as the Tide is back on the road. And in two weeks it will be the Gymdawgs coming to Coleman for the annual slugfest. Let's sell it out again! Goodnight from Auburn University where the Tide wins it with a 196.175 to 194.450.

is over. Bama moves on to Lexington next Friday to take on the Wildcats of Kentucky and they won't be a pushover either. They have more challenging routines this year and would like nothing better than to upset the Tide in their home arena. Miles will be expected to return to the line-up on floor and possibly uneven bars and balance beam for that meet. Remember, she had a great routine going last week on the beam until her foot slipped off the end on her double twist dismount. Her bars routine is one of the best in the country and she has rested for the past three weeks due to a sore wrist and flu symptoms this week. Wouldn't you know she hits her best vault of the season despite the flu bug and nails it?

again in this series. Kaitlin White went on three events and is showing she's ready for prime time (9.75, 9.80, 9.775)while Erin Rightley came through big time on balance beam (9.85) and would have scored higher on floor (9.80) if the landing of her final pass was just a little tighter and crisper.

Melanie Banville is starting to hit her stride like we knew she would after seeing her strong pre-season workouts. She scored a career best on floor tonight (9.925) with awesome difficulty and we feel she was underscored on the bars, quite frankly (9.80). Cassie Martin came through on the bars (9.825) and hit another beautiful beam effort (9.900) after floundering on floor with a missed double front Arabian. She's learning to compete in college, putting the mistakes away and moving on to the next event to pull in a big score for the team.

tonight and Dwyer won by a slim margin over her teammate 39.375 to 39.325.

3rd: Magee (UA) and Puckett (AU)
2nd: Dwyer (AU)
1st: Banville (UA)

2nd: Rightley (UA) and Lindsay Puckett (AU)
1st: Martin (UA)

2nd: Martin (UA) and Dwyer (AU)
1st: Humphrey (UA)

3rd: Filetti (9.875)
2nd: Magee (9.900)
1st: Miles (9.975)

So the Tide finishes with a 196.175, having to count a fall on the beam for the first time this year. Auburn finishes with a 194.450, having to count a fall on beam and bars.

She rushed the Omeliantchik just a bit and shuffled her landing of the dismount (gainer full twist). Otherwise a solid routine under pressure.

Courtney Priess is now exhibiting and doing a solid job. Hitting all of her elements and landing the switch leap to gainer back pike. She had a great back handspring to back pike flight series and a punch front (tiny scoot to end of beam) and a switch leap to straddle side jump combination was very nice as well.

and second pass is a 2 1/2 twist to punch front. She finishes with front tumbling, nice routine overall. A 9.90 is a little high for finishing with a front tumbling pass when compared to the Tide's difficulty earlier on this event.

Nice back handspring to layout stepout, small balance check. Switch leap 1/2 turn looks good but she falls on the switch leap to side straddle jump (second element). Finishes with a gainer back pike. So the Tide will have to count a fall.

Puckett finishes with a solid double pike and a lariat dance move to salute the judge on her right.

a double tuck, large step back to balance the landing. Nice country rock music.

Cassie Martin is now up for the Tide and opens with a ring leap (whooh). Nice full turn with leg tucked in at the knee completely around, a front aerial and then a back handspring to layout stepout, nice control. She throws a switch leap to gorgeous double stag leap and nails the dismount of a back handspring to gainer full twist, just like at Penn State!!!

2 1/2 twist to punch front, just a little off center. She has a little trouble on the second pass, landing the punch layout a little short and having to take a big step back (controlling the landing literally with her back) but she finishes with a double back in tuck position, nice routine! Sassy!

followed by a switch leap to straddle jump. Switch leap to pike jump and she dismounts with a back handspring to gainer full twist off the side, one tiny step to check the landing. Awesome!

Erin Rightley is now up on beam for the Tide. She exhibited beam these last two weeks for the Tide and did an excellent job so the coaches want to give her a chance this week to compete the routine.

Seiffert has to start her routine over when the music started too early (judges had not given her the signal yet). She opens with a double pike, slight scoot backwards on the landing.

O'Neal gets a 9.200 for her beam routine.

have given that score, no matter where she might have a balance check (which she did on the landing of the layout stepout again this week, bent sideways a bit). Ashley O'Neal is now up for the Tide but falls on the flight series (second element). Nice switch leap to two straddle jumps; punch front, a little forward on the landing. She dismounts with a double front, one step back on the landing but she stood it up. Way to recover.

and completes the one handed back handspring to layout stepout (balance check on landing) followed by a front aerial. Switch leap to wolf, punch front, slight lean to the right at the shoulder and she nails the dismount of a double tuck! That girl is hard as nails!!! Roll Tide! She is right in front of the frat boys of Auburn and they are jeering her throughout this routine so that's an incredible performance for the freshman.

Brittany Magee will start us off.

warm-ups in front of Coach Patterson and she gives her the thumbs up to go with it. Cassie Martin is a little tentative on her leap series and must attack! Much better right then with the switch leap to double stag.

be doing their 3 minute touches on beam.

The Tide leads by over two full points but must hit their beam routines to bring this one home.

smile! Looking good so far. Second pass of front handspring to two front layouts (yeah!). She does the worm and some floor boogeying before a ring leap into the corner and she finishes with a double twist to punch front but sits down the second element. Bryan is reassuring her with David and Sarah that it was looking good until not enough juice on that double twist did her in.

on the beam and the Tide will finish with a 49.175 on floor after Banville receives a 9.925 (new career high).

She opens with a super solid pike full in and grins at her teammates and then follows with a 2 1/2 twist to punch front and a huge grin for the radio crew directly in her eye line. Now for some fancy dancing Canadian style before she finishes with a double pike (nailed it!). Do we have our anchor for next year???

with a double twist, jammed it a bit but stands it up.

low and forward but she stood it up. Her second pass is a running front punch layout to immediate Rudi (wow) and she finishes with a double twist. Nice first routine for the Allen, Texas native. Barnett of Auburn falls on her flight series. Auburn is throwing the difficulty tonight. Dwyer received a 9.80 for her beam routine.

Dwyer nails her dismount of a double twist but has trouble earlier in the routine with her punch front yet stayed on. Nice two layouts as well. They'll riot behind us if she does not get a 10.

judges in complaint. Is there a meet referee around to throw some of them out? They're beyond obnoxious and not doing their team any favors. They sound like they're watching a football game at Animal House. What's next, food throwing at the judges?

She has some difficult moves so let's hope she nails them like she did last week. She stands up the 1/2 in 1/2 out, but lands it low and forward, so a definite deduction. She comes back with a perfect whip-whip-back handspring to double pike (yowza). Nice double cat leap and she finishes with a front handspring to a double full. Very nice!

for the Tigers and usually completes a confident set. Full turn with leg extended. Two layouts, looking strong. Split jump to straddle jump combination. She stands up the double tuck dismount and the frat boys erupt behind us. Pressure is on!

Cassie Martin is now on the floor and sits down her double front Arabian. She was not hitting it consistently in warm-ups so this puts immediate pressure on the remaining gymnasts. She also falls on her second pass (front handspring-front layout to front full twist). She finishes with a double twist.

earlier with a punch front. Dismounts with a front full twist in tuck position.

up. Awesome double pike to open. She's back!!! A new routine for her, second pass of a front handspring to a front full to punch layout, very nice. Just a little leg split on the final element. She will finish with a Rudi (front through to a 1 1/2 twist) and lands this a little forward, awkward on the twist so this will be deducted as much as two tenths. Gies of Auburn received a 9.725 for her beam routine.

Gies has a big step on the landing of the double twist but overall a solid routine.

Beautiful 2 1/2 twist to punch front to open and a gorgeous double pike on her second pass, right in front of the radio crew. Now for some sassy dancing. She will finish with a 2 1/2 twist and fell out of it a little bit like last week but still stands it up. Good start.

flight series and a straddle to back tuck combo. She dismounts with a double twist, one step on the landing.

and they have a running total of 97.200 to Alabama's 98.450. The Tide needs to hit their floor routines to push the lead even higher.

Goheen of Auburn closes their bars set with a 9.80.

us with a perfect Yurchenko 1/1. Bama is screaming for a 10 but they give her a 9.975. The video replay will be interesting to check out on that one.

and Lenkiewicz of Auburn falls on her pike Jaeger release. So Auburn will have to count her score in the final tally.

(came down straight, scary looking) and then on the straddle back to handstand, missed the bar. Her final score is 8.6.

Puckett of Auburn gets a 9.775 for her bars. Her routine looked more polished than Dwyer's from start to finish.

and missing two handstands. Hmmmm. Filetti scores a 9.875 for her electrifying vault.

As was Miles who congratulated her.

piking it down and jamming it a bit.

Somero gets a 9.675 for her bars routine. There's some consistency.

stands up the double tuck dismount, bent forward at the waist however. Let's see how this scores.

She nails the vault but had a little split in the air. The Tide crowd is on their feet.

begin the next rotation.

49.100. Mari Bayer completed an excellent exhibition on bars for a 9.775.

Filetti gets a 9.75 for missing one handstand and a small hop back on her double front dismount. Terin Humphrey replies with a great routine, an absolutely perfect dismount of a double layout and she gets a 9.85. From our angle, these routines are looking more solid than the scores are reflecting.

straddle handstand transition move. That's mighty low in our opinion. Banville follows with a super routine, hitting all but one handstand and nailing the double layout dismount for a 9.80. Hmmmm.

Priess just hit her routine, awesome dismount of the Arabian double front, one step in place. Alabama is not being given the scores despite truly beautiful form, extension, handstands and toe point, not to mention the landings are very crisp tonight.

Yurchenko 1/1 as well, a hop back.

hitting all of her elements and taking one step back on the double tuck dismount landing. Beautiful form on the uprises and the toe on toe off to Tkatchev to pak Salto combination was awesome.

with a hop back on the landing. She whipped that twist mid-air so that might be a slight deduction because you want a smooth complete rotation of the twist in the air until the landing.

of a double tuck out of a full turn!

a front handspring double full twisting vault, but has to take several steps forward and to the side on her landing. A very difficult vault.

and get this from the Auburn rep before the touches could commence. So far the Tide is looking crisp on their 3 minute touches on bars. Let's go!

Auburn will start on the vault.

Gail Tourtelotte, Portia Bodenheimer, Susan Leonelli, Priscilla Hickey

Alabama needs to have the same approach in this meet as they did against the Nittany Lions two weeks ago: hit at least five of six routines on the uneven bars to start and avoid having to count a fall right out of the chute. Then they will move to one of their strongest events, vault, where the scores can be pushed upward with crisp landings.

For Auburn, they will need the Tide to falter but they have upgraded on vault, bars and are steady on balance beam and floor exercise, so any pressure they can put on the Tide from the beginning will be favorable for a possible upset.

cheerleaders are leading the crowd in a hearty cheer. He finally tips over and the frat guys are going nuts.

There is not a sea of pink like we saw last week in Coleman Coliseum but we do see it here and there among the orange and crimson. Coach Sarah Patterson started a national phenomenon last year and several teams are having pink meets this year around the country.

leads the crowd in a hearty ROOLLLLLL TIDE ROOLLLLL! to send the ladies off to the dressing rooms. The gals had one last pep talk with the coaches before departing the arena. Local cheerleaders are now entertaining the crowd.

yelling frat guys painted blue all over their bodies and doing the rebel yell.

Magee just nailed her double tuck dismount off beam in long warm-ups.

and spark. Lots of concentration this week. Melanie Banville just had an excellent rep and Mari Bayer is looking very sharp as well. This is what we need to see tonight.

We're looking across the way to the Bama section and behind us is where the Tiger fans have mostly gathered. The curtains are on either side of us, closing out the end zone areas of the arena to allow the fans to pack in more tightly in two primary sections.

time. This will add more difficulty to her routine. It looks like Dana Pierce, Ashley O'Neal, Erin Rightley, Terin Humphrey, Brittany Magee, Cassie Martin, Melanie Banville, Kaitlin White will provide the possible starting line-up. Who will factor into the competition line-up is yet to be decided.

are now on the floor exercise. Ashley Miles warmed up on the vault and is supporting the gals on the floor exercise. She has had flu symptoms this past week but looks like she's feeling better.

We are on the plains of Auburn for the fourth meet of the season. It's another pink night as the Tide and Tiggers will don pink leos to help promote breast cancer awareness in the Opelika-Montgomery community.