UIC finished the fifth of five straight road meets at Eastern Michigan Friday night.  The Flames' team score, and 13 individual event scores, were season highs.  That firepower was not quite enough, as the defending back-to-back MAC champions prevailed, 194.900-194.250.

A strong performance on the balance beam, where UIC posted a season high 48.950 thanks to all six competitors setting season or career highs, capped the evening and surged the Flames into contention.  They led the Eagles after their last routine on the beam, but the home team's anchor on the floor exercise scored 9.825 to secure the team victory.

The Flames remained consistent on the vault and floor, where three season highs (including one career high) were set on each event.  Though three of the top four scores on the bars belonged to UIC, the team was unable to repeat its top-to-bottom domination on the bars from last week.

Rotation 1 – Bars

• Serena Baker's 9.825 was the team's highest bars score.  She tied Eastern Michigan's Lacey Rubin for first place.
• She was followed closely by Katie Snyder's season high-tying 9.800.
• Toni Alicke checked in with a 9.775, giving UIC three of the top four scores in the meet.  EMU was more consistent in the middle of the lineup, and the hosts claimed a 0.350 advantage on the apparatus.

Rotation 2 – Vault

• Three Flames – Ashley Albrecht, Riley Mahoney, and Katie Snyder – set season highs on the vault.  Snyder also surpassed her career high.
• Snyder's 9.775 tied her for first place in the meet.  Mahoney's 9.750 was the best score after the gymnasts who tied for first.
• Albrecht and Mikailla Northern were part of a four-way tie for fourth, each scoring 9.725.
• Abby Hasanov competed on vault for the first time in her career, as the Flames had to shuffle their lineup due to the absence of Kayla Baddeley.  She posted a 9.475.

Rotation 3 – Floor

• Toni Alicke (9.750), Daniela Maciel (9.700), and Serena Baker (9.650) each set season highs on the floor exercise.
• Alicke bested her previous high score by 0.325 and counted in the team score for the first time.
• Baker also contributed to the team score after two previous outings in which her score was dropped.

Rotation 4 – Beam

• Miki Northern's 9.825, Riley Mahoney's 9.800 and Abby Hasanov's 9.750 set new career highs.
• Toni Alicke set a season high with a 9.725.  Ashley Albrecht did likewise with a 9.800.  Alicke's score was dropped, though it would have counted in any previous meet this season.
• Dani Maciel tied her career high, posting a 9.775.
• Northern placed second.  She, Mahoney, and Albrecht had three of the meet's top four scores.
• Co-head coach Peter Jansson summarized his team's performance with one word: "Awesome."
• "We had a terrific meet despite having to leave our super freshman Kayla at home with the flu," Jansson continued.  "Our beam squad really came through and had us right there with an excellent MAC team all the way until the end."

All-Around

• Northern totaled 38.425 and placed second.  Albrecht scored 38.200 to take third.
• EMU's lone all-arounder, Emili Dobronics, won the meet with a 39.075, on the strength of her 9.825 on the floor exercise.

Up Next

• The Flames will return to UIC Pavilion for their home opener next weekend.
• UIC will host Northern Illinois Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 pm.
• The dual meet will pit the Flames against the team they faced in the season opener, in a tri-meet with NC State in DeKalb.