The Utah gymnastics team was on fire from the start of Friday's road meet and didn't slow down all night long en route to a handy defeat of Arizona State 196.700-195.626 in Tempe, Ariz.
The Red Rocks took an early lead on the uneven bars while the Sun Devils competed on the vault. The U never looked back and improved to 3-0 on the season. Both teams posted season-high scores in the meet.
Senior Ashley Postell claimed her third all-around crown of the season with a 39.475 performance, sparked by her event-winning 9.925 beam routine that highlighted and capped off Utah's night.
Utah continued its season's progression by evolving its lineup and improving upon its previous season high for the second consecutive week. Achieving success on the road is important, Utah head coach Greg Marsden said.
"How we do on the road is really the preparation we need for regionals and nationals," Marsden said.
Daria Bijak took her first turn as an all-around performer and contributed a solid outing. She won the vault with a 9.875 and had every score counted except for her floor routine.
After her performance, Bijak established herself as a solid option for Marsden in the all-around competition.
"Because of the nature of what she does, I think (Bijak) is someone we need in there," Marsden said.
Beth Rizzo sat out on the floor exercise because she had been struggling with her final pass. However, her impressive routine in exhibition left Marsden second-guessing himself.
Stephanie Neff wasn't second-guessing her support group in the crowd. The sophomore from Arizona estimated that 30 to 35 friends and family collaborated to form her fan section in the Wells Fargo Arena.
"It was crazy to see so many people here for me," Neff said.
The support worked, boosting Neff to a 9.875 on her floor routine. The score earned Neff her first career victory, which she shared with teammates Postell and Kristina Baskett.
"All my family was here, so it was even better," Neff said.
Marsden said that he was very happy with the team's improvement, but wants vault landings cleaned up. That criterion has given Utah some problems earlier this season, but the team hopes to clear things up this week.
"We still are giving away a lot of tenths (of a point) on vault landings," Marsden said.
Arizona State dropped to 1-4 on the season in its home opener. Junior Nicole Harris came in second in the all-around with a final score of 39.350. The All-American scored team highs in every event but vault.
Utah returns home next week to take on Minnesota in the Huntsman Center. Minnesota is Utah's first unranked opponent of the season.
j.gilbert@chronicle.utah.edu
