On Sunday afternoon, the UCLA gymnastics team found itself in a familiar situation. Having blown a 0.6-point lead during their third rotation on balance beam, the Bruins took the floor, desperately trying to overcome a deficit of 0.325.
The effort could not save No. 8 UCLA, which fell to No. 6 Georgia in front of a rowdy crowd of 5,837 in Pauley Pavilion. Pac-10 rival Arizona placed third, having trailed both teams for the entire competition.
The Bulldogs’ solid scores on vault and uneven bars along with a weak rotation on floor exercise gave UCLA a comfortable lead heading into the third event. But when junior Aisha Gerber, the team’s leadoff performer, slipped off the beam, the other Bruin gymnasts knew their margin of error was suddenly zero.
The pressure was too much for redshirt senior Brittani McCullough and freshman Samantha Peszek. Both were unable to keep their balance, forcing the team to count two falls and drop to second place.
“I think they wanted it too badly so they got tight,” a frustrated Valorie Kondos Field said.
“Great teams are those that can come out and be their best when their best is needed, and if you want it, you have to go win it. It was inexcusable,” the UCLA coach added.
Peszek only practiced her beam routine twice before debuting it Sunday.
“We knew we were taking a chance on her,” Kondos Field said. “Normally we would not have put her up, but we needed two meets before the Pac-10 (Championships) to let her get her jitters out.”
The 2008 Olympian also performed her first collegiate vault, scoring a respectable 9.825.
“I definitely think I could have done better, and I expect more from myself so I don’t want to say that I’m satisfied,” said Peszek, who fractured her foot in early January. “But it felt great to get the adrenaline pumping again.”
As per tradition, the team’s five seniors were honored in a ceremony before the team’s last regular home meet of the season.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it during the meet, but beforehand I had mixed emotions,” said McCullough, the team’s oldest member.
“Luckily it’s not done yet because we still have part of the season left, which is great.”
After a meet at Cal State Fullerton next week, UCLA will return home for the Pac-10 Championships, the last time the team will compete in the current Pauley.
With the postseason fast approaching, the Bruins cannot afford another subpar performance if they want to be considered contenders at NCAAs.
“A couple girls had great performances, but we are all capable of a lot more so we need to get back to work and light the fire under our butts again,” Peszek said. “We definitely have not reached our potential.”