The North Carolina gymnastics fell to No. 6 Alabama, 197.525 to 194.975 in one of its final meets of the season on Friday.
What happened?
The Tar Heels started out strong on the uneven bars, while Alabama maintained a close early lead over the Tar Heels on vault during the first rotation.
North Carolina senior Madison Nettles started the meet with a teaam low 9.200 on the uneven bars, but her teammate, and fellow senior Morgan Lane had the highest score for her team on the uneven bars with 9.825 — for a strong team showing, but still behind Alabama.
Following the first rotation, UNC trailed Alabama 49.275 to 47.875.
Next, the Tar Heels took on the vault while Alabama moved to the uneven bars. Nettles and sophomore Khazia Hislop were the two highest scorers on the vault for their team with scores of 9.850 and 9.875, respectively. Hislop’s score tied with the Crimson Tide's Shea Mahoney and Ariana Guerra for first place in the event.
After the second rotation, Alabama lead 98.750 to 97.025. The Tar Heels would need to perform exceptionally on beam and floor routines to come back in the meet.
For the third rotation, North Carolina moved to the floor while Alabama took on the beam.
Despite their well-executed performances on the floor, the Tar Heels were unable to shrink the lead Alabama held over them after their rotation on the beam. After the third rotation, UNC was still behind 148.125 to 146.425.