Scouting report: UCLA gymnastics vs. California

After a bounce-back performance last weekend, No. 17 UCLA gymnastics will welcome its Bay Area rival, No. 8 California, for a showdown in Pauley Pavilion. The Golden Bears come in having taken the last matchup between the teams and vying for the Pac-12 regular-season title, which they would clinch outright with a win. The Bruins, meanwhile, are hoping to play spoilers. Here is this week’s scouting report from gymnastics reporter Nico Edgar – who gets to cover his first gymnastics meet in person at Pauley Pavilion since becoming one of the team’s beat reporters in 2021.

UCLA
Strength: Floor
Weakness: Bars
X-Factor: Sekai Wright

As I sit here writing this on Sunday night, it’s hard not to remember the energy of UCLA’s 49.550 in its closing rotation against Washington.

The Bruins scored their second 197 of the season on the back of a floor rotation that culminated with a perfect 10 by sophomore Chae Campbell in the anchor spot.

Freshmen Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors, as well as senior Pauline Tratz, all chipped in scores at or eclipsing the 9.900 threshold, giving the Bruins their second-best rotation of the season on any event.

Now, the question is whether the team can carry that energy into its final Pac-12 meet of the season.

Considering the home matchup with California, I’m betting it will. In a season marked by two away scores below 196, Pauley Pavilion has proven to be a saving grace for the Bruins.

At home, UCLA is averaging a 197.058, miles above its 195.869 average in away meets. It has averaged 197.525 against Cal in its past three dual meets.

All those averages are good and nice, but what does the situation actually look like for the Bruins right now? After injuries and rest caused consistent lineup turnover, it seems as if the team’s health is finally turning a corner.

While sophomore Frida Esparza remains out with an injury, Campbell competed in the all-around against Washington after resting the previous week, and Tratz’s return provided a boon on floor. Freshman Emma Malabuyo continued her recent run of success and is averaging a 39.442 in the all-around in her past three meets.

Chiles has tallied nine scores of 9.900 or higher in her past five meets – along with four 9.875s – as the Olympic silver medalist continues to round into form, while Campbell has seven scores 9.900 or higher in that timeframe.

Floor clearly presents the highest ceiling for the blue and gold, with the Bruins scoring as high as 49.600, 49.550 and 49.400 in their three best performances this season. If the Bruins can polish up some errors, another high-scoring floor party should be in the cards against the Golden Bears – especially if senior Norah Flatley returns to the lineup.

Things look less rosy on bars, where the loss of senior Margzetta Frazier continues to hurt the Bruins. While UCLA’s 49.175 against Washington represented a dramatic improvement over its disastrous 47.825 against Arizona State the week before, no gymnast other than Chiles and Flatley has scored above a 9.900 on the apparatus.

To make matters worse, UCLA lost sophomore Sara Ulias to a torn ACL, and Esparza hasn’t been able to fill her spot because of her own injury. If Esparza can return for the Bruins this weekend, it would considerably raise the ceiling on bars.

Meanwhile, after not being penciled into a lineup until February, senior Sekai Wright has competed on vault and floor in three consecutive meets. While her vault scores have hovered in the 9.800 to 9.875 range, her floor scores have trended down.

Assuming Wright stays in the floor lineup – which is not a guarantee if Flatley returns – reaching her career highs of 9.950 on vault and 9.875 on floor would pay dividends for the Bruins.

If UCLA can continue to perform on floor and hit 24-of-24 routines for the second straight week, I’m comfortable predicting its third 197 of the season.

California
Strength: Bars
Weakness: Vault
X-Factor: Nevaeh DeSouza

Cal will travel to Southern California looking to return to the win column after being upset by No. 15 Arizona State in the desert.

Despite losing standout Kyana George to an Achilles tendon injury before the season, the Golden Bears have managed to float in the top 10 nationally for much of the year. Led by Andi Li and Maya Bordas – who rank sixth and 11th in the country in the all-around, respectively – Cal has compiled a 6-1 record with a 197.032 average.

The team’s best performances have come on bars, where Bordas and Li have scored 9.900 or higher a combined eight times in 14 total routines. The Golden Bears rank sixth in the nation on the event and haven’t scored lower than a 49.300 thus far, while Li is tied for fifth individually.

On beam, the Northern California visitors have counted a score below 9.650 just once this season. Cal’s 48.925 against Arizona State last time out was only the second time the team scored lower than a 49.000 on a rotation this season and the first since its season-opening meet.

Along with Bordas and Li, Nevaeh DeSouza has competed in the all-around for the Golden Bears in all seven meets. While she leads the team on vault with a season-high 9.950, her scores have trended downward since notching a 39.625 in the all-around with four scores of 9.875 or higher Feb. 12 against then-No. 3 Utah.

DeSouza has two meets with all-around scores of 39.525 or higher but failed to eclipse 9.825 on any event against Arizona State en route to a 39.175, her second sub-39.200 in the all-around this season after doing so once last year.

If Cal wants to keep UCLA at a distance, DeSouza returning closer to her 39.346 average in the all-around would be a big step in the right direction.

Finding scores above 9.900 on vault has proven difficult for the Golden Bears thus far, as only DeSouza has eclipsed the mark while Li and Nina Schank have each scored 9.900s.

Cal ranks higher than UCLA on floor – with a season-high of 49.475 – where Li leads the way after scoring a season-high-tying 9.950 against Arizona State in a routine deemed perfect-10-worthy by coach Justin Howell. Grace Quinn has become a lineup staple for the Golden Bears on floor as she has scored consecutive 9.925s, while fellow senior Milan Clausi has averaged a 9.875 on the event.

Cal will be looking for a second straight win against its Pac-12 rival and will be extra motivated after its coach called them out for scoreboard watching against Arizona State. Expect a rebound performance for the Golden Bears that exceeds the 197 mark and clinches them the Pac-12 title outright.