The week after Big Fives usually brings us some fun cross-conference play among Big Ten teams, and this meet is no exception! The Illini are taking on the MAC’s Bowling Green, and what makes this meet particularly interesting is that both these teams faced off just two days earlier, at a quad meet with Ohio State and Kent State. That ended up being a meet both teams will want to put behind them, so the question here will be whether both can beat double-meet weekend fatigue and put up some big scores.
Last week, both teams had some of their best weeks of the season. The Illini put up a big 196.850 at Big Fives last week, headlined by a near-perfect bars set from freshman Lynden Saltness. They will be looking for another high 196 number here, or that elusive 197, to bolster their NQS-counting home scores.
Bowling Green has been on the struggle bus this season, but managed to put all the pieces together last week for a season high 195.925. If the Falcons can hit bars (and that’s a big ‘if’) they should be able to put up a solid NQS away score. Isabella Rivelli’s clean bars routine is key to the Falcon’s success.
Illinois is likely to walk away from this meet with the victory barring a complete meltdown. However, that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to…
