No. 3 A&T Set for Rematch with No. 2 Oregon

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Hoping to avenge just its second loss in seven years under coach Felecia Mulkey, the No. 3-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling team (3-1) will host No. 2 Oregon (2-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
            The Bears had a 37-meet win streak halted by Oregon on March 6 in Eugene, losing by less than a point to the Ducks, 281.365 to 280.660. Mulkey's only other loss since coming to Baylor was also at Oregon at the start of the 2017 season.
            "I think sometimes, you have to lose to know how to win," said Mulkey, who is 15-2 against Oregon, a team that she led to the first four NCATA national championships. "When we lost to Oregon, fifth-year senior Cam Bryant was the only athlete who had ever lost a meet. . . . There's some motivation in that and also a switch in mindset. I think it was healthy for us."
            Oregon and five-time defending national champion Baylor both dropped a spot in the latest NCATA rankings after the Ducks were beaten by now-No. 1 Azusa Pacific. The Bears rebounded from the loss to Oregon with wins over Hawaii Pacific and East Texas Baptist.
            "I'd love to be ranked No. 1, but you've got to win to be ranked No 1, and we didn't do that," Mulkey said. "I guess it's not how you start, it's how you finish. That's what they say, right? We're not going to let the rankings really control it, we're just going to execute."
            That's their motivation going into their last regular-season meet of the year – execution over results.
            "We've made some uncharacteristic mistakes through all different areas of the meets that we've been in so far," Mulkey said. "It's not an excuse but I think the short season has played a role. . . . This is that point in the year where you can really hone in on compulsory tumbling, you can really hone in on the tumbling and team event. You can really get back some of those execution parts that you lose earlier in the season. This is just an adjustment, going from those nine or 10 meets down to five this year."
            Baylor, which will host the four-team NCATA National Championships on April 22-23, is 2-0 at home this season and has won 27-consecutive home meets.
            "We're excited to be back at home I'm pumped," Mulkey said. "We have the best spirit & traditions program in the country, and they will be out there leading the crowd on Saturday. I want to say I am ridiculously grateful for the. They are always in the house. But to have them there, leading the crowd, using signs, using megaphones and really getting the crowd amped-up, we're grateful to them and really excited about that."
            Saturday's meet will also be streamed live by Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Attendance at the Ferrell Center is limited to 25%, with fans expected to wear masks and social distance as much as possible.

WACO, Texas – No. 3 Baylor acrobatics and tumbling is back in the Ferrell Center this weekend for its final regular season meet of the season when it takes on rival No. 2 Oregon on Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Bears (3-1) will look to avenge its earlier 281.365-280.660 loss this season to the Ducks (2-1) on March 6 in Eugene.

BU is coming into this meet after a 275.200-209.150 victory at East Texas Baptist on April 1 in Marshall, Texas, while Oregon is looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season against Azusa Pacific on March 25.

Baylor is 15-13 all-time against Oregon, while head coach Felecia Mulkey comes into the meet with a 15-2 mark against her former school. With it being the final meet of the regular season, five seniors will be honored on Saturday, including Cam Bryant, Bri Harris, Emily Hoppie, Maddie Kruse and Day Thompson.

The meet will be streaming live on Big 12 Now (ESPN+) and for tickets visit BaylorBears.com/tickets. There will be a rally towel giveaway to fans in attendance.

For updates on the program, follow @BaylorAcroTumb on Twitter and Instagram and @BaylorAcrobaticsandTumbling on Facebook.

No. 3 A&T Set for Rematch with No. 2 Oregon

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Players Mentioned

Emily Hoppie

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