The Bruins posted two event lows and failed to eclipse the 197 mark for the second time in 2024 during their last away meet.

However, coach Janelle McDonald said the team returning to road competition this weekend is completely different than the one on Jan. 21.

“We are in a different place than we were the last time we were on the road,” McDonald said. “That’s a really exciting feeling for us to be heading into our next road meet.”

No. 8 UCLA gymnastics will compete against No. 18 Oregon State on Friday night in Corvallis. The meet comes after two consecutive weeks in Westwood – a stint that ended with the Bruins surpassing 198 for the first time this season.

UCLA’s 198.075 figure marked change from the first three meets of the season, in which the team exceeded the 197 mark just once and recorded what would have been its lowest 2023 team score in the other two road meets.

“They started focusing a little too much on scores. Things like that out of their control,” McDonald said. “All of the team goals really shifted into things that are within their control, … like the energy, the mindset, the confidence you attack your routine with.”

Another key to the Bruins’ recent success was the atmosphere in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA’s student section – The Den – performed to floor routines, and a friendly home crowd continuously cheered.

The energy at home spurred the Bruins to a 49.750 on floor against the Wildcats on Sunday – the sixth-highest floor score in program history.

Without the Den’s spirit this weekend, junior Brooklyn Moors said the team discussed how they could still find success on the event on the road.

“Energy is energy,” Moors said. “We use whatever energy we have around us, whether that’s the crowd cheering for a different team, we use that to our advantage.”

Floor isn’t the only event on which the Bruins have shown renewed vitality. They outshone their three-meet 48.967 average on beam with back-to-back 49.500-plus scores in Pauley Pavilion over the past two weekends.

Junior Emma Malabuyo said they took inspiration from their floor parties to make the nerve-racking beam routines more fun.

“We’ve focused on performance on beam,” Malabuyo said. “It makes such a huge difference, performing to the crowd and not just only focusing on your skills.”

As the season’s halfway point approaches, UCLA’s list of accomplishments is already lengthy – the first 198 team score, five Pac-12 weekly awards and two dual-meet victories.

But with much of the season left, McDonald said the Bruins are continuously trying to climb the ladder.

“We have areas that we can dial in, we can clean up, we can get more locked in,” McDonald said. “It just has to be really intentional numbers of trying to get that 1% better for the next weekend.”