For the first time in a while for No. 4 Oregon acrobatics and tumbling (4-1), there were unknowns before a meet. The Ducks closed out their home slate last week without much fuss, but ahead of their first road trip to No. 2 Quinnipiac, the result was less certain.
Despite losing in four of six events, Oregon pulled out a win in the team event to secure victory. The meet, though, was defined by two falls.
Here are the takeaways from the Ducks’ win over the Bobcats:
Falls are definitive
The two falls in question came at crucial moments. First, Oregon tumbler Logan Davis, inserted into the quad pass in place of regular starter Haley Ellis, slipped on her landing. The Ducks scored 7.750 in the heat — a season low — and lost the event as a result. They trailed by 0.875 before the team event.
That was where the second fall came. Quinnipiac tumbler Tiffanie Smith missed her landing in a team event that the Bobcats lost by 2.09 points. They lost the meet by just 1.215.
Here’s what has become obvious: in top-eight meets like these programs will have to win on the road to a national championship, a single fall can sink the meet. Everything else is close enough — start values and skill. Falls defined this meet, but in March and April, they can define seasons.
Oregon can win without its best events
The Ducks lost the two events that should be considered their best — pyramid and tumbling — against the Bobcats. They scored lower than expected in tumbling, and posted a 9.600 in synchronized pyramid that wasn’t a low, but was by far (.250) the lowest score in the event.
Oregon showed up elsewhere. Their toss event, which ranged from 28.000 to 29.150 in Eugene, scored 28.800 in front of stingy judges. The Ducks set a season high in the first heat, where they scored 9.750.
That’s all to say that this team proved on Sunday that it can win even without top performances in its best events. It’s not the way to a national championship, but this was a win the Ducks needed in their quest for a top seed in South Dakota.
A valuable win — ranking aside
The NCATA is over a month into its season, and preseason rankings have become little but a representation of how the team was expected to perform. Some programs, like current No. 3 Gannon, are sub-.500 (Oregon claimed a win over the Knights at home, while the Bobcats will face them on the road on April 5).
Quinnipiac’s second-overall position is not a misnomer. The previously-undefeated Bobcats were one of the Ducks’ stiffest tests this season, and a win in Hamden, CT. is immediately atop the Ducks’ resume.
It’s valuable in other ways, too. Victory over the Bobcats made Oregon’s streak of wins three-straight — all over top-five preseason teams. The Ducks haven’t lost to any team save No. 1 Baylor, and are well-positioned for a strong seed in April’s NCATA Championship should they win at least one of their final two meets.
That begins on Friday, when the Ducks head an hour southwest from Hamden to New Rochelle, NY to face No. 8 Iona. The meet is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
