This young Tide team will once again hit the highway (or skyway) this weekend to face the #14 Pioneers of Denver.

Denver will use their three strong all-arounders: Emily Bankhead, Ashley Shible and Michelle Kasuga to hold back the Crimson Wave from the south. Already this season, Kasuga has received two 10.0s on Uneven Bars and Floor against Stanford.

Emily Bankhead consistently scores 9.90+ on Beam and Floor.

As a team, Denver is averaging 48.925 on Vault. Look for Bankhead, Shible, Kasuga, Karyssa Ancelloti, Jessica Kennedy, and Cassidy Willingham in their lineup.

On Bars, Jacqueline Young will join the three all-arounders along with Kennedy, Rose Kiernan, and Lindsey Fitzgerald.

Kasuga, Ancelloti, Kennedy, Bankhead, Shible, and Kiernan could all join former Junior elite Jamie Martini on Balance Beam.

The Pioneers can bring the big scores on Floor. Kasuga leads the team with high scoring routines, along with Shible, Bankhead, Ancelloti, Kennedy and Willingham.

SEC Athlete of the Week Jeana Rice, and Senior Kristin Sterner will lead Alabama in the all-around.

Bama will start on Bars with Shannon Hrozek. Dana Pierce and Dana Filetti have solidified their spots in the bar lineup with consistent performances. Larissa Stewart got her first start on Bars last Friday against Michigan and performed well for her teammates. Sterner and Rice will finish up for Bama. Michelle Reeser is also available to swing into the lineup having performed at the Super Six, Georgia, and Arkansas.

Bama will miss the explosive vaulting power of Ashley Miles who is sidelined with a knee injury. At this time, it is not known if she will need surgery or can simply rest the knee and return to the lineup at a later date. Our prayers are with Ashley and All-American Alexis Brion for speedy recoveries. Sterner, Rice, Stephanie Kite and Mari-Christine Bayer are throwing 10.0 start value vaults and we expect to see Shannon Hrozek, Lauren Holdefer, and Dana Pierce upgrade their vaults soon.

Bama is currently ranked #1 nationally on Floor Exercise with Reeser, Rice, Sterner, Bayer, Kite and Holdefer at the helm. Filetti and Rachel Delahoussaye may exhibit this weekend.

Bama beamers will include Reeser (9.90 vs. Michigan), Pierce, Hrozek, Bayer, Sterner and Rice. Filetti, Delahoussaye, Holdefer and Stewart are waiting for their chance to enter the lineup.

Coach Patterson told the fans last week after defeating Michigan by .625, that she deliberately schedules tough competition and that every meet this year would likely be close for this young team. We can live with close victories.