OPENING PASS
• After a rough start to 2011, Sacramento State will look to change its fortunes at the Lady Luck Invitational in Las Vegas on Friday, Jan. 14, against Kent State. The meet against the #12 Golden Flashes begins at 7:30 p.m. from the South Point Resort and Casino.
• This will be the Hornets’ first appearance in the Lady Luck Invitational, which is annually hosted by Brown’s Gymnastics, but the team’s second meet in Nevada in the last two years. Last season, Sacramento State faced Boise State and San Jose State at the Flips Invitational in Reno, Nev.
• The Hornets have never faced Kent State and are meeting just their second team from the state of Ohio. Sacramento State’s previous matchup against a school from the Buckeye state resulted in a victory over Bowling Green.
• Kent State opened the year strong, defeating Maryland 194.775-193.125. That score places the Golden Flashes 12th in the nation following the first week of competition.
• Freshman Marie Case came up big for KSU, winning the all-around with a total score of 39.075. She also finished first on both floor (9.850) and beam (9.800) in addition to tying for second place on the vault with a 9.725.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Sacramento State struggled through its season-opener but still managed to pick up a pair of victories in a four-team home meet on Jan. 7. The Hornets scored just 185.875 to finish well behind Central Michigan (193.575). Alaska Anchorage (185.725) and Wisconsin-La Crosse (180.050) completed the field.
The score was the lowest for the Hornets since opening the 1999 season with a 183.925 against Cal State Fullerton.
Among the bright spots for Sacramento State was a victory on floor from freshman Kailey Hansen and a team score of 48.125 on vault.
WORTH THE WAIT
It took a while for Kailey Hansen to make her collegiate debut but the freshman made the most of her opportunity by finishing first on floor and lifting Sacramento State to a second-place finish. Hansen, who anchored the Hornets’ floor lineup, needed to score at least 9.65 to move the team ahead of Alaska Anchorage. The Ventura, Calif., native responded with a 9.700 which also gave her the individual title.
After graduating high school in 2009, Hansen spent last season as a member of the University of Washington gymnastics team. After redshirting, Hansen returned to her native California by transferring to Sacramento State. Hansen also competed on vault and beam.
ALL-AROUND DEBUT
For the past three years, Amanda Blauvelt has been a staple in Sacramento State’s bars lineup. In the 2011 season opener, Blauvelt added all-arounder to her resumé. The senior responded by scoring 37.900 and hit three of her four routines. Ironically, the one routine in which Blauvelt suffered a fall was on bars where she scored 9.050. The Wall, N.J., also added a 9.575 on vault, a career-high 9.725 on beam and a 9.550 on floor.
THE LIST KEEPS ON GROWING
Sacramento State’s injury list continued to grow during the week. The team already was without Cayla Boyce (shoulder) and Jasmine Lipka (illness) and only had limited use of Nicole Meiller (illness/back) on vault. Now senior Lissa Zamolo is doubtful for this weekend’s competition after being hit by illness. Zamolo competed on bars and beam for the team in the first meet of the year.
WAC RUNDOWN
Sacramento State was picked to finish tied for fourth in the preseason Western Athletic Conference coaches poll. The Hornets garnered 13 points and finished tied with Utah State. Boise State edged defending champion Southern Utah for the top spot. The Broncos received four first-place votes and finished with 23 points. The Thunderbirds amassed 22 points and received the remaining two first-place nods.
San Jose State, which will host the WAC Championships on March 19, finished third with 14 points. Cal State Fullerton finished sixth with five points.
