The UCA STUNT team fell flat on the mat, losing all four games during its two-day stay in Nashville, Tennessee.
“From the beginning of the season, we knew our Nashville tournament would be one that we went into focusing more on the little wins rather than the big ones,” coach Alyssa Morrow said. “We played four teams who are all much more experienced and established than we are, two of which are the first and second Division I teams in the nation. Every time we play these bigger teams it’s always a learning experience.
“Although we definitely faced some unexpected obstacles that resulted in us scoring fewer points than we were hoping for, I am proud of the athletes for keeping their heads up and fighting to score points as much as they could.”
STUNT’s Nashville matchups began March 15 against the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
In the first quarter, the Bears successfully obtained a single point, whereas the Wildcats picked up two.
“When we played Kentucky in the past we were unable to score a single point on them, so when we scored on them this go around it was very exciting,” coach Morrow said. “Over the weekend our partner routine 7 ended up being the go-to routine for scoring a point and almost every time we put it on the mat, we scored. With routine 7 being one of the most advanced routines that we have, it is a massive deal to be able to score so many points in one weekend with it.”
While UCA began not far behind the Wildcats, the game went downhill quickly.
The Wildcats snatched up 4 more points in the second quarter, completely shutting out the Bears.
The third quarter continued UCA’s pointless trend while the University of Kentucky continued to trek forward, earning another 4 points. The Wildcats continued to lead 10-1.
In the fourth and final round, the Wildcats struck gold, adding 11 points to the scoreboard. The Bears remained at 1 point until the very end. The University of Kentucky took home the win, 21-1.
Even with the loss, coach Morrow said she was happy with the team’s performance, as two athletes had to drop out not long before the game.
“I was most proud of their ability to constantly adjust and rework routines, even if it is crammed into our 15-minute warm-up before competing,” coach Morrow said.
The Bears stood face-to-face against the Maryville University Saints later that day.
The first quarter was unsuccessful for UCA, as the Bears failed to pick up a point during partner stunts, while the Saints conjured up 2 points.
UCA was unable to capitalize on its pyramids and tosses during the second quarter, continuing its point drought. Maryville’s performance in the second quarter proved to be more successful than the first, with the Saints garnering a total of 4 points.
It was in the third quarter that the Bears managed to score, picking up their first point in group jumps and tumbling. The Saints continued to push further ahead with 3 more points, beating the Bears 10-1.
The Bears earned one last point in the fourth quarter while the Saints picked up 8 points, ending the game with a Maryville victory, 18-2.
The third game of the Nashville visit began the following morning, March 16, when the Bears didn’t score a single point against the California Baptist University Lancers. The final score was 24-0, the same score as when the teams faced off in February.
The Bears final game in Nashville was later that day against the University of Tennessee at Martin, a battle that proved to be their most successful of the weekend.
“Our stand-out moment was the entirety of our match against UT Martin,” junior tumbler/flyer Crystal Vuong said. “They’re also a fairly new program and we hoped to score some points on them which came true. Although we didn’t win, our team came out happier than ever because we put our all into that match. We were all in and we made it a good, positive experience for everyone.”
The UT Martin Skyhawks took the first quarter with 2 points, yet the Bears remained right behind with a single point.
The Bears continued to push forward, scoring another point in the second half. Even with the small victory, the Skyhawks flew past the Bears, snatching up 3 points.
UCA hit a bump in the third quarter when the Bears failed to pick up any points. UT Martin scored 5 more points, leading the game 10-2.
In the fourth quarter, the Bears obtained 2 points, their largest leap forward throughout the entire weekend. However, UT Martin went on to score 7 points, the Skyhawks conquering the Bears 17-4 by the end.
The UCA STUNT team’s next round of games will be in Springfield, Missouri, from April 6 to April 7. The visit to Springfield will mark the end of the Bears’ regular season.