University of Georgia Athletics
Gym Dogs To Face Kentucky, Centenary In Lexington
February 12, 2009 | Gymnastics
ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia gymnastics team will be competing on Friday the 13th and there will be cats in the vicinity, albeit not black ones.
The No. 3 Gym Dogs will travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on the homestanding Wildcats and Centenary College in a tri-meet at Memorial Coliseum on Friday at 7 p.m.
“I’m not superstitious, so I’m not concerned about it being Friday the 13th,” Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said. “I think we’re more excited that the meet is not the next day, on Valentine’s Day. That way, we can get back home and the girls can have a date night with their valentines.”
The Gym Dogs haven’t had their hearts broken in competition this season as they enter Friday’s meet with a 6-0 record, including a 3-0 mark in the Southeastern Conference. No. 29 Kentucky is 1-4 and 0-3, while No. 52 Centenary is 3-1.
This will be the first of two straight weeks away from home for the Gym Dogs. Georgia will travel to No. 7 Arkansas next Friday.
“I am a big believer that a cohesive team is more successful and that a team reaches its potential when it’s close-knit,” Yoculan said. “Going on the road gives the athletes more time together and more opportunity for team building and chemistry. And as coaches, we can spend more time with the girls talking about a plan and setting the groundwork and the tone for the competition. It’s usually to our benefit to compete away from home.”
As the higher-seeded visitor, the Gym Dogs will follow the Olympic order in Friday’s meet bars, beam, floor and vault. Since there are three teams competing, the meet will move continuously and likely faster.
“I think this format will bode well for our team,” Yoculan said. “It’s almost like you’re the only team in the arena because you keep moving. It will be like having an intrasquad meet in our gym.”
Georgia enters Friday’s meet with a 62-0 all-time record against Kentucky. This will be the Gym Dogs’ first meeting with Centenary, which is located in Shreveport, La.
LINEUP AGAINST WILDCATS, LADIES
Courtney Kupets, who has won the all-around competitions in all six meets this season, will have the chance to extend her streak this weekend after all.
Originally slated to do just two events in Friday’s tri-meet, Kupets now will do all four. She is ranked No. 1 nationally in the all-around with an average of 39.583.
“When I told her we were going to sit her out to rest, she didn’t protest as Courtney never questions the decisions of her coaches and she trusts us to always put her best interest and the team’s best interest first,” Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said. “But she said, I feel great. I am ready to go.’ So we have changed the plan. Courtney is on a roll. She is just now getting into her groove on all four events.”
The all-arounders will be Kupets, Tiffany Tolnay and Hilary Mauro, while Grace Taylor, Cassidy McComb and Kathryn Ding each will do three events, Marcia Newby will do two and Abby Stack will do one, meaning only eight Gym Dogs will compete on Friday. Mauro will be making her collegiate debut as an all-arounder.
“We want to build on what we did last week,” Yoculan said, referring to the national-best 197.250 scored against Auburn, “so we are going with the lineup which consists of the gymnasts who are the most consistent right now on each event.”
Vault: Hilary Mauro, Kathryn Ding, Cassidy McComb, Marcia Newby, Courtney Kupets and Tiffany Tolnay.
Bars: Marcia Newby, Kathryn Ding, Hilary Mauro, Grace Taylor, Tiffany Tolnay and Courtney Kupets.
Beam: Hilary Mauro, Cassidy McComb, Tiffany Tolnay, Grace Taylor, Courtney Kupets and Kathryn Ding.
Floor: Abby Stack, Hilary Mauro, Grace Taylor, Cassidy McComb, Courtney Kupets and Tiffany Tolnay.
NATIONAL RANKINGS ARE OUT
Georgia enters Friday’s meet in the No. 3 spot in the GymInfo rankings, which were released on Monday. The Gym Dogs have a team average of 196.475 to trail only Utah (196.730) and UCLA (196.480).
Georgia is coming off a win over Auburn in which the Gym Dogs posted the nation’s highest score at 197.250.
The Gym Dogs were ranked No. 1 in the preseason, stood eighth after one meet, were fourth after the second and third meets, reclaimed the top spot and have been No. 3 the last two weeks.
“I think this week is the crossroads for us,” Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said. “We had the high score last week, but we need to see if we can do it again. We have the talent, we have the athletes, we have the skill, we have the potential, we just haven’t had the consistency. This will be a true test. We need to keep our focus and keep building.”
As a team, Georgia is second on bars, fourth on beam, fifth on vault and sixth on floor.
Senior Courtney Kupets is No. 1 nationally in the all-around, bars and beam, and she is No. 11 on vault and No. 20 on floor. Junior Grace Taylor is No. 2 on beam and No. 12 on bars, while senior Tiffany Tolnay is No. 12 on floor and No. 13 in the all-around.
ON THE AIR
GXtra, the official premium online service of the Georgia Bulldogs, will stream live audio of Friday’s meet, with commentary provided by former Gym Dogs Katie Heenan Dodson and Emily Bridgers. Live scoring will also be provided on georgiadogs.com.
THE LAST TIME OUT
In front of a sold-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum, the Gym Dogs posted a 197.250-195.925 victory over the Tigers. Georgia’s score is the highest score in the nation this season. Courtney Kupets posted a 39.625 to win the all-around for the sixth meet in a row as the Gym Dogs moved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC.
A LOOK AT KENTUCKY, CENTENARY
Kentucky won its first match of the season, dispatching Utah State. Since then, the Wildcats have lost four straight all against SEC competition (Alabama, LSU, Florida and Arkansas). Kentucky is led by all-arounders Hillary Ferguson, Andrea Mitchell and Emily Green. Centenary boasts a 3-1 record and is anchored by all-arounder Courtney Hawkins.
The No. 3 Gym Dogs will travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on the homestanding Wildcats and Centenary College in a tri-meet at Memorial Coliseum on Friday at 7 p.m.
“I’m not superstitious, so I’m not concerned about it being Friday the 13th,” Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said. “I think we’re more excited that the meet is not the next day, on Valentine’s Day. That way, we can get back home and the girls can have a date night with their valentines.”
The Gym Dogs haven’t had their hearts broken in competition this season as they enter Friday’s meet with a 6-0 record, including a 3-0 mark in the Southeastern Conference. No. 29 Kentucky is 1-4 and 0-3, while No. 52 Centenary is 3-1.
This will be the first of two straight weeks away from home for the Gym Dogs. Georgia will travel to No. 7 Arkansas next Friday.
“I am a big believer that a cohesive team is more successful and that a team reaches its potential when it’s close-knit,” Yoculan said. “Going on the road gives the athletes more time together and more opportunity for team building and chemistry. And as coaches, we can spend more time with the girls talking about a plan and setting the groundwork and the tone for the competition. It’s usually to our benefit to compete away from home.”
As the higher-seeded visitor, the Gym Dogs will follow the Olympic order in Friday’s meet bars, beam, floor and vault. Since there are three teams competing, the meet will move continuously and likely faster.
“I think this format will bode well for our team,” Yoculan said. “It’s almost like you’re the only team in the arena because you keep moving. It will be like having an intrasquad meet in our gym.”
Georgia enters Friday’s meet with a 62-0 all-time record against Kentucky. This will be the Gym Dogs’ first meeting with Centenary, which is located in Shreveport, La.
LINEUP AGAINST WILDCATS, LADIES
Courtney Kupets, who has won the all-around competitions in all six meets this season, will have the chance to extend her streak this weekend after all.
Originally slated to do just two events in Friday’s tri-meet, Kupets now will do all four. She is ranked No. 1 nationally in the all-around with an average of 39.583.
“When I told her we were going to sit her out to rest, she didn’t protest as Courtney never questions the decisions of her coaches and she trusts us to always put her best interest and the team’s best interest first,” Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said. “But she said, I feel great. I am ready to go.’ So we have changed the plan. Courtney is on a roll. She is just now getting into her groove on all four events.”
The all-arounders will be Kupets, Tiffany Tolnay and Hilary Mauro, while Grace Taylor, Cassidy McComb and Kathryn Ding each will do three events, Marcia Newby will do two and Abby Stack will do one, meaning only eight Gym Dogs will compete on Friday. Mauro will be making her collegiate debut as an all-arounder.
“We want to build on what we did last week,” Yoculan said, referring to the national-best 197.250 scored against Auburn, “so we are going with the lineup which consists of the gymnasts who are the most consistent right now on each event.”
Vault: Hilary Mauro, Kathryn Ding, Cassidy McComb, Marcia Newby, Courtney Kupets and Tiffany Tolnay.
Bars: Marcia Newby, Kathryn Ding, Hilary Mauro, Grace Taylor, Tiffany Tolnay and Courtney Kupets.
Beam: Hilary Mauro, Cassidy McComb, Tiffany Tolnay, Grace Taylor, Courtney Kupets and Kathryn Ding.
Floor: Abby Stack, Hilary Mauro, Grace Taylor, Cassidy McComb, Courtney Kupets and Tiffany Tolnay.
NATIONAL RANKINGS ARE OUT
Georgia enters Friday’s meet in the No. 3 spot in the GymInfo rankings, which were released on Monday. The Gym Dogs have a team average of 196.475 to trail only Utah (196.730) and UCLA (196.480).
Georgia is coming off a win over Auburn in which the Gym Dogs posted the nation’s highest score at 197.250.
The Gym Dogs were ranked No. 1 in the preseason, stood eighth after one meet, were fourth after the second and third meets, reclaimed the top spot and have been No. 3 the last two weeks.
“I think this week is the crossroads for us,” Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said. “We had the high score last week, but we need to see if we can do it again. We have the talent, we have the athletes, we have the skill, we have the potential, we just haven’t had the consistency. This will be a true test. We need to keep our focus and keep building.”
As a team, Georgia is second on bars, fourth on beam, fifth on vault and sixth on floor.
Senior Courtney Kupets is No. 1 nationally in the all-around, bars and beam, and she is No. 11 on vault and No. 20 on floor. Junior Grace Taylor is No. 2 on beam and No. 12 on bars, while senior Tiffany Tolnay is No. 12 on floor and No. 13 in the all-around.
ON THE AIR
GXtra, the official premium online service of the Georgia Bulldogs, will stream live audio of Friday’s meet, with commentary provided by former Gym Dogs Katie Heenan Dodson and Emily Bridgers. Live scoring will also be provided on georgiadogs.com.
THE LAST TIME OUT
In front of a sold-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum, the Gym Dogs posted a 197.250-195.925 victory over the Tigers. Georgia’s score is the highest score in the nation this season. Courtney Kupets posted a 39.625 to win the all-around for the sixth meet in a row as the Gym Dogs moved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC.
A LOOK AT KENTUCKY, CENTENARY
Kentucky won its first match of the season, dispatching Utah State. Since then, the Wildcats have lost four straight all against SEC competition (Alabama, LSU, Florida and Arkansas). Kentucky is led by all-arounders Hillary Ferguson, Andrea Mitchell and Emily Green. Centenary boasts a 3-1 record and is anchored by all-arounder Courtney Hawkins.
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