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Kyla Ross’ perfect 10 on bars leads gymnastics to home-opening victory

Senior Kyla Ross recorded a perfect 10 on the uneven bars in No. 5 UCLA gymnastics’ home opener versus Boise State on Sunday. The 10 was Ross’s first career perfect score on the apparatus at home. (Amy Dixon/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Gymnastics


Boise State195.475
No. 5 UCLA196.800

By Riley Segal

Jan. 13, 2020 12:55 a.m.

This post was updated Jan. 13 at 2:30 p.m.

The Bruins’ first dual meet win of the decade, junior Kendal Poston’s first event win and senior Kyla Ross’ first perfect 10 of the season marked the team’s home opener.

No. 5 UCLA gymnastics (1-0) defeated No. 22 Boise State (0-1) 196.800-195.475 on Sunday, an increase from its previous score of 196.575 at the Collegiate Challenge last weekend. The Bruins outscored the Broncos in all events except the balance beam.

Ross, junior Nia Dennis, junior Pauline Tratz, senior Gracie Kramer and sophomore Margzetta Frazier combined for UCLA’s highest event score, a 49.725 on floor. The closest to a perfect score in the event was Ross, who garnered a 9.975. The Bruins outscored the Broncos by a 1.325 point margin in the rotation.

“(I’m) most proud of the ability of the team to come off a rough event and just turn it on on floor,” said coach Chris Waller. “They were just completely willing to go, ‘OK, just make this like our first event; the meet starts now.’ And they just took it and blew up the house. That was the coolest thing.”

The balance beam came before floor for the Bruins, where two gymnasts suffered falls during their routines. The score of 48.400 marks the second time this year UCLA has scored below a 49. Prior to this season, the program hadn’t scored below 49 since Jan. 6, 2018.

Beam was the only event in which Boise State outscored UCLA. However, senior Grace Glenn’s routine earned her both a standing ovation from the home crowd and a team-high of 9.975, one week after falling during the event at the Collegiate Challenge.

The Bruins fared better on bars, in which Ross received her first perfect 10 of the season and her first on the bars at Pauley Pavilion. Frazier also earned a 9.950 for the second meet in a row, and UCLA finished with a 49.375.

“I honestly didn’t know that was (going to happen),” Ross said. “It feels really awesome to get the first one of the season, but I didn’t know it was (my) first one in Pauley on bars. I was really happy to bring one home for the crowd.”

Poston picked up her first career event win on vault, where her performance garnered a 9.900. Dennis and Ross were close behind with a 9.875 apiece, and the Bruins amassed a total of 49.300.

“I don’t really have any words for it,” Poston said. “Our videographer came up to me after I won and was asking my feelings on it, and I said, ‘Please stop talking to me, I’m going to cry,’ because this is just unreal. I can’t express how grateful I am for this team. My coaches (and) my team provide that opportunity for all of us to be our own type of great, and that’s what I felt today.”

UCLA next will face BYU and Utah State in Provo, Utah, on Saturday.

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Riley Segal | Sports reporter
Segal is currently a Sports reporter. She was previously a contributor on the gymnastics and women's volleyball beats.
Segal is currently a Sports reporter. She was previously a contributor on the gymnastics and women's volleyball beats.
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