There is home-field advantage.

And then there is competing in Pauley Pavilion – where banners that boast UCLA’s collection of national titles hang from the rafters, blue and yellow confetti falls from the sky during floor routines and the crowd hangs on to every Bruin gymnast’s last move.

“It’s literally the best place on earth for gymnastics,” said senior Jordan Chiles. “To me, going into Pauley Pavilion is like a little kid walking into Disneyland for the very first time.”

No. 9 UCLA gymnastics will kick off Big Ten competition in its home-opening meet against Nebraska on Saturday in Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins are coming off a third-place finish at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, in which they posted a 197.000 mark – a top 10 score in the nation. UCLA fell to No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma – the NCAA’s 2024 and 2025 national champions, respectively – but made slight improvements from its season-opening competition in its overall score.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to go out early in the season with other top teams and battle it out,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “There’s nothing I saw that week that I feel like we can’t continue to grow and build to be the team we want to be moving forward.”

The Bruins are currently ranked No. 20 on floor with an average score of 49.125 – a stark departure from their top-ranked finish last season. Instead, the Bruins’ balance beam lineup has become their highest-ranked event at No. 7 in the nation, thanks to a 49.525 the squad put up week one.

Chiles has been a consistent bright spot in the Bruins’ lineups, earning back-to-back Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors and leading the nation in the all-around with a 39.650 average. The two-time Olympian posted a 9.975 mark on beam at the Bruins’ first competition of the season – tied for the highest score in the country.

Junior Katelyn Rosen has joined Chiles in competing in the all-around, averaging a 39.200 mark – good for No. 24 in the nation.

“For me, it’s all about improvement – it’s about progress,” Rosen said. “It’s about showing up each meet and doing a little better than the week before. I’m not a very score-oriented person.”

Several freshmen will likely make their Pauley Pavilion debuts Saturday – including 2024 Paris Olympic alternate Tiana Sumanasekera, who is ranked No. 14 in the nation in the all-around after posting a 39.350 at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad.

Freshmen Nola Matthews and Ashlee Sullivan, who have competed in at least two events through their first two collegiate meets, will also likely experience competing in Pauley Pavilion for the first time Saturday.

Matthews notched a 9.875 mark on bars last week – tying with Sullivan and Rosen for the second-highest score on the team – but fell on beam, resulting in a 9.200 that was ultimately dropped from the team score. Sullivan contributed to three of the Bruins’ four rotations last week, posting a team-low 9.775 on floor and a third-best 9.850 total with her Yurchenko 1.5 vault.

“I’m just happy that the new newbies are coming in,” Chiles said. “The freshmen get to experience it, and that’s what it’s all about.”