Feb. 19, 2009
Norman, Okla. -
The No. 13 Missouri Tigers might have put together a dominating, complete meet in their 196.625-195.000 win over Illinois last weekend, but that doesn't mean the team is yet satisfied with their season.
The squad will be looking to put up big numbers again this week, this time on a critical road trip to Norman, Okla., where the Tigers will face No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 18 West Virginia and Brown University. The meet will kick off at 7 p.m. from the Lloyd Noble Center.
The Tigers are coming off their biggest score of the season, including a score of 49.250 on the balance beam -- the third highest score in school history. Missouri also posted scores of 49.000+ on the vault and floor exercise.
The hard work paid off, vaulting Missouri to second place in the conference on vault, uneven bars and the floor exercise. The Tigers are 10th in the nation on floor.
And the spotlight on Friday night will once again fall on the squad's top-flight all-arounders: junior Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.), senior Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.) and freshman Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.).
Shire has posted a series of dominating performances in the first half of the season, capped by her third Big 12 Gymnast of the Week title this past week after a 39.525 career-high all-around win in the Illinois meet. She has won the all-around title in five of six meets this year, and has taken twelve individual event titles. Perry took the all-around title by a score of 39.350 in the squad's only loss to Nebraska, and Burke has continued to improve every week, putting up a 39.175 to take third place the last two weekends in a row.
This is the Tigers' fourth road trip of the year, and the squad hopes to keep the momentum rolling -- Missouri has so far been unflappable on the road, winning all three previous meets away from home this year, most recently taking first place by a score of 195.375 at a quad meet in Columbus, Ohio.
But Missouri faces a tough test from the competition this weekend, particularly 11th-ranked conference rival Oklahoma in a fight for Big 12 supremacy. The Tigers have not beaten the Sooners since 2004, when Missouri bested Oklahoma 197.000 - 196.700 at the Hearnes Center. The Sooners are led by junior Hollie Vise, who has taken the bars title four times this season, most recently breaking her career high with a 9.900 against Denver, and senior Ashley Jackson, who grabbed the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week title last week. Oklahoma averages a 196.067 per meet.
Stay with mutigers.com for all the latest results and news before and after Friday's meet. The Tigers will return home next weekend for the 29th annual Cat Classic, featuring Michigan State, Cal State Fullerton and Western Michigan. That meet will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center. Doors open at 5 p.m.