Jordan Chiles’ senior anchor moment said everything. Calm, explosive and exact, the final vault landed cleanly, the score flashed 10.000, and Pauley Pavilion erupted. In front of a home-opener record crowd of 7,814 fans, No. 9 UCLA (5-2) put together its most complete performance of the young season, defeating Nebraska 197.325-195.250 on Saturday afternoon.
UCLA set the tone immediately on vault, opening the meet with a 49.250. Freshman Tiana Sumanasekera delivered a steady 9.800 in the leadoff spot, followed by senior Madisyn Anyimi’s 9.750 and junior Katelyn Rosen’s 9.800. Freshman Ashlee Sullivan added a 9.900 before Chiles closed the rotation with the first perfect 10.000 vault of her collegiate career, an emphatic way to cap the opening event and ignite the crowd.
“Being perfect today on vault meant everything,” Chiles said. “It took me four years finally, and that just means I have more opportunities to feel encouraged and powerful going into everything that I do.”
The Bruins moved to uneven bars and continued to build momentum, posting a 49.325. Rosen led the rotation with a clean 9.850, while sophomore Mika Webster-Longin matched that score later in the lineup. Sullivan and Chiles both contributed 9.900s, keeping UCLA ahead of Nebraska at the halfway point of the meet.
Balance beam proved to be UCLA’s strongest event of the day. The Bruins tallied a season-best 49.625, anchored by a pair of near-perfect routines. Senior Ciena Alipio earned a 9.975 with her trademark control and confidence, reinforcing why she entered the weekend ranked top 10 nationally on beam. Chiles followed with another 9.975, punctuating a rotation that also featured 9.900s from Rosen and freshman Nola Matthews. The beam performance created even more separation heading into the final rotation.
UCLA closed on floor exercise with a 49.125, enough to comfortably hold off Nebraska’s late push. Webster-Longin opened with a 9.700, while Alipio and Sumanasekera each scored 9.875. Sullivan added another 9.875 before Chiles finished her night with a 9.800, sealing the meet and capping a dominant all-around performance.
Photographed by Siena Hunt/BruinLife.
Chiles finished with an all-around score of 39.675, marking her third straight all-around victory to start the season. Sumanasekera followed with a 39.400 in her second collegiate all-around appearance, while Rosen posted a 39.175 in a steady return to full four-event competition.
Much of UCLA’s consistency stemmed from preparation translating cleanly under pressure.
“In training, we really have the numbers, the reps, the details — everything locked in,” Sullivan said. “So it is kind of translating this week, and I feel our team did a good job of that.”
UCLA controlled the meet from start to finish, sweeping all four events and never relinquishing the lead. The win improved UCLA’s early-season momentum and gave the Bruins a statement performance in their home debut, blending veteran leadership with freshman poise in front of a packed Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA will hit the road next, traveling to East Lansing to face Michigan State on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. PST.
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Featured Image Photographed by Siena Hunt/BruinLife
