Teams: UC Davis at No. 10 Oregon State; No. 4 Stanford
Where: Maples Pavilion – Stanford, Calif.
When: Sunday at 2 p.m.
Who to watch: At this time last year, then-freshman Michelle Hurlock had only competed in exhibition, but she was ready for more. Her lineup debut at Stanford proved she belonged, as she posted a 9.850 on beam, the highest of any Aggie all season.
At Stanford on Sunday, Hurlock had similar fortunes, posting a season-high 9.800 to tie for third, just like last year.
“I’m feeling pretty confident now that I know I can do it,” Hurlock said. “I’m feeling more calm and feeling better about hitting my routines. I just have to keep doing what I did Sunday.“
Did you know? According to the rankings, this meet should be by far the hardest on the Aggies‘ schedule all season. Stanford just moved to the No. 4 spot in the national rankings, and Oregon State sits at No. 10. In the West Region, they are No. 2 and 3 respectively, with UC Davis sitting at No. 9.
Preview: The Aggies aren’t letting the rankings scare them. Instead, they’re using them for added excitement.
“We’re actually really looking forward to going back down [to Stanford],” coach John Lavallee said. “It’s a good opportunity to go back in the gym and raise our level up a bit to meet these teams at their level.“
Despite being tired from last weekend’s doubleheader, the Aggies posted some good marks at Stanford on Sunday, and are expecting even more this week.
“We’re definitely at a higher place than we were in the past,” said senior co-captain Andi Dolinksy. “We really want to step it up this weekend. We have a ton of potential, and at this point in the season it’s about putting it all together for the meet.“
– Alex Wolf-Root
