Simply put, the Bruins (11-1-1) are on fire. The team’s
197.250-196.775 win at No. 10 Michigan last Friday showed UCLA in
championship form and prepared for the postseason. Through superior
talent, experience and confidence, No. 1 UCLA got the job done and
continued to leave no doubt that it is the nation’s top
team.
Undergraduate assistant coach Carly Raab explained the
Bruins’ purpose as the team gears up for the postseason:
“We’re in there to get the job done and achieve what
we’ve set out to do all year,” she said.
Despite claiming the victory by less than a half a point, the
No. 1 Bruins managed to beat the Wolverines on every event ““
a fitting outcome since the Bruins are also rated No. 1 in the
country on all four events: bars, vault, floor and beam.
At Ann Arbor, the team finished the meet with a strong
performance on beam, earning a 39.35. Freshman Kate Richardson
contributed a 9.95 and helped put Michigan at a distance.
The Bruins’ performance on floor also earned a 39.35, just
above the Wolverines’ 39.30. Unfortunately, the Bruins
suffered a setback with an injury to Alyssa Beckerman. The junior
dislocated her knee while competing on floor and is expected to be
out for four to six weeks. She joins injured teammates Onnie Willis
and Jamie Dantzscher on the list of ineligible players for the UCLA
Invitational ““ the Bruins’ final home meet against No. 14
Oklahoma, North Carolina and Rhode Island ““ on March 16.
“Hopefully giving some of our key people a rest will give
us a break,” head coach Valorie Kondos Field said.
“It’s always nice to see what your second string can do
and I feel very confident that we’ll be able to go out there
and get the job done.”
This far into a successful season, Raab acknowledges that
injuries are a reality, a natural setback to the team.
“It’s always a concern that your main people are
going to get hurt late in the season, because you need those
people,” said Raab. “But, at the same time, we have a
lot of depth and a lot of character. I’m not too concerned
that any injury will really hold us back. We’ve got a lot of
fight in us.”