fell behind, I knew we needed Nebraska to make a mistake,” said Ronayne. “But being a good team, they didn't make any mistakes. We kept doing our job and competed well."

On beam, Jasmine Thompson scored a 9.800 in the first beam performance of her collegiate career. She tied for fifth place with teammate Anson. Senior Ashley Alden (9.825) was once again the Cyclones' top beam performer, tying for second. Anson scored had a season-high 9.800 on beam. Nebraska's Parson's won the event with a 9.850.

Nebraska kept its lead after the third rotation 146.275-146.700, a deficit of .425 the Cyclones would have to recover on the floor exercise in their last event. In the final rotation, the Cyclones began to heat the scores up with strong performances by Thompson (9.825), Katie Sweetin (9.825) and Anson (9.90) on the floor. But it wasn't enough to overcome the Huskers' strong performance in the final event of the night. Thompson and Sweetin tied for fourth place in the floor. First-place honors went to NU's Parsons with a 9.925 routine.

ISU's Anson won the all-around competition with a tally of 39.125. A trio of Huskers rounded out the top four places with Desire' Sniatynski (38.925) taking second, Kylie Stone (38.400) earning third and Maria Scaffidi (38.400) placing fourth. NU's Parsons, who competed in three events, captured titles on vault, beam and floor.

Iowa State's Thompson was awarded the Mari-Rae Sopper award for the most outstanding and inspirational performance of the night. It is the first time she has received this award.

After a week off, the Cyclones return to action when they play host to Big 12 foe Missouri at Hilton Coliseum on Friday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Alden

Ashley Alden

Janet Anson

Janet Anson

Megan Barnes

Megan Barnes

Nikki Dilbert

Nikki Dilbert

Ceilia Maccani

Ceilia Maccani

Ceilia Maccani

Katie Sweetin

Katie Sweetin

Jasmine Thompson

Jasmine Thompson

Jasmine Thompson

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