Luisa Blanco the Hero Again in Alabama Gymnastics' Road Win over Georgia

The Crimson Tide put up a season high true road score thanks in large part to the all-around title from Blanco.

When the meet was once again coming down to the final routine, Alabama had someone it could count on. 

There were no major mistakes or falls during the final rotation on balance beam at Georgia, but a few slight wobbles, plus high scores from the Bulldogs on floor once again put the pressure on Luisa Blanco to close out the meet for the Crimson Tide. 

And once again, she delivered. Capped by a stuck dismount, Blanco scored a 9.95 on the beam to secure the individual all-around title and the team overall win. 

"Luisa really has ice water in her veins and just knows how to step in to tough moments and deliver big performances," Alabama head coach Ashley Johnston said after the meet. "I knew that. The team knew that. She knew that. And so we had a lot of confidence going into that last routine."

Alabama beat Georgia 197.525-197.325 inside Stegman Coliseum Friday night for the highest true road score of the season and third straight win over the Bulldogs. Blanco scored at least a 9.9 on all four events with 9.95s on uneven bars, floor exercise and beam, finishing with a 39.750 in the all-around. 

The Crimson Tide led after each of the first three rotations and had built up a pretty sizable lead heading to balance beam. As the road team, Alabama finished the meet on beam, which can always cause a little more pressure. Because of the wobbles, it was the Crimson Tide's lowest event score of the night, but the 9.95s from Blanco and Ella Burgess helped buoy the scores. 

Its best of the night came on floor, the event where Alabama is ranked highest, sixth in the nation. It was highlighted by, of course, Blanco's 9.95 and a high-flying 9.9 from freshman Gabby Gladieux, as the Crimson Tide scored a 49.475. 

Topping Alabama's vault rotation was Shallon Olsen's 9.95 on her Yurchenko double, one of the most difficult vaults in collegiate gymnastics. For the second week in a row, Alabama started to see a few more sticks on vault and finished with a 49.350. 

"We really had to fight for this one tonight," Johnston said. "Doing two, back-to-back away meets is never easy on a team. And so I was really proud of the way we went for it tonight and just continued to work. It didn’t always come easy. They had to adjust to a few equipment things that felt a little bit different, but they continued to work, adjust and plug away and fight for every tenth. And so I think that’s what we learned as a team tonight was learning how to be fighters.”

Alabama returns home this upcoming Friday, Feb. 24, to host the LSU Tigers inside Coleman Coliseum at 7 p.m.

See also:

An Alabama Gymnastics Bond Formed in a Snap

Alabama Viewer's Guide to First Full Weekend of Spring Sports

No. 20 Alabama Baseball Stifles Richmond on Opening Day, 12-3